Berne Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Berne, Switzerland)

A wealth of popular events and festivals take place throughout the year in Berne, meaning that visitors will always find plenty of things to do and celebrations to enjoy. Some of the biggest events in Berne are held in May, such as the Jazz Festival, and also the Bern Grand Prix, which always draws huge crowds from across Europe.

Those visiting the city in June will find a number of popular summer events, such as the Women's Race at the beginning of the month, followed soon after by the Bern Dance Days. July sees the Gurtenfestival (Gurten Rock Festival), which is always a crowd pleaser and takes place each year in the middle of the month, atop the Gurten mountain.


Although the winter months in Berne may be considerably colder, there is still plenty going on to attract visitors, such as the Queer Filmfestival (Queersicht), a notable gay and lesbian event. Soon after and held annually on the fourth Monday every November, the extremely famous Onion Market (Zibelemärit) is particularly historic and is believed to have taken place in Berne for more than 600 years.

Apart from the many seasonal, Yuletide celebrations around Christmas and the New Year, the Berne Carnival in February is the next major event and nothing short of an extravaganza.

Berne National Public Holidays

• New Year's Day - January 1st
• Easter - late March / early April
• Ascension Day - 40th day after Easter Sunday
• Whit Sunday and Whit Monday - seventh week following Easter
• National Day - August 1st
• Christmas Day - December 25th
• St. Stephen's Day - December 26th