Cully Jazz Festival

What Cully Jazz Festival does

The Cully Jazz Festival is a privately organized Swiss music festival founded in 1983 and held annually over eight days each spring in the village of Cully, on the shores of Lake Geneva within the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyard landscape. It operates two parallel programs: a paid "IN" program of seated, ticketed concerts in dedicated venues, and a free "OFF" program distributed across roughly 17 open-air locations accessible without tickets. The festival is among the largest jazz events in Switzerland and reports approximately 70,000 attendees per edition.

Operations are delivered by a core staff of 11–50 employees supplemented by a volunteer workforce of 700–800 individuals per edition, drawn from the local community and a broader "friends of the festival" donor network. Revenue is generated from ticket sales (over 15,000 paid tickets reported for 2018 at varying price points), corporate and private sponsorships (named sponsors include Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, Blancpain, Gaznat, and Securitas), foundation events and grants, merchandise sales, donations, and Swiss cantonal and federal cultural subsidies. Ancillary programming includes the summer "Cully Jazz Estival" mini-festival introduced in 2021, and a podcast titled "Compos" launched in 2026.

The festival's documented technology footprint is limited to standard consumer-facing channels — a website, newsletter, social media accounts, an online boutique, and conventional ticketing infrastructure. There is no evidence of a proprietary platform, mobile application, or AI-driven component. Production infrastructure is venue-based, relying on leased or municipally provided spaces rather than owned facilities, and the organization retains a historical archive dating to its 1983 founding.

Name

Cully Jazz Festival

Legal name

Cully Jazz Festival

Website

https://cullyjazz.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cully Jazz Festival is a privately organized Swiss music festival running annually since 1983 in the Lavaux vineyard region. It offers ticketed and free jazz concerts across roughly 17 venues each spring, serving approximately 70,000 attendees per edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Festival Events

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG), Community Music & Dance Festivals (Non-Commercial/Local) (MPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Jazz music festival
• Live concert events
• Festival ticketing
• Festival merchandise
• Cultural event programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Cully

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Concert tickets: Revenue from paid IN concerts held at Chapiteau, Next Step, Temple, and Club venues. Sold online and at festival office.
2. Festival merchandise: Festival boutique sells branded merchandise including clothing and accessories created in collaboration with Particules en Suspension.
3. Gift vouchers: Sale of gift tokens/vouchers for festival experiences.
4. Food and beverage: Revenue from stands and bars at festival venues, including local wine from Lavaux.
5. Festival Friends support: Individual supporters contribute to the festival with various gift levels (drinks, meals, accommodation, instrument rental, transportation, artist fees) in exchange for wine vouchers and concert tickets.
6. Corporate sponsorships: Evening packages for 4 or 8 people at CHF 1,000 or CHF 2,000 respectively, including official events, aperitif, concert at Next Step, and festival acknowledgement.
7. Foundation fundraising events: Supportive evening events combining concert attendance with dinner. Foundation evening at CHF 290 per person includes Chapiteau concert and seated dinner. Support apéritif at CHF 150 per person includes reception and Next Step concert.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cully Jazz Festival organizes an annual multi-venue jazz festival in the village of Cully in the Lavaux wine region of Switzerland. The festival operates a dual program: Festival IN featuring approximately 36 ticketed concerts across paid venues (Chapiteau, Next Step, Temple) and Festival OFF offering nearly 100 free concerts across 17 village locations including wine caveaux. The organization also sells festival merchandise, gift vouchers, and corporate hospitality packages, and is supported by a network of 700-800 volunteers and the Fondation Lavaux-Cully-Jazz.

