Events around Interlaken: the year in recurring festivals and customs
This is not an events calendar. It lists 27 events that return every year, and answers one question about each that nobody else asks: what does it mean for a trip that is not being made because of it? Book a quiet Interlaken for late June and you have booked into a country festival with 50,000 visitors — which no event page tells you, because no organiser writes it and no tourist board is allowed to.
If you are here anyway: the weekends that change your trip
13 of the 27 events move enough people to be felt by everyone else. If quiet is what you came for, these are the dates to avoid; if you came for one of them, book earlier than you otherwise would.
- Harder Potschete — Every year on 2 January. What it means
- Lauberhorn races, Wengen — Every year in mid-January, Friday to Sunday. What it means
- Touch the Mountains — Every year on 1 January. What it means
- Greenfield Festival — Every year in mid-June, Thursday to Saturday. What it means
- Trucker & Country Festival — Every year on the last weekend of June, Friday to Sunday. What it means
- Ironman Switzerland Thun — Every year in early July. What it means
- Thunerseespiele lake stage — Every year from early July into mid or late August. What it means
- Swiss National Day in Interlaken — Every year on 1 August, the Swiss national day. What it means
- Thunfest — Every year in early August, Thursday to Sunday; since 1974. What it means
- Unspunnenfest — Roughly every twelve years; last held in 2017, the next in 2029. What it means
- Chästeilet cheese division, Justistal — Every year in September, on the day the herds come down; from 10 am. What it means
- Jungfrau Marathon — Every year in September, on the Saturday; start at 8.30 am. What it means
- Läset-Sunntig wine festival, Spiez — Every year on a Sunday in September, at the start of the grape harvest. What it means
The year at a glance
Jump to the month you are travelling in. The number in brackets counts how many of the 27 events touch that month — a run of several weeks counts in each one.
- January 5
- February 1
- March 1
- April 1
- May 0
- June 4
- July 7
- August 11
- September 7
- October 1
- November 1
- December 1
All 27 events, in the order of the year
Sorted by first month rather than by next date: a cycle starts in January and closes, a calendar starts today and drops the rest. The rhythm column is the load-bearing one — it will still be true in ten years. A date appears only where the organiser or the destination has published one; once it has passed, it disappears from here by itself.
| Event | Rhythm | Next date | Place | Crowd | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harder Potschete Custom | Every year on 2 January | Unterseen old town | busy | free | |
| Inferno ski race, Mürren Sport | Every year in January, since 1928 | Mürren | moderate | ticket | |
| Lauberhorn races, Wengen Sport | Every year in mid-January, Friday to Sunday | Wengen | busy | ticket | |
| Touch the Mountains Custom | Every year on 1 January | Höhematte | busy | free | |
| World Snow Festival Grindelwald Custom | Every year in January, over one week | Grindelwald | moderate | free | |
| Velogemel World Championship Custom | Every year in February, since 1996 | Bussalp | quiet | free | |
| Interlaken Classics Music | Every year in spring, across roughly four weeks | — | quiet | ticket | |
| Greenfield Festival Music | Every year in mid-June, Thursday to Saturday | — | busy | ticket | |
| Woodcarving Symposium, Brienz Market | Every year from late June into early July, over five days | no future date | Brienz | quiet | free |
| Summer concerts, Interlaken Music | Weekly from June to September, on varying days | no future date | — | quiet | free |
| Trucker & Country Festival Music | Every year on the last weekend of June, Friday to Sunday | — | busy | ticket | |
| «Am Schluss» summer music festival Music | Every year from late July into early August, over twelve days | no future date | Thun | moderate | free |
| Ironman Switzerland Thun Sport | Every year in early July | no future date | Thun | busy | free |
| Ballenberg open-air theatre Theatre | Every year from early July to mid-August | no future date | — | moderate | ticket |
| Tell open-air theatre, Interlaken Theatre | Every year from late July to early September | no future date | — | moderate | ticket |
