GT&C

A. Scope

The following General Terms and Conditions contain regulations for ticket sales for the events of the Society of Arts (hereinafter referred to as the "SOCIETY"), in particular the annually recurring Zurich Literature Festival (LFZ). In addition, they regulate other rights and obligations of the contracting parties, which arise in the context of the events of the Society between the visitors of events of all business areas and the Society. Excluded from this are special events that take place in cooperation with the SOCIETY but for which the SOCIETY itself is not the organizer.

B 1. General regulations

Admission to the events - both on site and online - is only permitted with a valid ticket.
The SOCIETY has no influence on the composition, length, content and volume of the event.
The making of any kind of image and sound recordings, even for private use, is strictly prohibited. This also applies to the use of cell phones or other devices with corresponding functions for the purpose of image and sound recording.
The person causing the damage shall be liable for any damage caused to furnishings, equipment or other facilities at the venue.
The instructions of the festival personnel must be followed. In case of non-compliance, the SOCIETY reserves the right to issue an immediate exclusion from the event without reimbursement of the admission fee.
The carrying of pyrotechnical objects, flares, weapons or other objects that could possibly pose a risk is prohibited. The SOCIETY reserves the right to declare an immediate exclusion from the event without refund of the admission fee in case of non-compliance.
The organizer reserves the right to relocate the event within the area of the city of Zurich. In this case, the admission tickets shall retain their validity; they cannot be returned.
The organizer is not liable for damaged, lost, stolen or otherwise lost items.
The events of the SOCIETY such as the program of the Literaturfestival Zürich and the starting times of the respective events can be found in the official publications of the festival (website, program booklet) and its event partners (Kaufleuten, Literaturhaus). The SOCIETY reserves the right to make changes to the program times.

B 2. Data protection

The SOCIETY treats the data provided by the visitors and customers confidentially. The SOCIETY processes and uses the data collected in the context of the ticket purchase within the applicable legal limits for the purpose of performing its services. The SOCIETY is entitled to transfer the data provided to authorized third parties for the purpose of carrying out the order, insofar as this is necessary for the fulfillment of the order. With the purchase of a ticket, the visitors agree that their email addresses are included in the newsletter distribution list in order to send them up-to-date informations and offers concerning the festival (e.g. program, festival visit, changes at short notice, discounts) or to inform them about similar events. The data will only be used to the extent set out. The customer can cancel the newsletter at any time (opt-out), then his address will be removed from the distribution list. The detailed data protection regulations of the SOCIETY can be found under privacy policy.

B 3. Copy right

All texts, images, graphics, videos offered on www.literaturfestivalzuerich.com as well as their arrangement and graphic processing on the website are subject to the protection of Swiss copyright and other protective laws. Any use, distribution or modification of the contents of this website (e.g. texts or graphics) is only permitted with the prior express consent of SOCIETY OF ARTS in writing (written, signature required).

C 1. Scope of application

The following Terms and Conditions apply to all digitally accessible events of the Zurich Literature Festival organized by the SOCIETY. They regulate the contractual relationship between the purchaser as well as the holder of online admission tickets (hereinafter referred to as "CUSTOMER") and the SOCIETY.
The agreements made between the SOCIETY and the CUSTOMER are based exclusively on these Terms and Conditions. Deviating or supplementary regulations of the CUSTOMER shall not apply

C 2. Streaming services

C 2.1. The SOCIETY offers recordings of events of the Zurich Literature Festival via stream at www.literaturfestivalzuerich.com for paid use. Recordings in the archive are offered as video on demand. Digital access to the events is provided through the use of live streaming.

C 2.2. The video signal of the events is produced in high definition and encoded for internet streaming. Different transmission qualities are available to the CUSTOMER depending on the Internet connection.

