The Alps do not really have an off-season — they have a calendar. From the thunder of the Streif in January to cows in flower crowns coming down from the pastures in September, the mountain year is punctuated by races, festivals and rituals that fill hotels, shape resort identities and give travellers a reason to book a trip around a date rather than a place. This TOP 50 is our editorial selection of the Alpine events that matter: every entry is a real, recurring event, checked against its official website, and chosen for its influence on Alpine travel and hospitality.
We have deliberately kept this page evergreen: no years, no dates that expire, only the season and the reason each event deserves your attention. Dates shift slightly from one edition to the next, so always confirm on the official site we link for each entry. The list runs from legendary ski races to freeride and winter spectacles, mountain music, food and wine, summer endurance classics, and the traditions and trade gatherings that keep the Alpine world turning.
Legendary ski races
1. Hahnenkamm Races (Kitzbühel, Austria) — The most feared downhill in the world, run on the Streif since 1931, turns Kitzbühel into the epicentre of ski racing every late January. Race week draws celebrities, sponsors and tens of thousands of fans to the Tyrolean town.
2. Lauberhorn Races (Wengen, Switzerland) — The longest downhill on the World Cup circuit, held each January beneath the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau since 1930. Racers hit over 140 km/h on a course reached, like the car-free village itself, by cog railway.
3. Inferno Race (Mürren, Switzerland) — The world's largest amateur ski race, first run in 1928, sends some 1,800 racers down a course of up to 14.9 km from near the Schilthorn summit each January. Getting a bib is a rite of passage for serious recreational skiers.
4. The Nightrace (Schladming, Austria) — A floodlit World Cup night slalom in late January that packs tens of thousands of spectators into the Planai finish arena, making it one of the loudest evenings in ski racing.
5. Saslong Classic (Val Gardena, Italy) — December's World Cup downhill and super-G on the Saslong, famous for the airborne 'camel humps', beneath the Sassolungo massif in the Dolomites.
6. Alta Badia Ski World Cup (Alta Badia, Italy) — The giant slalom on the Gran Risa, one of the steepest and most technical GS courses in the world, is a pre-Christmas fixture that showcases the Dolomites at their best.
7. Adelboden World Cup (Adelboden, Switzerland) — The early-January giant slalom and slalom on the Chuenisbärgli end in a natural amphitheatre where tens of thousands of cowbell-ringing fans create Switzerland's rowdiest ski weekend.
8. Critérium de la Première Neige (Val d'Isère, France) — Since 1955 this early-December World Cup meeting has opened the European racing season in France, on the demanding Face de Bellevarde and OK courses.
9. Four Hills Tournament (Innsbruck & Bischofshofen, Austria) — Ski jumping's most prestigious tour crosses the Alps around New Year, with the Bergisel jump above Innsbruck and the Epiphany final in Bischofshofen as its Alpine climax.
Freeride, ski mountaineering & winter spectacles
10. Xtreme Verbier — Freeride World Tour Finals (Verbier, Switzerland) — The world's best freeriders drop into the terrifying Bec des Rosses each spring to decide the Freeride World Tour titles, a Verbier tradition since 1996.
11. Laax Open (Laax, Switzerland) — Europe's premier snowboard contest brings world-class halfpipe and slopestyle riding, plus concerts, to Laax every January.
12. White Turf (St. Moritz, Switzerland) — Since 1907, thoroughbreds have raced across the frozen lake of St. Moritz on February Sundays, including the spectacular skikjöring events where riders on skis are towed by horses.
13. Patrouille des Glaciers (Zermatt to Verbier, Switzerland) — The Swiss Army's biennial ski-mountaineering epic sends rope teams over 53 km of glacier terrain from Zermatt to Verbier in late April; it is the most mythical team race in the Alps.
14. Pierra Menta (Arêches-Beaufort, France) — Ski mountaineering's answer to the Tour de France: a four-day March stage race in the Beaufortain, run in pairs since 1986, with crowds hiking up to cheer on the ridgelines.
15. Trofeo Mezzalama (Monte Rosa, Italy) — The 'highest race in the world', a biennial spring ski-mountaineering crossing of the Monte Rosa massif at over 4,000 m, first run in 1933.
16. Sellaronda Skimarathon (Dolomites, Italy) — A night-time ski-mountaineering race around the entire Sella massif each March, with teams of two climbing and descending roughly 42 km under headlamps through four Ladin valleys.
