It goes on until 2026 – and then?: This is the future of Big Air Chur

Big Air Chur also marks the end of the festival season and the starting signal for the World Cup for freeskiers and snowboarders. While the athletes perform their best tricks on one of the largest mobile ski jumps in the world, German electro band Scooter and American rap star G-Eazy will perform on the adjacent stage. And ideally bring 30,000 people to dance and celebrate.

Get out of the red

30,000. This is the brand that organizer First Event AG, also organizer of the Openair Frauenfeld, strives for. It is the brand that would ensure black figures. Because despite the powerful artillery of entertainment and spectacle, the event in Chur GR is a delicate plant.

In its first year, it was the first major event after the corona pandemic that was almost overwhelmed. In the second year, however, the organizers were stuck with tickets. The result was a deficit of half a million francs. “In 2022, people were tired of festivals at the end of the summer due to all the postponed and rescheduled events,” explains René Götz, CEO of First Event AG, in the red. The higher energy costs for the infrastructure also played a role. Götz does not want to give too much weight to this shortage. This risk is part of the events industry when setting up a new event.

Unstable predecessors

But if you look at the precursors to the big event in Chur, the mood is not exactly rosy. Similar events have taken place in the past in metropolises such as Berlin, Paris and London. None stayed long term. A recurring bottleneck: financing.

In Chur this is guaranteed to a certain extent – ​​thanks to the city and the canton. “The city is 100 percent behind the event,” says René Götz. Voters even agreed to support 2.4 million francs for spending from 2022 to 2026. The CEO does not yet know what will happen next. “We are convinced that this hybrid concept of sports and music has a future. But of course the finances also have to be right.”

Sport alone is not profitable

The sporting part alone would be a loss. “Everyone in the events industry is aware that sports alone won’t get you anywhere,” says Donald Nader, head of sports at Big Air Chur. You are dependent on the rest of the entertainment. “To see a big musical headliner and also world-class freestyle, people are willing to spend.” Surveys among viewers show that 60 percent come there because of the combination of music and sports.

«Although the audience in Chur is more attracted to the music. But it doesn’t take long before they get carried away by the sport,” says Nader. It is also something special for the athletes to stand among light and fire shows on the more than 40-meter-high slope and jump through 15,000 people to be welcomed.

The city and organizers hope to establish Chur as the starting point for the Football World Cup after 2026. This would also make sense for logistical and ecological reasons. Every year in October, the international freestyle elite gathers for a week-long training camp on the glacier in Saas-Fee USA. Compared to other World Cup destinations, it is a stone’s throw away.