C 2.3. The SOCIETY decides independently which events of the Zurich Literature Festival are offered as live or on-demand streaming. The CUSTOMER has no right to access certain recordings even if the SOCIETY has announced this in advance. The SOCIETY further reserves the right to remove individual contents from the archive for legal reasons and/or to exclude certain regions from the offer of the streaming services for legal reasons (geoblocking).

C 2.4. Not subject of the contract between the CLIENT and the SOCIETY is the provision of the internet access which is necessary for the use of the streaming services described in section C2.1. and C2.2.

C 3. Usage

C 3.1. The use of the streaming services by the CUSTOMER is limited in terms of subject matter and time. The CUSTOMER may only use the streaming services in the private sphere.

C 3.2. The SOCIETY offers the CUSTOMER the following type of use:
With the purchase of a ticket, the CUSTOMER receives digital access to the corresponding event via video stream during the validity period of his ticket. The period of use does not begin with the purchase of the ticket, but from the time the stream becomes available, and in the case of live streams, is limited to the duration of the event. Since 2024, it has been technically possible to watch the live stream again with the same ticket. This secondary use is limited to 3 days and there is no entitlement to it.

C 3.3. The CUSTOMER must not undertakes to misuse the streaming services. In particular, he is prohibited from,

to record events completely or partially;
to use the stream for commercial purposes or to show it publicly, to broadcast it or to make it publicly accessible in any other way; or
to reproduce and/or distribute the stream.

C 4. Streaming ticket purchase

C 4.1. In order to purchase a streaming ticket, the CUSTOMER selects the ticket by clicking the "Buy" button. This process does not constitute a contract offer. The desired ticket is merely marked. Clicking the button "Checkout" does not constitute a contract offer either.

C 4.2. The CUSTOMER makes a binding offer to conclude a contract on the use of the streaming services only by clicking the button "Order subject to payment". Before submitting the order, the content of the order (title of the event, ticket type, price, quantity, subtotal and total) is displayed to the CUSTOMER once again. The CUSTOMER can correct the payment modalities using the change buttons provided on the overview page.

C 4.3. After receipt of the order, the CUSTOMER will receive an automatically generated e-mail from the SOCIETY confirming receipt of the order. This also constitutes acceptance of the offer to conclude the contract (hereinafter: "PURCHASE CONTRACT").

C 4.4. After purchasing the ticket, the CUSTOMER will receive an email with the username and password to watch the video on the digital stage of www.literaturfestivalzuerich.com. In the case of a live stream, access to the event is only possible from 30 minutes. In case of a video on demand, access is possible immediately after the order confirmation.

C 5. Right of withdrawal and return

C 5.1. Exchange or return of purchased tickets is excluded. This applies both to live streams and videos on demand.

C 5.2. In case of a postponement of the event to a later date, the tickets remain valid. A refund is excluded.

C 5.3. In the unlikely event that an event must be prematurely terminated or canceled and no alternative date can be found, the organizer will not provide refunds for purchased tickets. By purchasing the ticket, attendees expressly agree to these conditions and accept this risk. The reason for this is that most expenses and festival costs for fees, wages, logistics, infrastructure, technology, rent, etc. are contractually bound and incurred regardless of whether the event takes place.

C 6. Prices and payment

C 6.1. The prices of the tickets as well as their term can be found in the offer presentation. These are gross prices, including the statutory value added tax valid at the time of the order.

C 6.2. The total price of the order including VAT is displayed to the CUSTOMER on an overview page before he places the order.

C 6.3. The purchase price is payable in advance and is due immediately upon completion of the order.

C 6.4. The CUSTOMER can use different means of payment on www.literaturfestivalzuerich.com (Mastercard, Visa, Twint and others).

C7 . Access data

C 7.1. The access data (username and password) to the stream may only be used by the CUSTOMER. The CUSTOMER may not pass on the access data to third parties.

C 7.2. The CUSTOMER is liable for all damages caused by a third party use, if he is responsible for the misuse of the access data. The CUSTOMER shall be responsible for proving that he is not at fault.

