If summer in Zurich is all about festivals, fall and winter are all about fairs and exhibitions. Zurich looooves hosting fairs. There’s a fair for all tastes: shopping, wine, travel, motorcycles, gardening… and why not? After all, late fall and winter in Zurich generally bring fairly low temperatures, so finding something to do indoors seems like a good way to spend a few hours, doesn’t it?
But there is one thing that Zurich is always partial to, and that’s design. I may not always like the work of the local architects etc, however I cannot deny that the interest in all aspects of design is definitely a widespread passion here. Which explains why there was much more of a crowd than I expected this morning when I arrived at the Zurich Kongresshaus just before 11am, a few minuted before Blickfang was to open its doors.
Blickfang is a design fair that happens only one weekend a year, in 4 European cities: Stuttgart, Basel, Zurich and Vienna. Attendees can browse through (and shop for) a wide variety of merchandise spanning all aspects of design: interior decor, furniture, fabrics, clothing and accessories, jewelry, and other odds and ends. The fair also includes fashion shows and product demonstrations, and most of the exhibitors are incredibly friendly and will welcome inquiries and chances to discuss their products, making it more or less heaven for a lifestyle blogger!
I made a point of visiting it on Friday because I wanted to be able to take pictures and browse without having to navigate a large crowd, but unfortunately it turned out that not all booths were quite ready by the time the doors opened, so next year I will have to visit later in the afternoon or on Friday evening (when I can also catch a fashion show!)
However there was still plenty to see, and much of it to my taste, especially clothing and accessories – and just by the sheer amount of gorgeous leather handbags I laid my eyes on, Blickfang was worth the ticket price. A few favorites:
What I liked best about Blickfang was that it wasn’t full of big names; instead, there were lots of smaller designers who are still launching their brand. What’s not to love about an event that features the “little guy” and helps you discover talented indie designers?
Also, among the booths you will also find some representing various design schools around Switzerland, which also makes this a good place to attend with a tween who might have an interest in design.
Want to see more? Blickfang will be open all weekend, from 11am to 10pm (7pm on Sunday).
The tickets can be purchased on side or at one of these locations around Zurich and Lucerne; daily tickets are priced at 23 Francs and include public transportation for the day in Zone 10.
Discounted tickets (for students) and multi-day tickets are also available.
Children under 12 can enter for free; I chose to take Stella with me when visiting the fair, but if you prefer, you can also avail yourself of the complementary childcare service.
My weekend is pretty packed, otherwise you can bet I’d be returning to Blickfang for another look… and maybe some shopping. In fact, next year I might go with my husband, so we can get my Christmas present there 
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