The Cantine de Sauvabelin is a municipal festival hall in Lausanne that can be hired for company parties, presentation days, anniversaries and dance evenings, with room for 360 seated or 560 standing guests. It stands at the edge of the Sauvabelin forest, above the city and the lake, and it is open to bookings from May 1 to September 30.
Seminars and company events
The City of Lausanne lists company parties and society celebrations among the usual uses of the hall, along with promotion days and presentation days. The room is one open space, so it suits a staff party, a customer day, a product presentation or a large summer reception rather than a closed boardroom seminar. The hall is rented both for commercial and for non-profit events, so an organiser does not need to be a club or an association to book it.
Every event held in Lausanne, public or private, has to be declared to the city's economy department. The hall's page links to the permit request form, so plan that step alongside the booking.
Weddings and receptions
The official page does not present weddings as a service. It does mention private events, anniversaries and dance evenings, and the hall has a dance floor, a kitchen and annexes. Couples who want to use it should ask the management whether a wedding reception fits the rules of hire.
Rooms and capacities
The hall has one main space. Its capacity ranges from 360 people seated to 560 people standing. The long nave has a timber frame and metal tie rods, under a Swiss-style roof. A dance floor, a kitchen and ancillary rooms complete the building. The kitchen is equipped, which matters if your caterer needs to work on site. The venue offers access and a toilet for people with reduced mobility.
Accommodation
There is no accommodation on site. Guests staying overnight will find hotels in the city of Lausanne.
Catering
The hall has an equipped kitchen but the official page does not name a caterer or an in-house offer. Organisers should plan to bring their own caterer and confirm kitchen rules with the management when they request a date.
History and setting
The hall was built in 1903 and renovated in the 1980s. It has stayed in municipal hands since then and is managed and maintained by the city's housing and property service. The surroundings are a popular walking area, with many paths around the hall and a view over the city and the lake.
Getting there
A public car park, which is paid, is close to the hall. The city page also links to public transport directions. Bookings are handled by the Service des gérances of the City of Lausanne, which publishes a booking calendar and a provisional reservation form.