C 8. Resale of tickets

The private resale of tickets is permitted if no profit is made. Commercial resale is strictly prohibited.

C 9. Warranty

C 9.1. The SOCIETY does not assume any liability for the functionality of the Internet access and the terminal device used.

C 9.2. The SOCIETY will immediately eliminate technical faults within the scope of technical possibilities. If a malfunction of the service results in the CUSTOMER not being able to use the retrieved video stream or if the CUSTOMER's ability to use the service is significantly impaired, the SOCIETY shall offer the following compensation services:

a. If live streaming is not possible for technical reasons, a technically flawless video recording can usually still be produced. The SOCIETY will make this available to the CUSTOMER so that the CUSTOMER can watch the event in question at a later date.

b. In the event of disruption of the service in the case of video-on-demand streaming, the SOCIETY shall enable the use of the stream at a later point in time.

D. Physical festival attendance

D 1. Conclusion of contract and use of admission ticket

Admission to the events is granted only with a valid admission ticket. Before entering the events of the SOCIETY, the CUSTOMER is obliged to show the purchased admission ticket to the admission personnel at the entrance of the event area and, if necessary, to identify himself/herself by a valid identification document.
Tickets can be purchased in advance online on the festival website (www.literaturfestivalzuerich.com) and on the websites of Kaufleuten and Literaturhaus Zürich.
If an event is not sold out, tickets are also available at the box office. There are different ticket prices for the events of the SOCIETY, which are determined and published by the SOCIETY.
Normally, unnumbered seating tickets are offered. For certain events, numbered seats may also be available as well as standing room (e.g. for concerts) - the corresponding category will be noted when purchasing tickets and on the tickets.

The SOCIETY reserves the right to exclude individual events from online sales, as well as to restrict the allocation of tickets to the CUSTOMER in justified individual cases.

The tickets are exclusively for personal use. In particular, the purchaser of admission tickets is prohibited from

offer the admission tickets for sale on the Internet,
sell the admission tickets without the express prior written consent of the SOCIETY,
to pass on or use the tickets for advertising purposes or as a prize without the express prior written consent of the SOCIETY.

In case of infringement, the ticket purchaser or ticket holder loses the right to attend the event without the right to a refund of the ticket price or ticket fees. Anyone who duplicates and/or circulates tickets without permission may be held liable by the organizer for any consequential damages. In addition, criminal prosecution will follow in any case (misappropriation of services, fraud, forgery).

D 2. Seat selection and reservation

An admission ticket is required for all events. This also applies to free events. These can be purchased in advance or at the box office. Seat reservations are not possible.

There is no entitlement to the ticket seat purchased. If tickets have been purchased or reserved in advance, they must be presented at the box office no later than 20 minutes before the start of the performance. After this time, free seats will be allocated to visitors on the waiting list. Visitors who arrive at the box office after this time can no longer be guaranteed admission, even with a valid ticket. They may have to make do with standing room. A refund or partial refund of the ticket price is not possible in case of late arrival of visitors.

In the case of numbered seating tickets, it is not permitted to take a seat other than the one designated on the ticket. Tickets for standing room do not entitle the holder to a seat.

D 3. Ticket sales at the box office

The box office takes place at the venues from 90 minutes before the start of the event.
The events are assigned to different price categories, which are shown in the publications. The prices, reductions and fees are available in particular on the website of the Zurich Literature Festival (www.literaturfestivalzuerich.com) and/or by notice at the box office.

D 4. Festival passes and free tickets

Festival passes (if available) are only valid for the events within the festival week of the Zurich Literature Festival in the declared event year. In the case of unused ticket allotments, there is no entitlement to payment or use of the Festival Pass at offseason events or in subsequent years. Festival pass holders must pick up a seat ticket for the desired event at the box office.
Upon entry to the festival grounds (or event hall), the seat ticket must be presented in conjunction with the festival pass.
Free tickets must also be exchanged for a seat ticket for the desired event at the ticket offices.

