1st of August Celebration in Bern
Bright lanterns and fluttering flags: To celebrate Helvetia's birthday, a garden party will be held on the Bundesplatz from 11:00 to 23:00. From a family programme with children's theatre, a lantern parade and free city tours to the city garden with market character, there is something for everyone. So much activity naturally makes you hungry: it's a good thing that various food trucks will be parked on the Bundesplatz on this day, offering their tasty treats. There's also a large charcoal barbecue that you can use yourself.
This is just a small selection of the key points of the day: every year, the federal city surprises anew with a unique festive programme. Registrations for the free city tours organised by Bern Welcome will be accepted from 10:00 a.m. at the mobile tourist information point on Bundesplatz. The guided tours only take place on 1 August, start every hour from 11:30 to 16:30 and last half an hour each. The following free themed tours are on the programme:
UNESCO Old Town Stroll (DE, FR, IT)
Zytglogge (DE, FR)
(Guilty) Pleasure (DE)
Did you know? 1 August has only been officially recognised as a non-working holiday in Switzerland since the early 1990s.