| Thunerseespiele lake stage Theatre | Every year from early July into mid or late August | Thun | busy | ticket | |
| Lake Brienz Rock Festival Music | Every year in early August, over three days | no future date | Brienz | moderate | ticket |
| Swiss National Day in Interlaken Custom | Every year on 1 August, the Swiss national day | Höhematte | busy | free | |
| Inferno Triathlon Sport | Every year in mid-August, over three days | no future date | Schilthorn — Piz Gloria | moderate | free |
| Seaside Festival, Spiez Music | Every year in late August, Friday and Saturday | no future date | — | moderate | ticket |
| Thunfest Market | Every year in early August, Thursday to Sunday; since 1974 | no future date | Thun | busy | ticket |
| Unspunnenfest Custom | Roughly every twelve years; last held in 2017, the next in 2029 | no future date | — | busy | unverified |
| Chästeilet cheese division, Justistal Custom | Every year in September, on the day the herds come down; from 10 am | — | busy | free | |
| Jungfrau Marathon Sport | Every year in September, on the Saturday; start at 8.30 am | Kleine Scheidegg | busy | free | |
| Läset-Sunntig wine festival, Spiez Custom | Every year on a Sunday in September, at the start of the grape harvest | — | busy | unverified | |
| Thun Wasserzauber light show Market | Every year from late September to late October | Thun | moderate | free | |
| Christmas markets across the region Market | Every year in November and December, at various locations | no future date | — | moderate | unverified |
Where in the region
One pin per place, not per event: the data carries one coordinate per place and none per venue — the five events in Thun would otherwise be five pins on the very same point, and that is not a map. So the pin means the town, not the square. Where the place is itself a destination on this site, the pin links there; which building is meant is in the event's own text.
Where is what?
Orientation map: relative positions to scale from coordinates, without terrain. Without a fixed location and therefore not on the map: Summer concerts, Interlaken and Christmas markets across the region.
- «Am Schluss» summer music festival Every year from late July into early August, over twelve days
- Ironman Switzerland Thun Every year in early July
- Thunerseespiele lake stage 7 July 2027
- Thunfest Every year in early August, Thursday to Sunday; since 1974
- Thun Wasserzauber light show 25 September 2026
- Seaside Festival, Spiez Every year in late August, Friday and Saturday
- Läset-Sunntig wine festival, Spiez 13 September 2026
- Chästeilet cheese division, Justistal 18 September 2026
- Touch the Mountains 1 January 2027
- Interlaken Classics 25 March 2027
- Greenfield Festival 10 June 2027
- Swiss National Day in Interlaken 1 August 2027
- Unspunnenfest Roughly every twelve years; last held in 2017, the next in 2029
- Trucker & Country Festival 25 June 2027
- Tell open-air theatre, Interlaken Every year from late July to early September
- Woodcarving Symposium, Brienz Every year from late June into early July, over five days
- Lake Brienz Rock Festival Every year in early August, over three days
- Ballenberg open-air theatre Every year from early July to mid-August
© OpenStreetMap-Mitwirkende
Month by month
For each event: what you actually see, and underneath it what the event means for a trip made for other reasons. The second part is why this page exists.
January
Harder Potschete
The region's oldest custom, and its loudest. The Hardermannli, his Wyb and the masked Potschen process from Interlaken's Marktplatz through Unterseen and back; the noise of the parade is meant to drive out the evil spirits of winter. Watching is free, and the pubs fill up afterwards.
What this means for your trip: Two things that rarely appear side by side: on 2 January the procession takes over the lanes of Interlaken and Unterseen old town — and the mountain it is named after is shut. The Harder funicular runs only until the end of November, so Harder Kulm is a walk that day, or nothing.
Inferno ski race, Mürren
The oldest amateur ski race in the world, held at Mürren since 1928; the 83rd edition runs over four days in 2027. Entries go through an online portal open from 1 June to 15 September of the previous year — so the field is settled long before winter starts.