17. Engadin Skimarathon (Maloja to S-chanf, Switzerland) — On the second Sunday of March, over 10,000 cross-country skiers glide 42 km across the frozen lakes of the Engadin in Switzerland's biggest mass-participation winter event.
18. Marcialonga (Val di Fiemme & Val di Fassa, Italy) — Italy's great 70 km classic-technique ski marathon, held on the last Sunday of January since 1971, part of the Ski Classics long-distance circuit.
19. La Grande Odyssée (Savoie & Haute-Savoie, France) — Europe's toughest sled-dog stage race crosses the French Alps each January, with mushers and their teams racing through high mountain passes over more than a week.
Music & mountain culture
20. Snowbombing (Mayrhofen, Austria) — The original ski-and-party festival takes over Mayrhofen every April with forest stages, igloo raves and street parties, closing the Zillertal season in style.
21. Tomorrowland Winter (Alpe d'Huez, France) — The Alpine edition of the world's most famous electronic festival transforms Alpe d'Huez each March, with elaborate stages both in the village and at over 2,000 m on the mountain.
22. Zermatt Unplugged (Zermatt, Switzerland) — An acoustic-focused festival in April beneath the Matterhorn, where international stars play stripped-down sets in tents, chalets and mountain venues.
23. Caprices Festival (Crans-Montana, Switzerland) — Electronic music's most scenic clubbing weekend, each spring in Crans-Montana, famed for daytime sets on glass-walled stages at altitude.
24. Rock the Pistes (Portes du Soleil, France/Switzerland) — A March festival of free concerts staged directly on the pistes across the cross-border Portes du Soleil area — the audience arrives on skis.
25. Top of the Mountain Concerts (Ischgl, Austria) — Ischgl bookends its season with stadium-sized concerts on the Idalp at 2,300 m; past headliners range from Elton John to Rihanna, cementing its 'Ibiza of the Alps' reputation.
26. Verbier Festival (Verbier, Switzerland) — For over two weeks each summer, one of the world's great classical music festivals brings star soloists and its renowned academy of young musicians to the Val de Bagnes.
27. Gstaad Menuhin Festival (Gstaad, Switzerland) — Founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1957, this classical festival stretches across some seven weeks from July to September, with concerts in churches, a festival tent and mountain settings around the Saanenland.
28. CosmoJazz Festival (Chamonix, France) — André Manoukian's free late-July festival stages jazz concerts on glaciers, lakeshores and mountaintops around Chamonix, with the audience hiking or riding lifts to the music.
Food & wine in the mountains
29. St. Moritz Gourmet Festival (St. Moritz, Switzerland) — Since 1994, international guest chefs have taken over the kitchens of the Engadin's grand hotels for a week of dinners and safaris each winter — the benchmark for Alpine gastronomy events.
30. Merano WineFestival (Merano, Italy) — Every November, the Kurhaus of Merano hosts one of Europe's most selective wine showcases, pairing top Italian and international producers with South Tyrolean hospitality.
31. VINEA Wine Fair (Sierre, Switzerland) — Valais wine culture's flagship event: each early September, Sierre's streets become an open-air tasting of hundreds of Swiss wines, from Fendant to Petite Arvine.
32. Toquicimes (Megève, France) — A festival entirely devoted to mountain cuisine, held each autumn in Megève, with chef competitions, markets and demonstrations celebrating Alpine terroir.
33. Südtiroler Speckfest (Val di Funes, Italy) — South Tyrol celebrates its PGI-protected speck each early autumn beneath the Odle peaks, with tastings, music and craft in one of the Dolomites' most photogenic valleys.
34. Fête de la Châtaigne (Fully, Switzerland) — Valais' great October chestnut festival, where the village of Fully serves brisolée — roasted chestnuts with local cheese and new wine — to tens of thousands of visitors.
Endurance & summer classics
35. UTMB Mont-Blanc (Chamonix, France) — The world's most famous trail-running event: each late August, the flagship 170 km loop around Mont Blanc through France, Italy and Switzerland turns Chamonix into trail running's global capital for a week.
36. Sierre-Zinal (Val d'Anniviers, Switzerland) — The 'race of the five 4000s', run every August since 1974, is mountain running's most prestigious classic: 31 km from the Rhône valley up to Zinal with views of five 4,000 m peaks.
37. Marathon du Mont-Blanc (Chamonix, France) — A late-June weekend of trail races from the vertical kilometre to the 90K, whose marathon finish on the balcony of Planpraz is one of the sport's iconic images.
38. Jungfrau Marathon (Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland) — Billed as the world's most beautiful marathon, this September race climbs over 1,800 m from the lakes of Interlaken to the foot of the Eiger north face.
