As every year, the most awaited event of the Annecy basin will take place on the first Saturday of August and will once again offer one of the most beautiful fireworks shows in the world. Discover all the information not to miss anything of the Lake Annecy festival.
A grandiose fireworks show between lake and mountains
With more than 200,000 spectators expected each year, the Lake Annecy Festival is the key event of the year in Annecy and offers a colourful fireworks show on the water, but also in the air. This show is one of the most beautiful and longest in the world, a show to be experienced live on the first Saturday of August on the shores of Lake Annecy, more precisely on the Pâquier in the Bay ofAlbigny. Of course, it is not obligatory to take a paying ticket to enjoy the show, the fireworks being visible in the whole agglomeration. But being as close as possible allows you to enjoy what is not visible in the distance, and also the soundtrack of the show.
This year, a new theme has been chosen and the show will be fired from rafts scattered in the bay of Albigny over five hundred metres long. Water jets, projectors and aquatic fountains will accompany the fireworks. Each year, the city of Annecy entrusts the preparation of this show to a renowned fireworks manufacturer.
A festival created in honour of Napoleon III
From 29 to 31 August 1860, Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie were invited to Annecy to celebrate the attachment of Savoy to France. On this occasion, the town organises a lake party to welcome the sovereigns with dignity.
Over time, the lake festival is celebrated every year in August in Annecy. This is the origin of the lake festival, which gradually turned into a majestic fireworks show.
How to see the Lake Festival
To see this magical show, you have two choices: buy tickets to be as close as possible to the fireworks, or find out about free places to enjoy the lake festival anyway.
Buy your tickets
As you can see from the map below, there are plenty of paid options for watching the show on the day. From the stands on the Esplanade du Pâquier, to the surrounding beaches or the Imperial Palace park, you can choose from a range of price tiers. Prices range from €3 for a spot on Marquisats Beach to €38 for a front-row seat in the stands on the Esplanade du Pâquier.
Ticket sales generally open in two stages, with physical ticket offices in Annecy opening a few weeks before the nationwide online sale begins, to prioritise ticket purchases for local residents.
Please note that online ticket sales usually open from late May or early June.
Enjoy the show for free
You can enjoy the show without paying. Of course, you may be further away from the fireworks. However, as the rockets are fired at varying heights, with the biggest ones going up very high, you will be able to enjoy the show and see one of the most beautiful fireworks displays in Europe.
There are several options available to you:
- Come by boat and get close to the no-sailing zone.
- Be invited by people from Annéciens who have a balcony facing the lake
- Go to the Visitation esplanade which overlooks the bay of Annecy
- Look for places at the bottom of the Veyrier mountain without vegetation facing Annecy.
Practical information
- Times: From 9.45 pm to 11 pm.
- Doors open at 8pm.
- The city reserves the right to change the order, time and duration of the show
- The show starts at the scheduled time. In the event of a delay, spectators with numbered seats will not be guaranteed a seat. Latecomers may be placed where there is still room.
- Children under the age of 4 will not be allowed to occupy a numbered seat and must be seated on an adult’s lap.
- For safety reasons, glass bottles and animals are not allowed in the Lake Festival area.
- If the weather does not allow the show to run smoothly, the city of Annecy may cancel. Cancellation will never be pronounced before 8pm.
- The show will not be postponed if it is cancelled.
Seating plan
Ticket prices
Video of the final bouquet of 2019
Past editions
The 2022 edition
After 2 years of cancellation due to the health crisis, the Lake Festival made its comeback in Annecy. The fireworks show took place on 6 August 2022. Many new features were on the programme for the Fête du Lac 2022, including the use of more than 300 drones that flew through the air before the fireworks. They illustrated the birth of Lake Annecy.
The budget for this new edition amounted to 1.2 million euros. As for the spin-offs, they were estimated at 1 million euros.
The 2021 edition
The Lake Annecy Festival was to take place on the first Saturday of August, i.e. on 7 August 2021 from 9.45 pm to 11 pm, with doors opening at 7 pm. Due to the health crisis linked to the coronavirus, the 2021 Lake Festival has been cancelled.
A collective “Less cars, more bikes in Annecy” from Greenpeace Annecy wanted the 2021 edition of the Lake Festival to be replaced by a day reserved for bikes around Lake Annecy.
Read more : Annecy’s Fête du Lac 2021 cancelled.
The 2020 edition
Due to the health crisis linked to the coronavirus, the 2020 Fête du Lac has been cancelled. The 2020 edition was to celebrate the 90th anniversary of this magical fire. The fireworks manufacturer chosen by the city of Annecy this year was the French group Brezac, with three other great pyrotechnicians in charge of the show. They are Mark Kelsall, Martin Hildeberg and Pavlos Nanos. They have taken up the four basic elements: the joy of air, the anger of fire, the nostalgia of earth and the serenity of water.
More info: Lake Annecy Festival 2020
The 2019 edition
On 3 August 2019, the fireworks for the Lake Annecy festival were fired by the Italian fireworks manufacturer Parente Fireworks, based in Melara. The theme chosen was “Dreaming the sky”. The show lasted over 70 minutes.
The bay of Albigny was particularly well used, especially in its entire length. It was possible to admire magnificent fountains of light.
It should be noted that the fireworks manufacturer selected had already produced the 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015 editions of the lake festival.
The 2018 edition
In 2018, the show “Around the Earth” proposed by Pyroemotions and Acqua Viva Production for the soundtrack was selected. The main theme was to follow the initiatory journey of a father and his daughter as in a book by Jules Verne.
The Italian fireworks designer, Andrea Scarpato, is well known for his successful synchronisation of the various fireworks.
He used 6 tons of powder, fired from 60 pontoons, which formed a 600 m long stage with 60 spotlights to ensure the illumination.
The 2017 edition
In 2017, the theme of the Fire Dance was chosen. The Portuguese fireworks company, Grupo Luso Pirotecnia, was in charge of the fireworks show.
Water, earth, fire and air were the four axes of the show, with a scenography that used three-dimensional effects, which was a major innovation. The fireworks were reminiscent of dance, as a form of choreography.
The means were important with 141 firing positions on the lake with a circular effect, 360°.
