The troops marched along the Arve Riverat night and assembled at Plainpalais, just outside the walls of Geneva, at 2 o'clock in the morning. The original plan was to send in a group of commandos to open the city gate and let the other troops in… The Duke's idea was to let his best soldiers secretly climb (\"scale\") over the Geneva's fortification walls to get hold of the city gate from inside, open it and let the troops in. Let yourself be transported back to 1602 as a parade of some 800 people in period costumes roam around Geneva's Old Town on foot or horseback. Seems like a good enough excuse to drink mulled wine and eat chocolate to us – but if you need to know more about the history, a quick Google search will suffice. The 2019 Escalade Festival will be celebrated from Friday, 6 th to Sunday 8 th December. Escalade - The MeaningL'escalade tradition began in the night of the December 11, 1602, when Duke of Savoy attempted to surprise-attack the state of Geneva in the darkness of the night at 2AM with his army. The Fête de l’Escalade celebrates Geneva’s victory against the Duke of Savoy’s troops in 1602. The troops were ready outside the walls of Genev a at 2 o'clock in the morning, but Geneva citizens were alarmed by the night guard and prevented them from climbing the wall (that's … Fête de l'Escalade is marked in Geneva every year on December 11th or the closest weekend. Don't miss the annual Fête de l’Escalade festival! The Escalade is a Genevan festival celebrated every December to commemorate Geneva's victory against the Duke of Savoy's troops in 1602. It celebrates the failure of the surprise attack by the troops of Charles Emmanuel I, the Duke of Savoy, in 1602. On December 11 and December 12 (Old Style) 1602—the darkest night of the year—the forces of the Duke of Savoy, under the command of the seigneur d'Albigny, and those of Charles Emmanuel's brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, launched an attack on the city-state of Geneva.