Valais president says Le Constellation bar will 'never reopen as a bar' after New Year fire that killed 41; youth space and memorial planned

A deadly New Year's Eve

The fire at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on 1 January 2026 killed 41 people and injured 115, most of them teenagers. According to prosecutors cited in several reports, champagne bottles with sparklers were raised too close to the ceiling of the basement, igniting soundproofing foam. Seventeen of the victims were aged 16 or younger.

Six months of reckoning

Christophe Darbellay, who has headed the Valais State Council since 1 May, gave an interview to the Swiss daily Le Temps on Saturday 27 June outlining the canton's response. The key decisions and dates include:

A permanent closure and a new mission

“This will never be a bar again, but this place must be devoted to youth.”

Darbellay was unequivocal about the future of the premises. The Constellation will not reopen as a bar; instead, the canton wants to turn it into a space that serves young people. He did not specify an opening date or the exact form the youth facility would take.

A memorial and a commemoration

The canton is also working on a physical memorial for the victims. Darbellay told Le Temps that the project must originate from civil society and give families of the victims a central role.

“It should be beautiful, peaceful, accessible and a fitting tribute to those who died, the injured, and all those involved in the rescue effort.”

A commemoration ceremony is scheduled for 1 January 2027, marking one year since the tragedy.

Legal responsibility

Fourteen people have been charged, including the bar's co-owners, the Moretti couple, and individuals linked to the municipality. Darbellay warned that further defendants could come from the cantonal administration or authorities, though he stressed that it is for the courts to decide.

“We owe the truth to these young people. Those responsible will be held to account.”