Info
50 Years of Gurtenfestival
Here you’ll find all the information about 50 Years of Gurtenfestival.
In 2027, Gurtenfestival will take place from 14–18 July. To celebrate the festival’s anniversary, the Gurtenfestival Sunday is making a return, meaning that, exceptionally, the festival will span five days.
The Early Bird ticket sale for the anniversary edition will begin this autumn. You can already register now to make sure you don’t miss your chance to get one of the discounted Early Bird tickets. We’ll notify you in advance with the exact on-sale date.
The first festival on Gurten took place in 1977, making next summer exactly 50 years since its inception. Back then, it was called the “Internationales Folk-Festival Bern-Gurten”. Over the years, it evolved into Gurtenfestival, now one of Switzerland’s most renowned music festivals. Since the event only became an annual festival in the 1990s, the 44th edition in 2027 marks 50 years of Gurtenfestival.
We’re working hard on the line-up. While we can’t reveal any names just yet, one thing is certain: more than 100 acts will perform, from beloved Gurten favourites to exciting new discoveries.
Tickets
Please pay attention when buying tickets! The only official sales point for Gurtenfestival tickets is the Gurtenfestival Ticket Shop.
The terms and conditions apply to everyone who holds the ticket in their hands or on their smartphone. Regardless of whether they bought it themselves, received it as a gift or acquired or received it in some other way.
Gurtenfestival Ticket Shop
Advance ticket sales are available exclusively through our ticket shop at grtn27.ch/tix
Wednesday, November 4
- The regular 5-day pass (Wednesday through Sunday) is available exclusively on November 4; advance sales begin at 5:00 p.m.; this offer is limited and will no longer be available afterward. No Comfort Zone tickets are available.
Wednesday, November 25
- The Early Bird Ticket Sale (4-day pass for the price of a 3-day pass) begins on November 25 at 6:00 p.m.; this offer is limited and will no longer be available afterward. No Comfort Zone tickets are available.
- Advance sales for all other multi-day passes and day passes (regular and Comfort Zone, including the 1-day pass for Sunday featuring Patent Ochsner) will begin on November 25 immediately after the Early Bird Ticket Sale sells out.
Your ticket(s) were sent to you via email after purchase. You can also find them at any time in your account at the Gurtenfestival Ticket Shop.
The tickets are not personalized and therefore transferable. However, the festival wristbands are non-transferable and cannot be split.
No loose festival wristbands will be given to other people.
The option to buy or sell secondhand tickets (on-site ticket exchange or reselling your festival wristband before heading home) is no longer available during the festival itself. It was only offered in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Purchased tickets cannot be returned. For more information, see the Terms and Conditions.
A maximum of eight tickets can be purchased per person per festival edition. A maximum of two tickets may be purchased during the early bird ticket sale.
The tickets are not personalized.
Wheelchair users receive a 20% discount on their ticket. Please register at ticketing@gurtenfestival.ch.
Children
Children up to 12 years of age are admitted free of charge to the Gurtenfestival when accompanied by an adult (ID required). The age at the time of the festival visit determines the correct ticket category.
Children’s tickets must be ordered through the Gurtenfestival AG ticket shop (processing and system fee of CHF 8.00 per ticket). To place an order, you’ll need a valid ticket—first complete your purchase, then add up to 2 children’s tickets per adult ticket (for multi-day tickets, 2 per day are allowed).
Note: Make sure the desired children’s ticket category is still available before purchasing your ticket.
Important: Children’s tickets must be in the same category as the corresponding adult ticket. This means: Only one regular children’s ticket can be purchased with a regular ticket (including Early Bird), and only one Comfort children’s ticket can be purchased with a Comfort ticket.
If the children’s ticket categories are sold out, discounted youth tickets can also be purchased for children.
Teens
Teens (ages 13–15) can purchase discounted tickets in the ticket shop. The age at the time of the festival visit determines which ticket category applies.
Teen tickets are not tied to any other ticket.
Both ticket categories (children/teens) are limited; if they sell out, regular prices apply.
The purchase of Gurtenfestival tickets for resale purposes is not permitted. Only buy tickets through the Gurtenfestival Ticket Shop.
The Gurtenfestival will moderately increase ticket prices in 2027. The regular 1-day pass will cost CHF 8.00 in 2027—an increase of about 6%.
What are the reasons for this?
- Higher performance fees and more elaborate productions: Performance fees for headliners have, in some cases, doubled since the pandemic. At the same time, the shows are becoming more technically demanding and require more equipment. This also drives up costs for production, staff, and logistics.
- Significantly higher costs for infrastructure and operations: For just a few days of the festival, the infrastructure of a small town is set up on the Gurten. Fuel, transportation, logistics, and security, in particular, have become significantly more expensive in recent years. Added to this are higher personnel and material costs.