What this means for your trip: Mürren is car-free and reached only by cableway and mountain railway; a four-day race with an international field fills both, and the beds with them. If January quiet is why you are going to Mürren, check this date first — and if you want to race, you enter in summer.
Lauberhorn races, Wengen
Switzerland's largest annual winter sports event, and it runs three days: super-G on Friday, the Lauberhorn downhill on Saturday, slalom on Sunday. The 97th edition takes place in 2027. Tickets are online only and go on sale on 2 November 2026, and a booking profile is required.
What this means for your trip: The race weekend turns Wengen — a car-free village served by a single rack railway — into a World Cup finish area. Anyone hoping for a quiet Lauterbrunnen valley has picked the wrong weekend; anyone hoping to attend sorts tickets in early November, not in January.
Touch the Mountains
A New Year's Day festival on the Höhematte — the day after the fireworks night, not during it. Swiss bands play free from 1 pm, bell-ringers and folklore groups appear between sets, and a fireworks display follows at 7.45 pm. A ticketed Golden Circle right at the stage is the only paid part.
What this means for your trip: 1 January is the one day a year when the Höhematte is a festival site with a stage and barriers rather than an open meadow. If the classic view across the grass to Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau is what you came for, move it by a day.
World Snow Festival Grindelwald
For a week, teams of artists carve 3.5-metre blocks of snow on Bärplatz and Eiger+ Nordwandplatz in Grindelwald; the 42nd edition runs under the theme «Tierwelten». From Friday to Sunday the finished sculptures are lit in colour after dark. Watching costs nothing, including while the work is in progress.
What this means for your trip: The rare event that improves a trip instead of disrupting it: it occupies no mountain, costs nothing and happens in the middle of the village. Anyone skiing in Grindelwald walks past it anyway — seeing it lit, though, means an evening in the village rather than a day trip.
February
Velogemel World Championship
A Velogemel is a wooden frame on two runners, invented in Grindelwald by Christian Bühlmann in 1910/11 and once the vehicle of postmen, doctors and farmers. Since 1996 the world championship has been raced on it every February on the Bussalp, from Oberläger to Mittelläger, starting at noon — and not entirely in earnest.
What this means for your trip: The smallest event on this list and the most peculiar. It costs nothing, takes an afternoon, and happens on the Bussalp, about 35 minutes from Grindelwald station on mountain bus route 126 — a bus that carries rather more people up on this one day.
March
Interlaken Classics
A classical festival with a long history — the 67th edition runs from 25 March to 19 April 2027. Concerts take place in the Congress Kursaal Interlaken and in churches nearby. Tickets are sold through kulturticket.ch.
What this means for your trip: The region's one large event in the dead season between skiing and summer — exactly when several mountain railways are in overhaul and this site's comparison table says «closed» at more than one destination. If you come in spring, this gives the evening what the mountain currently cannot.
April
Interlaken Classics — running since March and on into April. Described under March
May
Nothing from this list returns in this month. That is not a gap in the research — it is the yearly rhythm of a mountain region.
June
Greenfield Festival
The region's largest rock and metal festival, three days in mid-June in Interlaken. Alongside day tickets the organiser sells camping claims, camper pitches and a «Cottage Village» — so most of the crowd stays on site rather than in town.
What this means for your trip: Mid-June puts two large events close together in Interlaken: Greenfield, and the Trucker Festival two weeks later. If you are expecting a quiet Interlaken that month, know both dates before you book — and the same goes if you need an easy train on the Sunday evening.
Woodcarving Symposium, Brienz
For five days, some twenty artists each work a solid trunk of local larch on the quay and Cholplatz right at the shore of Lake Brienz. Watching is free; there is music and regional food alongside, including Chäsbrätel.
What this means for your trip: Brienz is seventeen minutes by train from Interlaken Ost and lives from woodcarving — this is the one date in the year when you watch the craft happen instead of seeing its results in a shop window. It costs nothing and attaches easily to a day by the lake.