Product overview

The Cully Jazz Festival is a music festival offering a dual program structure: Festival IN (ticketed main-stage concerts at venues including the Chapiteau, Next Step, and Temple) and Festival OFF (free outdoor concerts across 17 village venues showcasing emerging Swiss talent). Supporting services include online ticketing, gift vouchers, merchandise boutique, and a podcast series 'Compos'. The festival organizes approximately 140 concerts over 8 days annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival IN (Ticketed Concert Program) The festival's core ticketed concert program featuring approximately 36 paid performances across three venues (Chapiteau, Next Step, Temple) for individual jazz enthusiasts and music lovers attending the annual festival.
• Boutique / Merchandise Collection Festival-branded merchandise including apparel and accessories created in collaboration with Particules en Suspension, sold at the boutique in Cully or by direct request, targeted at festival attendees and fans.
• Bon Cadeau (Gift Vouchers) Gift tokens and vouchers that can be purchased to give festival experiences to others, targeted at individuals seeking gift options for jazz enthusiasts.
• Corporate Evening Packages (Entreprises Amies) Corporate hospitality packages available in two tiers (4 people at CHF 1,000 or 8 people at CHF 2,000) that include invitation to official events, festival visit with aperitif, and concert at Next Step, targeted at regional businesses for client entertainment and networking.
• Festival Friends (Ami·es du Festival) Support Program Individual donor support program with tiered gift levels ranging from CHF 50 (drinks for a band) to CHF 1,000+ (artist fee participation), offering wine vouchers and concert tickets in exchange, targeted at individual jazz supporters contributing to festival sustainability.
• Foundation Fundraising Events Lavaux-Cully-Jazz Foundation fundraising events combining concert attendance with dinner experiences, including Foundation evenings (CHF 290/person) with Chapiteau concert and seated dinner, and Support apéritifs (CHF 150/person) with reception and Next Step concert.
• Podcast 'Compos' First podcast series launched by the festival in 2026, featuring episodes exploring jazz music and artists, available to listeners as digital content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% venue fill rate for IN concerts (2026 edition)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor of the Cully Jazz Festival. BCV provides primary financial sponsorship enabling festival operations and receives prominent branding recognition.
• BlancpaincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor supporting jazz manouche programming and boat venue Le Venoge. Provides sponsorship for traditional jazz programming and venue.
• RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing broadcast coverage and promotional support. Also collaborates on La Plateforme RTS showcasing emerging Swiss talents.
• Le TempscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing press coverage and promotional visibility for the festival.
• Commune de Bourg-en-LavauxminorOthersHost municipality providing local support, venues, and community engagement.
• District of Lavaux-OronminorOthersDistrict municipalities (Belmont, Chexbres/Puidoux/Rivaz/St Saphorin, Forel, Lutry, Jorat-Mézières, Essertes/Maracon/Oron, Paudex, Pully, Savigny) collaborating on festival support.
• Particules en SuspensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on festival merchandise collection. Created 2026 collection including t-shirts, accessories, and children's items. Boutique located in Cully.
• Montreux RivieraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTourism partner offering hotel + concert package deals for festival-goers visiting from outside the region.
• Yamaha SwitzerlandminorOthersMusical instrument supplier partner for the festival.
• Romande EnergieminorOthersRegional energy provider supplier partner.
• Montreux Jazz ClubminorOthersCultural venue partner and fellow jazz festival in the region.
• AMR (Geneva Music Workshops)minorOthersMusic school and venue partner in Geneva.
• Auditorium Ansermet (Radio Suisse Romande)minorOthersConcert hall partner associated with RTS.
• Lavaux Classic FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Cully Bazar event and musical interludes. Local classical music festival partner.
• Les Caves du CepminorOthersWine cellar venue hosting festival performances in Cully.
• Caveau des VigneronsminorOthersWinegrowers' caveau venue hosting festival performances. Primary venue for ELÆNA residency.
• European Jazz NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational jazz festival network for collaboration and artist exchange.
• EPFLminorOthersSwiss Federal Institute of Technology providing institutional support.
• GaznatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor among the Festival's Corporate Friends.
• SecuritasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor among the Festival's Corporate Friends.
• Florian JoyeminorOthersPhotographer whose works are exhibited at the festival. Created the 2026 festival poster exhibition.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Umbria Jazz: Italy's flagship jazz festival held in Perugia, with a similar model of paid marquee concerts and free street/off-programming in a historic town center.
• Montreux Jazz Festival: Switzerland's flagship jazz festival on Lake Geneva, held annually since 1967. Directly comparable as a paid ticketed jazz festival in the same Swiss Romandie region with overlapping artist pools, headliner economics and Lavaux-area audience.
• North Sea Jazz Festival: Major European jazz festival held in Rotterdam, comparable in artist-roster scale and mix of paid ticketed stages. Represents a larger end of the same festival format.
• Festival International de Jazz de Montréal: Larger North American jazz festival with free outdoor programming alongside paid indoor concerts — analogous structural model at greater scale, useful for upside benchmarking.
• Jazz à Juan: Long-running French Riviera jazz festival (Antibes/Juan-les-Pins) with comparable mix of ticketed headliner concerts and free programming. Similar tier of European heritage jazz festival.
• JazzFest Wien: Vienna's main jazz festival, offering a comparable blend of international headliners and Austrian/regional emerging artists in ticketed and free formats.
• Pori Jazz Festival: One of Europe's oldest jazz festivals (Finland, since 1966), operating a comparable two-tier programming model with paid and free stages in a single regional city.
• Nice Jazz Festival: French Riviera jazz festival with comparable mid-sized headliner economics and Mediterranean cultural-tourism positioning.
• Jazz in Marciac: French village-based jazz festival founded in 1978 in the Gers region, combining international headliners with a village setting — closely analogous to Cully's small-village UNESCO-context positioning.

Others

• Fondation SUISA: Swiss music copyright foundation that supports Cully Jazz Festival financially. Comparable as a Swiss cultural funding ecosystem participant, not a direct competitor but a relevant funder/peer in the Swiss music-festival landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cullyjazz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMDMy64Fh70jEaxapkNpRpw
• Facebookfacebook.com/cullyjazz
• Instagraminstagram.com/cullyjazz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cully-jazz-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cully Jazz Festival