The Air Guitar Winners are out!
Air Guitar Contest
During the weekend of the Montreux Jazz Festival in Miami SWISS IMPACT held an air guitar contest in collaboration with Montreux Jazz Festival Miami.
Festivalgoers had the chance to show off their best air guitar skills to one of three songs: “American Woman” by Lenny Kravitz (clearly a hit and the top choice), “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple and “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen.
Contestants came from all walks of life, young and old, and stepped into the spotlight for 30 seconds (some a little longer) to perform to their song of choice. We had so many strong contenders and narrowed it down to our Top 15 performers, and thanks to all of you for voting for your top three favorites!
And the winners are…
1st Prize: Performance #14 – Two tickets to the 2026 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, along with an 8-Day Swiss Travel Pass to travel around Switzerland in 1st class
2nd Prize: Performance #3 – Two 3-day GA passes to Montreux Jazz Festival Miami 2027
3rd Prize: Performance #15 – Two GA passes for one night at Montreux Jazz Festival Miami 2027
While the contest is over, it’s not too late to catch the Top 15 performances here:
Big names on the shores of Lake Geneva
Switzerland is known for many things, and while music isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind (yes… we know: the usual contenders chocolate, cheese and watches), it might surprise you to hear that Switzerland is home to some incredible music festivals, including the Paléo Festival, one of Europe’s largest.
Every summer, hundreds of thousands of people from both Switzerland and abroad flock to a small, picturesque town on Lake Geneva: Montreux. For two weeks, the Montreux Jazz Festival turns into a global stage and celebration of music. Since 1967, big names such as Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Prince, David Bowie, and Elton John have all performed at the festival.
Jazz, blues, and soul are where it all started, but today the Montreux Jazz Festival lineup spans everything from rap and pop to R&B and rock. Think Kendrick Lamar, Radiohead, Tyler the Creator, Rita Ora… you get the idea, it’s kind of a big deal. And as if that wasn’t already enough, Montreux already has a lot going for it too, with stunning views. So, it should come as no surprise that the festival has made a name for itself over the years.
Nearly 250,000 spectators attend Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland every year
Created in 1967 by Claude Nobs and directed by Mathieu Jaton since 2013, the festival brings around 250,000 people together to enjoy music just minutes from the vineyards of Lavaux, which is the perfect location for wine tours, if you are looking for the best of both worlds.
While a summer trip to Montreux always sounds like a good idea, the festival has also branched out to bring the music a little closer to home, especially if you happen to be in the United States. And what better place to enjoy music, sunshine, and beach views than Miami?
From Switzerland to Miami
Since 2024, Montreux Jazz Festival Miami in Coconut Grove has been following in the footsteps of its Swiss-based festival. This isn’t Switzerland’s first cultural export to the Magic City, Art Basel Miami Beach has been making waves since 2002, originally as a sister city event (yes, Basel and Miami Beach are sister cities, we’ve got the receipts here).
This year, Montreux Jazz Festival Miami returned for its third edition, spanning across genres just like the original, from February 25 to March 1, 2026. Last year, Chaka Khan, Janelle Monae, and Willow Smith took the stage, while Jon Batiste hosted the full three-day weekend, no big deal, just jazz royalty in our presence.
And 2026 brought the heat again (yes, we can confirm, we were there) with names like Bomba Estéreo, Elena Rose, Toto, and of course Jon Batiste & Trombone Shorty.
SWISS IMPACT x Miami Jazz Festival in Miami
Like most music festivals, it’s not just about the big stage, it’s also about the culinary experiences, art installations, and those spontaneous jam sessions along the way. And of course… SWISS IMPACT was there highlighting Swiss-U.S. connections, Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, and holding an air guitar contest for tickets to the 2026 Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux and the 2027 Montreux Jazz Festival in Miami.
It was hard to miss us with our red Team Switzerland T-shirts, which are always a highlight to so many of you and brought hundreds by our SWISS IMPACT stand over the course of three days. While some stopped by to show off their air guitar skills, others were just curious to learn more about Switzerland, and some came to tell us about their many adventures there and how they cannot wait to return. It was a packed weekend of music, culture, and Swiss-U.S. connections and we have proof (and so many memories).
Building lasting Swiss-U.S. connections at Montreux Jazz Festival in Miami
But the three days weren’t all fun and games. Our colleagues at the Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta co-organized a Swiss reception with the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, the Swiss Club Miami, Montreux Jazz Miami, and the Montreux Jazz Foundation. The evening offered a great opportunity to come together and foster connections across the business, economic, cultural, and diplomatic spheres in the region. And after all the mixing and mingling, many guests made their way over to the SWISS IMPACT stand to learn more about our work and some even built up the courage to join in on the air guitar competition before enjoying the live performances.
For those of you who didn’t get to experience Miami in person, we’ve put together a Montreux Jazz Festival Miami playlist for you, so you can get a small taste of the weekend. Think of it as a little mix of what it felt like at the festival: the music, the atmosphere, and maybe even a bit of that Miami sunshine. We’ve also added a Swiss artist from the 2025 lineup, because it wouldn’t be Montreux Jazz Festival without it. So hit play and enjoy!
SWISS IMPACT x Montreux Jazz Festival Miami
In case you still want more and are curious to hear a little about special moments we had in Miami, we highlighted a few of those in our short daily blog overview.
Short daily blog
Day 1
Day 1 for SWISS IMPACT at the Montreux Jazz Festival kicked off with the opening of our activation and a lot of excitement for the weekend. The focus was on highlighting the Swiss-U.S. connection and we got to talk to so many of you about your experiences in Switzerland or your desire to visit and learn more.
Just a few Swiss-U.S. highlights from that first night:
- We met John, an Alphorn player from Kansas
- A group of Swiss women, one who was actually from Montreux
- And the Head of the Swiss Miami Club and Honorary Consul stopped by the stand
Day 2
Day 2 came with a little twist: heavy Miami rain. The start time got pushed back, but that didn’t stop people from showing up. Festivalgoers still made their way to the SWISS IMPACT stand for brochures and of course the air guitar contest. We were happy to see some familiar faces return, this time bringing friends along to join in the competition. And we even had a few actual guitarists stop by the stand to show their skills.
A Swiss-U.S. highlight for that night: our Alphorn player from Kansas came back and put a few little Switzerland and Swiss communities in the U.S. on the map that weren’t even on our radar.
In case you missed it, we are always on the hunt for Swiss gems and Little Switzerland’s in the U.S. You can read about a trip we took to Helvetia, West Virginia on SWISS IMPACT.
And on a slightly unrelated note, this was also the first night we had a chance to listen in on some of the performances. All we can say is WOW, Nile Rodgers.
Day 3
By day 3 the sunshine was back right on time for our final day at the festival and the Swiss reception. The evening was all about the Swiss roots of the Montreux Jazz Festival Miami, with a focus on celebrating the Swiss-U.S. ties and putting Switzerland on the map.
It was a pleasure to welcome Rolf Ott, Consul General of Switzerland in Atlanta along with some of the Swiss reception guests to the stand.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Montreux Jazz Festival without the late-night jam sessions. We are happy to report, we caught the session on the final night. A pretty incredible end to the weekend.