- Independence means financial self-reliance: The Gurten Festival is independent, owner-managed, and owned by Berners. We receive no subsidies, cover all costs ourselves, and cannot draw on the resources of a large corporation. To remain independent in the long term, we must operate on a break-even basis and build up reserves for more challenging years.
- Internal optimizations and capacity increases are not enough: In recent years, we have offset costs through internal optimizations and, in 2026, increased our approved capacity by 2,000 guests per day. Of these, approximately 700 to 1,000 spots are allocated to free and discounted tickets for children and youth. Even the record attendance in 2026 does not guarantee high profits. The measures taken so far cannot therefore fully offset the increased costs. The record attendance in 2026 does nothing to change this. High visitor numbers alone do not determine the financial outcome. Equally important are the costs of programming and operations, the weather, and guests’ spending habits. In recent years, cost increases have largely eroded potential profits or even led to losses, despite very good attendance.
- Targeted price adjustments aimed at long-term price stability: The regular 1-day pass will cost CHF 8.00 in 2027, an increase of approximately 6%. Together with additional cost-saving measures, this price adjustment is intended to create an economically sustainable foundation. Our goal is to be able to avoid further price increases over the next two to three years. Whether we succeed in this will also depend on developments in the music industry and the broader economic conditions.
Thanks to its strong roots in Bern and its collaboration with almost exclusively local partners, the festival’s economic impact of approximately 30 million Swiss francs remains almost entirely within Bern and Switzerland. This is of great importance for the region and for sustainable cultural development.
Here’s how the costs of a single ticket break down
The price adjustment also provides an opportunity to offer a more detailed look at the Gurtenfestival’s cost structure. The Gurtenfestival aims to clearly and transparently illustrate the wide range of costs involved in organizing a festival and how the revenue from ticket sales is used. After all, the ticket price covers far more expenses than just those related to the music program. The chart shows how the ticket price is distributed, in percentage terms, across the various cost categories.
You can find the Gurtenfestival AG general terms and conditions here.
The terms and conditions apply to everyone who holds the ticket in their hands or on their smartphone. Regardless of whether they bought it themselves, received it as a gift or acquired or received it in some other way.
Arrival and departure
Plan your trip to the festival and allow plenty of time.
The Gurtenfestival is a major event, and there may be wait times in various areas.
We recommend that our guests arrive outside of peak hours—between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.—if possible.
We also recommend not heading home immediately after the last headliner concert, but instead lingering a bit longer on the festival grounds to wind down the day with friends in a relaxed atmosphere or to dance the night away until 5:00 a.m. in the three dance tents.
More detailed information to help you plan your trip will be posted here in due time—be sure to check back here before the festival.
Arrival
- The ticket or festival wristband entitles you to free return travel within the Libero zones 100/101 on the days it is valid.
- Please show your ticket or festival wristband on request.
- Children born in 2014 or later travel free of charge when accompanied by an adult in possession of a valid ticket/festival wristband.
- www.libero-tarifverbund.ch
Bus
- Line 22/29 (shuttle bus from the Wabern festival car park to the Gurtenbahn)
- Line 19: Spiegel/Blinzern stop (terminus), edge K at Bern station
The second entrance at the Waldbühne can be reached by bus line 19. After that, a 35-minute walk leads to the entrance.
Tram
Line 9 in the direction of Wabern, from edge J at Bern train station or from Hirschengraben
S-Bahn (2nd class)
- Lines S3 and S31: Stop: Wabern bei Bern. Click here for the BLS timetable.
Gurtenbahn
- The use of the Gurtenbahn is also included in the ticket or festival wristband.
Return journey
- Gurtenbahn: The last descent on all festival days is at 5:30 a.m.
- Shuttle buses run throughout the night from the Gurtenbahn tram stop to Bern train station and the festival car park (stopping on request).
Moonliner
- Moonliner buses will operate with an expanded service during the 2026 Gurtenfestival.
- The festival wristband is also valid as a ticket on Moonliner buses in zones 100/101. Regular fares apply to all other zones.
- You can find the exact timetables at moonliner.ch, sbb.ch , or in the öV-Plus app.
Gurtenbahn Wait Times
The Gurtenfestival is a major event where wait times may occur in various areas. This also applies to the Gurtenbahn.
We recommend that our guests arrive outside of peak hours—between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.—if possible.
We also recommend not heading back immediately after the last headliner concert, but rather lingering a bit longer at the festival grounds—whether to wind down with friends in a relaxed atmosphere or to dance the night away until 5:00 a.m.
Use of the Gurtenbahn is included in the price of the festival ticket.
The last descent runs from Wednesday through Saturday night at 5:30 a.m. each night.
- There are two footpaths: the well-known one starts to the right of the Gurtenbahn (Wabern walking way) and takes 20-40 minutes, depending on your walking speed.