Summer concerts, Interlaken
A free concert every week through the summer, but never in the same place: the Häfeli grounds and quay in Bönigen, the village square in Iseltwald, Kunsthaus Interlaken, Bärenplatz in Wilderswil, Interlaken Ost station. They play in dry weather only; Interlaken Tourismus publishes the detailed programme as a PDF.
What this means for your trip: The only entry here with neither a fixed date nor a fixed place — so the one worth checking rather than planning around. If you are in Bönigen or Iseltwald that evening anyway you may simply walk into it; if you are looking for it, you need the PDF and a dry evening.
Trucker & Country Festival
Three days, five stages, over 1,000 trucks on the «Truck Meile» and a mock western town on the Interlaken airfield, with a motorcycle meet built in. The organiser calls it the largest festival of its kind. Around 50,000 people came in 2026.
What this means for your trip: 50,000 people in a town of some 5,600: this is the weekend when the region is arithmetically full. Book a quiet Interlaken for late June and you have booked into a country stage — and if that is exactly why you are coming, sort a bed or a camping pitch well ahead.
July
Woodcarving Symposium, Brienz — running since June and on into July. Described under June
Summer concerts, Interlaken — running since June and on into September. Described under June
«Am Schluss» summer music festival
Twelve days of free concerts on the Mühleplatz in Thun, daily and across genres from reggae and desert blues to indie and rap. Entry is free with a «moral obligation to donate»; food starts at 7 pm and some late sets run from 11.30 pm at Cafe Bar Mokka.
What this means for your trip: The cheapest evening in the region during its most expensive weeks, and it costs no more than the train to Thun. For anyone travelling on a tight budget this is the most useful line on this list — provided they know the last train back.
Ironman Switzerland Thun
The full distance on Lake Thun: a 3.8 km swim, 180.2 km on the bike in two loops towards Spiez, the Gürbe valley, Bern airport and the Gantrisch, then a 42.2 km run in three loops along the lakeshore and through the Schadau castle park.
What this means for your trip: A 180-kilometre bike course in two loops lies across the roads on the western shore of Lake Thun for one July day. Driving towards Spiez or into the Gürbe valley that day means detours; by train you will not notice it at all.
Ballenberg open-air theatre
Open-air theatre inside the Ballenberg open-air museum near Hofstetten, performed in Swiss German by amateurs and counted among the most significant of its kind in German-speaking Switzerland. The 2026 production, «AKTE ZYBACH», follows the Grimsel innkeeper Peter Zybach and Switzerland's first documented insurance fraud. Advance sales open in spring.
What this means for your trip: The play is in Swiss German — for most visitors from abroad it is therefore a picture rather than a story. If you go anyway, plan the way back: Hofstetten lies beyond Brienz, and a theatre evening ends after the last comfortable train.
Tell open-air theatre, Interlaken
Schiller's «William Tell» staged in the open air on its own grounds at Matten near Interlaken, running for six weeks at the height of summer. A permanent venue for a single play — rare in Switzerland, and a fixture in Interlaken for generations.
What this means for your trip: It is within walking distance of the town centre, so it needs no travel planning — but it does need a dry evening and some German. If you have neither, the Thunerseespiele run in the same weeks and offer more spectacle and less text.
Thunerseespiele lake stage
A musical on the Thun lake stage, played against the backdrop of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The 2027 production is Disney's «Aladdin» with music by Alan Menken, sung in German, from 7 July to 21 August. Tickets through Ticketcorner.
What this means for your trip: The most searched-for event in the whole region — and the only one running over six weeks rather than a weekend. That spreads the load, but it also means a large audience travelling home from Thun late on almost any summer evening. From Interlaken it is an evening trip by train, not a day out.
August
Summer concerts, Interlaken — running since June and on into September. Described under June
«Am Schluss» summer music festival — running since July and on into August. Described under July
Ballenberg open-air theatre — running since July and on into August. Described under July
Tell open-air theatre, Interlaken — running since July and on into September. Described under July
Thunerseespiele lake stage — running since July and on into August. Described under July
Lake Brienz Rock Festival
Three days of guitar-driven rock right on the shore of Lake Brienz, in a large tent that opens towards the water in good weather — so the weather cannot cancel it. Camping is available on the adjacent grounds from Thursday, and swimwear is explicitly recommended.
