Over the CERN Open Days this weekend, 70,000 people visited the laboratory, 20,000 of whom got the chance to go underground. Now it's time for the CERN community, and the 2300 volunteers who helped over the weekend to unwind.
The "Bosons & More" event for CERN people this evening will celebrate the success of the Open Days, and the exceptional achievements of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
The past few years have been marked by intense activity on the part of everyone involved with the laboratory and have been crowned with scientific and technical success, with great performances from the LHC machine, its detectors, computing and all supporting installations.
The name given to the party - "Bosons & More" - symbolises this wide-ranging success. Some 22,000 invitations have been sent out, including 500 places for the general public. Given the scale of the event, the organisers have opted for an open-air concert on the CERN Prevessin site, with an eclectic musical line-up and free food and drinks.
Founded in 1918 by Ernest Ansermet, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande has 112 musicians. The orchestra’s activities include subscription concerts in Geneva and Lausanne and opera performances at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. The OSR has toured throughout the world, performing in many famous concert halls and at major festivals in Europe.
The British progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Live Project will lead the celebrations from 9.30pm.