This year Switzerland will be celebrating its 728th birthday. Not bad, right? But if the whole Confederation celebrates on 1 August, what’s so special about celebrating it on Lake Maggiore? Flags flying in the gardens, on the balconies, in the windows and along the streets, fireworks, bangers, sparklers and fountains are traditions shared by all the cantons, as is watching the speech given by the president of the Confederation on television, or listening to it on the radio, and the bells that ring in the party at exactly 8 pm across Switzerland. But other traditions are unique and special. If you’ve never celebrated the first of August in the Lake Maggiore region or its valleys, here are three good reasons to give it a try. This is how we celebrate Swiss National Day in Ascona-Locarno.