D 5. Accreditations

Accreditation requests do not guarantee accreditation. The organizer reserves the right to decide whether to accept or reject an application.
They are valid for designated events. A general accreditation for the entire festival week is not possible.
Holders of accreditations must pick up a seat ticket for the requested event at the ticket offices. The seat ticket is only valid together with the accreditation.

D 6. Discounts

Discounts are granted to eligible groups of people upon presentation of appropriate proof at the box office. The discounts applicable to each performance can be viewed on our website and in our publications or obtained at the box office. The COMPANY reserves the right not to offer discounts for certain events or to limit them to a certain quota per event.
The SOCIETY requires proof of eligibility for all discounted tickets prior to purchase. Eligibility must exist on the day of the performance. The original discount authorization must be presented and must be shown upon admission without request. If the proof cannot be provided, the difference to the full ticket price must be paid subsequently.
The simultaneous granting of several reductions per admission ticket is excluded.
Discounts can no longer be taken into account after the booking process has been completed.

D 7. Payment and invoice

Cash payment, as well as EC payment, TWINT and credit cards are possible at the card cash registers. The preparation of an invoice or receipt is done on request and can not be made up later.

D 8. Tickets on sale online

Possible fees for sales via the Internet ("online" sales) will be shown during the booking process. All tickets purchased online must be printed out in advance or can be identified by means of QR codes or bar-codes (e.g. on the smartphone display). Admission without a ticket and only with the order confirmation is not possible. Exchange, return and cancellation of tickets are no longer possible after submitting the online order.

D 9. Return and Refund of Tickets

D 9.1. Exchange, return, or partial/full refund of purchased tickets is excluded. This applies even in cases where the customer is unable to attend due to being prevented, ill, or for any other personal reasons.

D 9.2. In the event of a postponement of the event to a later date, tickets remain valid. A refund is excluded.

D 9.3. In the unlikely event that an event must be prematurely terminated or canceled and no alternative date can be found, the purchase price for purchased tickets will not be refunded. By purchasing the ticket, attendees expressly agree to these conditions and accept this risk. The reason for this strict no-refund policy is that most of the organizer's festival costs for fees, wages, logistics, infrastructure, technology, rent, etc. are contractually bound and incurred regardless of whether the event can take place. A partial or full refund of the ticket price is therefore excluded.

D 10. Lost tickets

Lost tickets will not be refunded, nor will they be reprinted at the box office.

D 11. Change of venue

The SOCIETY aims to hold as many events as possible on the open-air stage in the Old Botanical Garden during the festival week. However, due to weather, technical or other reasons, an event announced as an open-air event may be moved indoors to Kaufleuten. It is even possible that no outdoor events can take place at all during the festival week.
What is considered "unsafe weather" is solely at the discretion of the organizer. Once the decision is communicated on the day of the event, the venue can no longer be changed - even if the weather then remains fine contrary to the forecasts.

D 12. Admission

The authorization to attend a particular event is proven by the valid admission ticket. The venues may not be entered without a valid admission ticket.
The SOCIETY reserves the right to check the admission authorization at any time and to refuse admission to the venue or to expel the visitor from the premises/venue if the admission authorization is missing. The visitor must therefore keep the admission ticket until the end of the performance.
Seats can only be guaranteed if they have been taken up to five minutes before the start of the performance. The SOCIETY reserves the right to assign seats that have not been taken at the beginning of the performance.

D 13. Behavior at the Festival / Prohibited Objects

The visitors behave carefully and decently on the festival area. They respect the barriers on the festival area and the instructions of the staff. They respect the personal rights of the performing acts, the staff, the stand operators and other festival visitors. Hygiene regulations and hygiene recommendations (e.g. distance to other persons, wearing of masks etc.) issued by federal, cantonal or communal authorities must be observed by the visitors at all times.