- The alternative starts at the terminus of bus no. 19 Spiegel/Blinzern, takes approx. 35-45 minutes and is less steep.
The path via Blinzern is mainly used as an arrival route and not as a return option, except for those who have arrived by bike or live in the immediate vicinity.
Photo: Wabern Walking Trail
Sustainability
A music and cultural event that consumes fewer resources than a single person does on a typical day—is that possible? For the 2025 Gurtenfestival, a comprehensive carbon footprint analysis was conducted for the first time across the entire value chain. It shows that our visitors’ carbon footprint is less than half that of a typical day. Centralized supply, public transportation, and optimized processes all contribute to this. At the same time, it’s clear that there’s still room for improvement. The greatest opportunities for reduction lie in catering and guest mobility, while further potential for improvement exists, for example, in supply logistics.
With our annual analysis of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, we lay the groundwork to further reduce our impact wherever technically possible and, where necessary, to offset it.
To this end, the Gurtenfestival has been implementing the measures listed below for many years and is continuously refining its solutions.
- Waste per guest amounts to only 1 kg – including setup and takedown.
For comparison: the Swiss daily average is 1.9 kg. - Waste separation stations are available throughout the site, including in the valley and along the path to the Gurten.
- 54% of the waste is recycled; the rest is used for energy recovery at the Bern waste-to-energy plant (with an efficiency of over 80%).
- Reusable cups have been standard since 2004 – making us one of the first festivals in Europe to adopt them.
- In the Comfort Zone, drinks are served in glass (bottles, glasses).
- All dishware (cups, plates, cutlery, PET, aluminum) is subject to a deposit.
- Plates/bowls are made from sugarcane, cutlery from starch (cPLA).
- Returned dishware is thermally recycled at the Forsthaus energy center – generating electricity and heat for the city of Bern.
- Free product sampling on and around the festival grounds is prohibited. Exceptions are only made if the sampling offers a direct benefit (e.g. cooling towels).
- At least 50% of all meals are vegetarian.
- Only regional, seasonal ingredients and Swiss meat are used.
- Fish must come from local waters only; seafood is not allowed.
- All vendors use the official reusable dishware system.
- Alcohol-free beer and drinks are available at all bars.
- Electricity and water requirements are ordered through us, managed by us, and optimized where possible.
- Only local food stands from the Bern region are present on the Gurten.
- The largest stand (operating at two locations) offers fully vegan cuisine – in collaboration with Outlawz Food as a pilot project for economically viable vegan festival catering.
- 65% of guests arrive by public transport, 30% on foot or by bike. Only 5% still use a car or motorcycle.
- Free bicycle parking is available directly at the Gurten funicular station.
- Travel within the Libero zones 100/101 is free with a valid ticket and wristband.
- Trams, Moonliner night buses, and shuttles operate 24/7 in the city and greater Bern area.
- SBB and BLS significantly expand their regular train services during peak times.
- Diversity in focus: aiming for the fairest possible gender balance among booked artists on stage.
- The Waldbühne (Forest Stage) is reserved for Swiss artists – to support national and regional talent.
- A new podcast stage expands the festival’s cultural offerings beyond music.
- 90% of all purchased goods (food, drinks, etc.) come from Switzerland – mostly from the Bern region.
- Procurement is based on ecological and social criteria.
- Transport to and from the site is strictly limited and optimized – also due to the geographic layout of the venue.
- Helpers and suppliers without cargo use public transport exclusively.
- Furniture, machinery, and vehicles are mostly rented and reused rather than purchased.
- Our merchandise apparel and crew shirts are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton.
- Pilot project starting in 2025: all generators will run on HVO (renewable plant-based oil).
- Water-saving appliances and equipment are used throughout the entire festival site.
- 100% of electricity comes from renewable energy sources.
- An in-house smart grid combines generators and grid power to ensure optimal load distribution and reduce the number of generators needed.
- Consumers such as site lighting are centrally controlled and switched on/off based on demand.
- Around CHF 30 million in direct and indirect economic value for the Bern region – for example through jobs, infrastructure, mobility, and hospitality.
To move closer to our sustainability goal, we collect and analyze the relevant data annually. This helps us identify areas where we can conserve resources, improve processes, and reduce emissions. If the results deviate by +/- 10 percent from the previous year or if major changes are on the horizon, we work with an external expert to prepare a detailed carbon footprint assessment—at least once every three years. This shows us where we can implement further measures. Within this framework, we take a detailed look at numerous other areas, such as:
- material and energy use during setup and teardown
- waste composition and recycling rates
- logistics on and around the festival grounds (transport routes, vehicle fleets, delivery frequencies, alternative powertrains, etc.)
- Carbon footprint of third-party caterers
- Evaluation of all sponsorship activities
- Artists’ travel to the festival
- Social standards for the crew
- Further development of prevention and safety measures