The official one-year commemoration of the New Year’s Eve fire that claimed 41 lives at the “Le Constellation” venue will not take place in Crans-Montana, following intense distress from victims’ families, ilmessaggero.it reported.
Relocating to Grône for the Memorial Ceremony
The Canton of Valais government agreed to move the official remembrance to Grône, a town roughly 20 kilometers away from Crans-Montana. The decision comes after several Swiss families of the victims asked authorities to hold the service far from the site of the tragedy. They specifically requested that the anniversary not be hosted in Crans-Montana and that none of the individuals currently under criminal investigation be present.
Initially, planners organized the ceremony at the Crans-Montana sports complex near the Le Régent congress center. That exact area served as the agonizing gathering point for families on New Year’s night as they awaited news of their children. Because many associate those grounds directly with the trauma of that night, the Valais Council of State approved the relocation.
State Council President Christophe Darbellay noted that authorities examined nearby alternatives before selecting the Recto-Verso hall in Grône. The venue accommodates up to 800 people. The guest list includes victims’ families, survivors, the injured, and first responders—including firefighters, medical personnel, and police officers—alongside Swiss and foreign authorities.
The Hesitation of Italian Families and Excluded Officials
For several Italian families, even a twenty-kilometer distance fails to ease the trauma. Parents of the young victims have indicated they do not intend to participate. The list of young victims includes 16-year-olds Chiara Costanzo from Milan, Achille Barosi from Milan, Riccardo Minghetti from Rome, Giovanni Tamburi from Bologna, and 15-year-old Italian-Swiss resident Sofia Prosperi, alongside 17-year-old Emanuele Galeppini from Genova.
The choice to stay away also extends to families of severely injured survivors, such as Giuseppe Giola and Francesca Nota. For them, the memory of Crans-Montana remains tied to months of hospital vigils and agonizing updates on their children’s conditions.
Addressing the families’ strict conditions, Darbellay confirmed that none of the individuals under investigation will attend the ceremony. The exclusions encompass Crans-Montana Nicolas Féraud and Public Safety Municipal Councillor Patrick Clivaz, both of whom are implicated in the ongoing judicial inquiry.
The memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on January 1, 2027. Authorities will provide a public live broadcast for those remaining in Crans-Montana, echoing the format used during the national day of mourning on January 9 at Martigny.
