A bearded musician in profile sings into a microphone, wearing a flamboyant sequined jacket and a colourful cap with smiley-face motifs. A keyboard is visible in the foreground, with a blurred building in the background. Several people stand in front of an installation wall decorated with newspaper clippings and vintage objects on a city square, interacting with old telephones and other items. In the background, a classical city building with flower decorations on the windows is visible.

Information

The 23rd Buskers Bern festival will take place from 6 – 8 August 2026.

Three marvelous summer nights in Bern’s Old City

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 City. The outstanding shows of the invited groups combined with the beautiful backdrop of Bern’s Old City make Buskers Bern an unique experience. Every year, around 60,000 people visit the festival.

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

  • 2026: Thu – Sat, 6 – 8 August
  • 2027: Thu – Sat, 12 – 14 August
  • 2028: Thu – Sat, 10 – 12 August

#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 City between Kornhaus and Nydegg.
Kids programme 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 & Beverage: Thursday and Friday from 18:00 to 00:30, on Saturday already from 16:00 to 00:30.
Afterparty at PROGR, Thursday 24:00 to 03:00, Friday and Saturday from 24:00 to 04:00. 

Karte

Info Booths and Festival Office

#Performance times and venues

The detailed venues and times of the booked acts are in the printed version of the programme only. Order programme booklet & festival bracelet online and we will be happy to send them to your home. Or purchase them at one of our presale offices in the city of Bern. At the festival you can buy the programme booklet & festival bracelet at one of our six information booths, at the festival office at Rathausgasse 20 or from one of our flying vendors. 
Costs for 3‑day passes: 

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

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

3‑day passes
order now
 

#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 programme 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 presale offices or you can order it online.

Program booklet 
now on sale

It pays to plan early 
The program booklet with all performance times and venues is available at various presale locations.

#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.
 

#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. 

#Cash vs Cashless

To our flying vendors or at our information stands and at many of the catering stands you can pay by card and/​or Twint and 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!

New: The Buskers Bars (Casinoplatz, Zytglogge, Nydegghof, Münsterplatz, Erlacherhof) are cashless (cards and twint payment).

#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.

Nearest bus or tram stops: Zytglogge or Nydegg

Another 30 seconds to walk and you’re already at a venue to see one of the varied shows!

#Traffic: Old City Bern closed during the Festival

The festival area from Kornhaus down to 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).

#Awareness

We are a strict­ly cultu­ral Festi­val and try to avoid poli­ti­cal state­ments of any kind – our festi­val is the state­ment itself.

We all stand for the univer­sal values of PEACE, FREE­DOM, HUMA­NI­TY and DIVER­SI­TYwhich we would like to share and cele­bra­te together.

Be Aware – Be Atten­ti­ve: Take Care of Yours­elf and Others

We are glad that you are here and that you are support­ing us and cele­bra­ting with us – welcome!

Discri­mi­na­to­ry beha­viour of any kind has no place here. Toge­ther, we are respon­si­ble for ensu­ring that ever­yo­ne at the Festi­val feels comfor­ta­ble and can move light-hear­ted­ly. Each person deci­des for them­sel­ves where their indi­vi­du­al boun­da­ries lie – we accept these.