Ml24 mr image theatre 070 Ml24 gras van de buren 053

Buskers Bern

Thursday to Saturday, 6:00 pm to midnight

Three marvelous summer nights in Bern’s Old Town

Since the very first Buskers Bern in 2004, every year in mid-August around 150 artists from all over the world perform in the lower part of Bern’s old town. The outstanding shows of the invited groups combined with the beautiful backdrop of Bern’s old town make Buskers Bern an unique experience. Every year, around 60,000 people visit the festival.

Buskers Bern - dates

Buskers Bern takes place annually from Thursday to Saturday in calendar week 32 – which is the last weekend of the Bernese school vacations.

  • 2025: Thu – Sat, 7 – 9 August
  • 2026: Thu – Sat, 6 – 8 August
  • 2027: Thu – Sat, 12 – 14 August

Wandering Tuba

Get this year's poster.

Poster

Place and Time

Calendar week 32, Thursday: from 18:00 to 24:00, Friday and Saturday from 18:00 to 00:30. In Bern’s old town between Kornhaus and Nydegg.
Kid’s program on the Münsterplattform on Friday and Saturday from 15:00 on.
Bizaar – the action market on the Münsterplattform Thursday to Saturday from 18:00 to 24:00.
Food and Beverage: Thursday and Friday from 18:00 to 00:30, on Saturday already from 16:00 to 00:30.
Afterparty in the Kornhausforum (Buskershaus), Thursday 23:30 to 03:30, Friday and Saturday from 23:30 to ca. 05:00. 

Performance times and venues

You find the detailed venues and times of the booked acts in the printed version of the program. Order program booklet and festival bracelet online and we will be happy to send them to your home (from mid July). Or purchase them at one of our 28 advance booking points in the city of Bern. At the festival you can buy the festival program & bracelet at one of our six information stands, at the festival office at Rathausgasse 20 or from one of our flying traders. 
Costs for 3‑day passes: 

  • Fr. 30.- (donators)
  • Fr. 20.- (regular)
  • Fr. 5.- for children (until 12 years old, without program booklet).

With the purchase of the program & festival booklet you help to finance this non-profit event and guarantee the continuation of Buskers Bern.

Tickets and pre-sale

Admission to the festival area is free and open to everybody. Buskers Bern is a non-profit event, without sponsors. Please support the festival by buying a program booklet (where performance times and venues of the groups are published) with a bracelet: 20.– (normal), 30.– (donators). The bracelet is valid on all 3 festival days. It can be purchased directly on site at the festival, from July on in our advanced booking offices or you can order it online.

Fee for Artists (Hat Money)

The artist’s travel expenses, meals and rooms are covered – but their fee is paid by you, by dropping money in their hats. The artists depend on this payment, it is their livelihood.
 

Hutgeld

Food and Beverage

At Buskers you will find a wide range of high-quality international and regional specialities. Around 60 food stalls are taking part in the festival.

We have defined standards that apply to all participating food stalls: Only CH meat products, only CH fish or organic or MSC-certified fish products, bakery products made in Switzerland, eggs origin Switzerland, dairy products origin Switzerland (exceptions are cheese specialities from neighbouring countries), vegetables and fruit: origin Switzerland/​Europe. The artists’ and staff canteens cook with regional organic products and vegan food. 

Tibeter

Cash vs Cashless

To our flying vendors or at our information stands and bars and at many of the catering stands you can pay by card and/​or Twint in addition to cash. Artists will also collect hat money by QR codes. But cash is certainly still the best way to reward the artists appropriately – Thanks a million!

How to get there / Parking

Buskers Bern takes place in Bern’s old town and is very easy to reach by public transport. We therefore recommend that you leave your car at home. The festival does not provide a parking space. Please park bikes, scooters and motorbikes outside the festival area. 

Traffic: Old Town Bern closed during the Festival

The festival area from the Kornhaus down to the Nydegg will be closed during the festival hours, namely:

Thursday.: 12:00 – 01:00
Friday: 14:00 – 01:00
Saturday: 14:00 – 01:00

Buses will be diverted all three days and will run between Kornhaus and Nydegg via Postgasshalde. Appropriate signposting on site.
Download the detailed information on the closure (only available in german).

Overnight Stay

The festival does not provide a camping site or overnight accommodation. We recommend you to book rooms in the different hotels or to book in the camping site Eichholz (at a distance of 3km from the festival area).