What this means for your trip: The one event on this list that is explicitly weatherproof — useful on a weekend when the mountains are in cloud. Brienz has few beds, though, and the same weekend already carries Thunfest in Thun.
Swiss National Day in Interlaken
The national day fills a whole day in Interlaken: folklore in the Kursaal garden from 11 am with a fly-past of 28 paragliders, a large folklore parade at 3.15 pm, a street party on Stadthausplatz in Unterseen, a lantern procession and bandstand concert in the evening, and fireworks over the Höhematte at 10 pm. All free.
What this means for your trip: 1 August is the one night when the mountain bonfires burn around both lakes — which makes an evening viewpoint worth more than usual. The other way round: if you want an early night, do not book beside the Höhematte.
Inferno Triathlon
Start in Thun, finish on the Schilthorn: 3.1 km swimming, 97 km road bike, 30 km mountain bike and 25 km mountain running, 5,500 metres of ascent in total — the organiser calls it one of the hardest triathlons in the world. Team, half-marathon and fun formats run alongside.
What this means for your trip: The course cuts through half the destinations on this site: Thun, the Lauterbrunnen valley, Mürren, the Schilthorn. On this day you share the way up with a race — and the Piz Gloria at the top with a finish line.
Seaside Festival, Spiez
A two-day festival at Spiez on Lake Thun, with day passes for Friday and Saturday, access to the boathouse, and separate night-boat tickets for the trip back across the lake.
What this means for your trip: The one event here whose way home is part of the programme: the night boat across Lake Thun needs its own ticket. Without one, plan for the last train from Spiez — boat and railway do not stop at the same hour.
Thunfest
Thun's city festival along the Aare and through the old town, reaching its 50th edition since 1974 in 2026: over twenty concerts and more than eighty stalls. Entry is 15 francs, in advance or at the door.
What this means for your trip: In 2026 Thunfest and the Lake Brienz Rock Festival fall on the same weekend, at opposite ends of the region. Arrive in early August and there is a festival on each lake — and full evening trains in both towns.
Unspunnenfest
The Swiss wrestling, traditional costume and alpine herdsmen's festival at Interlaken — Schwingen, costume, alphorn and the famous Unspunnen stone. Over 90,000 people came in 2017, and the organiser announces the next for 2029. No exact date or venue has been fixed yet.
What this means for your trip: The only entry here you cannot reschedule: miss it and you wait twelve years. It also means 2029 will not be an ordinary summer in Interlaken — 90,000 visitors in a town of 5,600 is not a weekend you book casually.
September
Summer concerts, Interlaken — running since June and on into September. Described under June
Tell open-air theatre, Interlaken — running since July and on into September. Described under July
Unspunnenfest — running since August and on into September. Described under August
Chästeilet cheese division, Justistal
On the Spycherberg in the Justistal the summer's cheese is shared out among the herd owners by lot, after which the alpine dairymen and women lead the decorated cattle down the valley in traditional dress. It starts at 10 am, there is a festival kitchen on site, and entry is free. Wikipedia gives the rule as the Friday before or after the Federal Day of Thanksgiving; for 2026 that matches the sourced date.
What this means for your trip: The most important thing to know about this one is a refusal: you cannot get there by public transport. The STI transport company states plainly that no bus runs through the Justistal; scheduled services end at the valley mouths, route 21 as far as «Merligen, Beatus» at 568 metres. Two narrow mountain roads lead in, from Sigriswil and Beatenberg, both ending at Grön — and walking the valley takes around five and a half hours.
Jungfrau Marathon
From Interlaken up to Kleine Scheidegg, 42.2 km, starting on the Saturday morning at 8.30 am. All 4,000 places are sold out. The organiser already lists the coming editions: 2027, 2028 and 2029, each on the first or second weekend of September.