The visitors do not bring any dangerous or forbidden objects to the festival area. In all halls and venues - indoor and openair - the following things are prohibited:

Professional photo and video cameras
recording with cameras, digital cameras, video, DVD and similar image or sound recording devices
Making phone calls during the events
Pyrotechnic objects,
megaphones or other noise-producing devices,
animals (except trained assistance dogs),
the consumption of food and beverages of any kind brought to the event,
Drones.
Illegal drugs,
Distribution of advertising materials of any kind, as well as putting up posters without prior written permission,
willful damage or theft in all venues,
carrying weapons of any kind.

The list is not exhaustive. The security staff of the SOCIETY may prohibit further items. Visitors who violate the house rules can be expelled from the event after a warning from the staff without refund of the purchase price.

For security reasons, the festival staff as well as employees of the SOCIETY are entitled to search the bags and clothing of visitors before entering and upon leaving the venue, or to ask visitors to disclose the contents of their bags and clothing. If the visitor refuses or prevents the search or disclosure, admission to the event will be denied without refund of the admission fee.

D 14. Behavior at the Festival / Photography and Filming

It is not permitted to bring cameras, digital cameras, video, DVD and similar image or sound recording devices to the events. The recording of images and sound by cell phones, tablets or similar devices is prohibited.

Even with a cell phone camera, photography is tolerated only for private use and provided that it does not disrupt the course of the event and other visitors do not feel disturbed. Use for commercial purposes requires the written consent of the SOCIETY. The rights of third parties are reserved in any case.

D 15. Staff instructions

The instructions of the staff must always be followed. They exercise the domiciliary rights of the various venues and are authorized to issue instructions to visitors.
In particular, the following instructions can be issued regarding the following points:

Hygiene regulations (such as distance from other persons, wearing of masks, etc.),
Compliance with the smoking ban
Rules about Photography and recording (not allowed)
Places not to be entered on the festival site,
Distances to loudspeakers and other technical equipment,
Partial or complete evacuation of the festival site.

Instructions can be given verbally, in writing or by signalization. If a visitor disobeys the instructions despite repeated requests to comply, he/she may be expelled from the premises by the staff without refund of the purchase price.
In addition to these regulations, the house rules of the respective venues apply without restriction. These can be viewed at the respective venues. Visitors may be refused entry to the venues if there is reason to believe that they will disrupt the event or cause a nuisance to other visitors.

D 16. Photos and video footage made by the organizer

The visitor agrees that the SOCIETY may take or have taken photographs and video recordings (including sound) on the festival venues in which the visitor is recognizable.

The creation of portrait photos of the visitor and video recordings of the visitor, which unduly put the visitor in the center, is not permitted.

The SOCIETY may use the photos and video recordings for the following purposes:

Enforcement of civil and criminal claims of the SOCIETY against the visitor or third parties,
Promotion of future editions of the festival,
Creation of reviews of the festival,
Making available to partners and performers of the festival or future festivals so that they can use it to promote or otherwise publicize their participation in the festival.

D 17. Protection of minors

Children and young people may only be admitted to events that are suitable for their age. If there is any doubt about the age of underage guests, the SOCIETY is entitled to check their age. Anyone who is unable or unwilling to identify themselves in such a case (by passport, ID card, student ID, etc.) will not be admitted to the event in question and will not have their admission fee refunded.

D 18. Rescheduling / Cancellation of events

Decision Based on Weather Conditions:
The SOCIETY decides on the morning of the event whether it can take place outdoors in the Old Botanical Garden based on the local weather conditions. If thunderstorms, storms, or heavy rain are expected, the event will take place at the communicated bad weather location (usually at Kaufleuten).

Event Location:
The final decision will be communicated on this website by 12 noon on the day of the event. After this point, relocating the event indoors is no longer possible. Once it has been communicated that the event will definitely take place open-air, it will be held outdoors, even if the weather conditions worsen later in the day (provided the safety of the performing artists, employees and visitors allows it).

