Festival fans from near and far will be flocking to the Gurten this July. Whether you’re sitting back and letting the Gurten funicular do the work or working up a sweat climbing the hill on foot – getting to the top is just as much a part of the festival as the uneven terrain and the view of the Alps. Once you’re there, you’ll see that the concerts are distributed onto three stages: in addition to the nationally and internationally renowned bands playing on the main stage and the “Zeltbühne”, you’ll have the opportunity to see numerous newcomers from Switzerland’s music scene on the popular “Waldbühne”.

Quite a lot has changed since the first edition of the “International Folk Festival Bern-Gurten” in the year 1971, when it was still far from being the huge event that it is today – so much so that the organizing committee even forgot the stage lighting. Hastily procured lamps prevented a festival in the dark. The Gurtenfestival has evolved over the years, but its unmistakable charm and laid-back festival atmosphere as well as the characteristic Bernese relaxedness aren’t going anywhere.