Hot summer, hot parties and a rather cool neighbourhood 3.5 It would be remiss of us not to mention Switzerland’s blistering summer of 2026. The national average temperature in June was 3.5°C above the average for the last 30 years. It exceeded the norm by 3.2°C in July. The heatwave continued in August. Many towns and cities recorded their highest temperatures since records began in 1864. The summer months also saw significantly less rainfall than normal. SOURCE: METEO SWISS 71 Do you ever sit down for a coffee – or even a beer – with any of your neighbours? Most Swiss (71 percent) never or only very rarely do. A growing reluctance to venture out of our bubble also means that there has been a notable drop in volunteering. Only 26 percent now say that they formally volunteer. This is down from 35 percent in 2020. SOURCE: “NZZ AM SONNTAG” 830,000 Pulling up the proverbial drawbridge is one thing, communal experiences are another. On 12 July, tens of thousands of people around the country went to live screenings of the Switzerland-Argentina FIFA World Cup quarter-final match – braving the 3 a.m. kick-off. A total of 830,000 people watched the game live. SOURCE: SRF MEDIA PORTAL 600 The hot, dry weather increased the risk of fires, which is why fireworks on 1 August were banned almost everywhere this year. Bonfires were also prohibited. Could a longstanding tradition be in danger? Maybe, but our ancestors managed to get through 600 years without celebrating: there was no Swiss National Day at all until 1891. SOURCE: HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF SWITZERLAND 900,000 There were packed crowds in the centre of Zurich on 9 August, when 900,000 colourful revellers turned the city into a huge dance floor at the world’s biggest techno party, the Street Parade. Due to the sweltering heat, ravers were also keen on keeping cool under the misting systems and shower installations situated along the parade route. SOURCE: WWW.SRF.CH FIGURES COMPILED BY: MARC LETTAU Imprint “Swiss Review”, the magazine for the Swiss Abroad, is in its 51st year of publication and is published five times a year, in 13 regional editions, in German, French, English and Spanish. It has a total circulation of 479,000, including 311,000 electronic copies. All Swiss Abroad who are registered with a Swiss representation receive the magazine free of charge. Anyone else can subscribe for an annual fee (Switzerland: CHF 30 / Abroad: CHF 50). ONLINE EDITION www.revue.ch EDITORS Walter Schmid, Editor-in-Chief (WS), Stéphane Herzog (SH), Theodora Peter (TP), Susanne Wenger (SWE), Amandine Madziel, FDFA representative (AM) FDFA OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS The editorial responsibility for the “Notes from the Federal Palace” section is assumed by the Consular Directorate, Innovation and Partnerships, Effingerstrasse 27, 3003 Berne, Switzerland. kdip@eda.admin.ch | www.eda.admin.ch ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Airpage AG, Uster/Zurich furrer@airpage.ch | www.airpage.ch The ordering parties are fully responsible for the content of advertisements and promotional inserts. This content does not necessarily represent the opinion of either the editorial office or the publisher. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Nema Bliggenstorfer (NB) TRANSLATION SwissGlobal Language Services AG, Baden LAYOUT Roman Häfliger, Basel PRINT Vogt-Schild Druck AG, Derendingen PUBLISHER The “Swiss Review” is published by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. The postal address of the publisher and the editorial office is: Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Berne. revue@swisscommunity.org Phone: +41 31 356 61 10 Bank details: CH97 0079 0016 1294 4609 8 / KBBECH22 COPY DEADLINE FOR THIS EDITION 25 August 2026 CHANGES OF ADDRESS Please advise your local embassy or consulate. The editorial team cannot access your address and administrative data. Thank you. Swiss Review / October 2026 / No. 4 19 Switzerland in figures
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