Weather-Related Changes:
Weather conditions may change unexpectedly on the day of the event, which may lead to the cancellation or termination of the event. This decision is made solely to ensure the safety of the performers, employees and attendees. The highest priority is the provision of a safe environment.

Timing of Weather-Related Cancellation:
A weather-related cancellation or relocation of the event will not occur before the scheduled event day. Information about the event will be announced exclusively at the event location or on this website.

Short-Term Weather-Related Program Changes:
The SOCIETY reserves the right to delay the start of an event, shorten its duration, or interrupt and resume it later if the safety of participants, employees or spectators is at risk, if hygiene measures need to be followed, or if other reasons make it necessary to adjust or cancel the event.

Rescheduling or Relocating the Event:
The SOCIETY reserves the right to reschedule or relocate events due to force majeure, bad weather, the absence of performers, or technical reasons. Purchased tickets remain valid.

Cancellation or Termination of an Event:
If an open-air event has to be ended early or canceled due to an unexpected change in the weather, an alternative date will be sought, provided the event has not already started for more than 30 minutes (in which case it will be deemed to have been completed). Tickets will remain valid until the rescheduled date. Ticket holders will be informed in a timely manner. In the past twelve festival editions (2013-2024), no open-air event has had to be canceled or terminated prematurely due to weather conditions, making such an occurrence an absolute exception.

No Alternative Date Possible:
If no alternative date is possible, refunds for tickets are excluded. By purchasing a ticket, attendees accept these conditions. The reason for the strict no-refund policy is that most expenses and festival costs for fees, wages, logistics, infrastructure, technology, rent, etc. are contractually bound and incurred regardless of whether the event takes place.

Notice of Personal Responsibility:
In uncertain weather, it is recommended to bring warm and weatherproof clothing, rain capes, and sturdy footwear. The use of umbrellas during the event is not permitted due to the visibility obstruction they cause for other attendees.

D 19. Disclaimer of warranty

In connection with the Festival, the SOCIETY does not guarantee in particular:

that all announced artists will perform,
that announced artists will not be replaced by others,
that the acts perform at the announced dates and times,
that the acts perform in the announced formation,
that the length of the performance of the acts corresponds to the announced length,
that all announced food stands and other stands and attractions are operated,
that the sanitary infrastructure is always functioning and clean,
that there are no waiting times,
that there is an unrestricted view of the stage,
that the sound level complies with the officially prescribed level at all times,
that all festival participants comply with the hygiene regulations and hygiene recommendations,
that all festival participants are healthy and in particular not infected with the coronavirus or similar viruses,
that there is no bad weather (rain, hail, snow, heat, wind, etc.),
that an event will take place on the announced stage,
that you are protected from the effects of bad weather (see above),
that the festival area is always easy to walk on,
that there is a parking lot near the festival area.

The exclusion of the warranty means that the visitors are not entitled to any right of reduction or conversion with regard to the items excluded from the warranty, nor will they be compensated for any other direct damages.

D 20. Disclaimer of liability of the presenting partners

As presenting partner of the festival, neither the Literaturhaus Zürich nor Kaufleuten is liable to third parties. The Society of Arts is responsible for the organization of the festival. Therefore, the SOCIETY alone is liable for the implementation of the festival.

E. Final provisions

E 1. Adjustments

The SOCIETY is entitled to make changes, adjustments or additions to the GTC at any time, unless essential provisions of the contractual relationship (in particular type and scope, term, termination) are included. This is particularly necessary if regulatory gaps have arisen after the conclusion of the contract (e.g. due to changes in the law, declaration of the invalidity of general terms and conditions by case law).

E 2. Place of jurisdiction

The law of Switzerland shall apply. The place of jurisdiction is the city of Zurich. By purchasing an admission ticket, the CUSTOMER accepts these GTC as binding. Should one or more provisions of these GTC be invalid, this shall not entail the invalidity of the entire contract. The invalid provision shall be replaced by the relevant statutory provision.