What this means for your trip: Four thousand runners move on exactly the axis walkers use — Interlaken, the Lauterbrunnen valley, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg — on this one Saturday. Planning a quiet hike up there that day means moving it by one; wanting to watch means the finish is the best place to be.
Läset-Sunntig wine festival, Spiez
The only wine festival of its kind in the Bernese Oberland, drawing over 10,000 visitors a year. A parade of more than thirty decorated floats moves through Spiez on that year's theme, with tastings of Spiez wine, a market, concerts and a children's carousel. The Spiez Märit traditionally follows on the Monday.
What this means for your trip: That wine grows on Lake Thun surprises most visitors — and this Sunday is the day you see it rather than read about it. It costs half a day and a train ride; in exchange, Spiez is not a quiet place that Sunday, and the castle shares the town with a parade.
Thun Wasserzauber light show
A light and water show on the Aare in front of the Hotel Aare in Thun: fountains and lasers run in time with music across several genres, with stalls of regional produce around the site. Access is free for everyone.
What this means for your trip: The region's only evening event in October — precisely the shoulder season when this site reports «end of season» at many destinations and it gets dark early. It costs nothing, and it needs no mountain railway still to be running.
October
Thun Wasserzauber light show — running since September and on into October. Described under September
November
Christmas markets across the region
The holiday region lists its Christmas markets collectively for November and December, with no single main market — they are spread across various locations, with food and drink stalls on site. Specific dates, places and times for the coming season were not yet fixed on 23 August 2026; the destination says explicitly that they follow later.
What this means for your trip: The honest answer here is a limitation: Interlaken has no single large, continuous Christmas market, and anyone looking for one should plan a train ride. If you are coming in Advent, check the dates at short notice rather than far ahead — they are published late.
December
Christmas markets across the region — running since November and on into December. Described under November
What this page does not do
It carries no one-off dates. A Wednesday concert at a local hall is not here, and that is a decision rather than an omission: a single date is wrong content the day after, and a list that claims completeness without being able to hold it is worse than one that states its limit. Recurring events do not age — so only they are here, from the large festival to a cheese division in a side valley that thirty people a month search for.
The destination itself runs the full calendar, including the submission form for organisers:
Events calendar by Interlaken Tourismus
Frequently Asked Questions
Will an event affect my trip to Interlaken?
Probably at some point, yes. 13 of the 27 recurring events on this page move enough people to change what beds, trains and paths are like. The densest is late June: the Trucker & Country Festival drew around 50,000 people in 2026 to a town of some 5,600, and the Greenfield Festival runs two weeks earlier. Early August puts Thunfest and the Lake Brienz Rock Festival on the same weekend at opposite ends of the region.
What is the Harder Potschete?
The region's oldest custom, held every 2 January. The Hardermannli, his Wyb and masked figures called Potschen process from Interlaken's Marktplatz through Unterseen and back; the noise is meant to drive out the evil spirits of winter. It is free to watch. Note that the Harder funicular the custom is named after does not run that day — it stops at the end of November.
Can I reach the Chästeilet in the Justistal by public transport?
No. The STI transport company states plainly that no bus runs through the Justistal; scheduled services end at the valley mouths, route 21 as far as «Merligen, Beatus» at 568 metres. Two narrow mountain roads lead in, from Sigriswil and Beatenberg. Walking the valley takes around five and a half hours.
Is this a complete events calendar?
No, and deliberately so. This page lists only what recurs — annually, or on a fixed multi-year cycle like the Unspunnenfest every twelve years. A one-off concert is wrong content the day after, and a list that claims completeness without being able to hold it is worse than one that states its limit. 13 of the 27 entries here cost nothing to attend. The destination itself runs the full calendar.
Why do some entries have no date?
Because no future date is on record — either the organiser has not announced one yet, or the last one announced has passed. This page prints a date only where the organiser or the destination states it and it is still ahead; otherwise it gives the rhythm — the rule by which the event recurs. Leaving an old date in place would be easier and would be wrong.