39. Eiger Ultra Trail (Grindelwald, Switzerland) — A July trail festival in the shadow of the Eiger, whose 100 km flagship course has become one of the Alps' most coveted ultra finishes.
40. Tor des Géants (Aosta Valley, Italy) — The giant of Alpine ultras: 330 km and around 24,000 m of climbing on the Aosta Valley's high routes each September, completed non-stop within 150 hours.
41. Maratona dles Dolomites (Alta Badia, Italy) — The most oversubscribed granfondo in cycling closes the Dolomite passes on the first Sunday of July; thousands of riders tackle the Sella, Gardena, Campolongo and Giau on closed roads.
42. Ötztaler Radmarathon (Sölden, Austria) — The Alps' toughest single-day amateur road race: 227 km and about 5,500 m of climbing over four passes including the Timmelsjoch, held at the end of each summer.
43. Marmotte Granfondo Alpes (Bourg d'Oisans, France) — The legendary early-July sportive over the Glandon, Télégraphe and Galibier, finishing up the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez — a bucket-list ride since 1982.
44. Sellaronda Bike Day (Dolomites, Italy) — Twice a year the four passes around the Sella massif close entirely to motor traffic, letting tens of thousands of cyclists ride the famous loop free of charge and free of cars.
Traditions, Christmas & trade gatherings
45. Désalpe de Charmey (Charmey, Switzerland) — On the last Saturday of September, flower-crowned herds descend from the Gruyère alpine pastures through the village in Switzerland's best-known désalpe, with artisan markets and folklore all day.
46. Tschäggättä Carnival (Lötschental, Switzerland) — Between Candlemas and Shrove Tuesday, fearsome figures in carved wooden masks and sheepskins roam the villages of the Lötschental in one of the Alps' oldest and wildest carnival traditions.
47. Festival International de Ballons (Château-d'Œx, Switzerland) — Since 1979, dozens of hot-air balloons from around the world have filled the winter sky above Château-d'Œx for nine days each late January, a photographer's dream against the snowy Pays-d'Enhaut.
48. Bolzano Christmas Market (Bolzano, Italy) — Italy's most famous Christmas market fills Piazza Walther from late November to Epiphany, blending Italian and Tyrolean traditions at the gateway to the Dolomites.
49. Interalpin (Innsbruck, Austria) — The world's leading trade fair for alpine technologies, held every two years in Innsbruck, where the ropeway, snowmaking and resort industries set the agenda for mountain tourism.
50. Mountain Planet (Grenoble, France) — The biennial international trade show for mountain development at Grenoble's Alpexpo, gathering resorts, lift manufacturers and tourism professionals from across the Alps and beyond.
How this TOP 50 is built
This ranking is an editorial selection by the Stay in Alps team. Every event listed is real and recurring: we verified each one against its official website before inclusion, and we link only to official sources. Selection criteria include heritage and longevity, international reach, impact on Alpine travel and hotel demand, and how distinctively 'Alpine' the experience is. Because the page is evergreen, we cite seasons rather than dates — always check the official site for the next edition.
- Update policy: we review the full list at least once a year, remove events that are discontinued and re-verify every official link.
- Suggest an addition: if you organise or know a recurring Alpine event you believe belongs here, contact us through our about page with the official website and a short description.
- You're featured? You're welcome to mention it and link to this page.
FAQ
When is the best time to experience Alpine events?
There is no single answer — the calendar is full year-round. January and February concentrate the legendary ski races and winter spectacles, April is festival season on the snow, July and August belong to music and endurance classics, and autumn brings the désalpes, food festivals and, from late November, the Christmas markets.
Do I need tickets far in advance?
For the biggest names, yes. Bibs for the Maratona dles Dolomites and UTMB races are allocated by lottery months ahead, Snowbombing and Tomorrowland Winter packages sell out quickly, and hotel rooms in Kitzbühel or Wengen during race week are often booked a year out. Traditional events such as désalpes, carnivals and Christmas markets are generally free and open to all.
Are these events suitable for non-skiers?
Absolutely. Many of the greatest Alpine events — White Turf, the Château-d'Œx balloon festival, the Verbier Festival, the désalpe processions, the wine and food fairs — require no skis at all, and even the ski races are, above all, spectacular days out for spectators.
Planning a trip around one of these dates? Browse the rest of our TOP 50 series for more curated Alpine rankings, find the right base with our city and resort guides, and learn more about who we are and how we work.
