Gurtenfestival

What Gurtenfestival does

Gurtenfestival AG operates a four-day annual open-air music festival held in mid-July on Bern's Gurten mountain in Switzerland. Founded in 1977 (originally as the 'International Folkfestival Bern-Gurten') and now in its 42nd–43rd edition, the festival draws approximately 20,000 visitors per day across three stages — a Main Stage for international headliners, a Tent Stage, and the Waldbühne, which is dedicated to Swiss music and contested annually through the Waldbühne Contest. The event serves primarily Swiss and regional music fans (with youth and children's ticket tiers available) and emerging Swiss bands seeking a structured path to a main-stage performance.

The festival is built on a proprietary technology stack: an in-house ticketing platform at ticketing.gurtenfestival.ch (operated via sister company Eventon AG with data backend by Orxys AG), a fully cashless on-site payment system powered by Weezevent Switzerland Sàrl, a personalized 'my Line-up' schedule builder tied to ticketing accounts, and a recently launched AI chatbot called GurtenGPT for visitor assistance. Acceptance points span Swiss payment methods including TWINT, PostFinance, MasterCard, and Visa.

Gurtenfestival's revenue model combines three streams: (1) direct ticket sales via its own platform (multi-day passes, single-day tickets, youth discounts, and child processing fees); (2) on-site F&B and merchandise sales settled exclusively through the Cashless Card, which captures per-visitor transaction data; and (3) a multi-tiered sponsorship ecosystem led by Miros (Migros) as Presenting Partner, with Main Partners Eichhof, Swisscom, ewb, and Raiffeisen, plus Media Partners (SRF 3, 20min, Energy Bern, Watson, Berner Zeitung, RadioBern1), transportation partners (BLS, Gurtenbahn, Bernmobil), and cultural foundation supporters. The festival is privately held, independently operated, and GDPR/DSG compliant, with no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Gurtenfestival

Legal name

Gurtenfestival AG

Website

https://gurtenfestival.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gurtenfestival AG operates an annual four-day open-air music festival on Bern's Gurten mountain, serving ~20,000 daily visitors across three stages, including a dedicated Swiss music stage. Revenue combines direct ticket sales, on-site cashless F&B, and a tiered sponsorship ecosystem anchored by Miros/Migros.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Concert & Tour Promoters (MPAIAFAA), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Live music festival
• Outdoor concert events
• Festival ticketing services
• Event cashless payments
• Festival merchandise sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Wabern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Festival Tickets: The festival sells tickets directly through its own ticketing platform (ticketing.gurtenfestival.ch). Multi-day tickets and single-day tickets are available. Children's tickets (up to age 12) are offered with a processing fee of CHF 8.00 per child per day. Youth tickets (ages 13-15) receive a 30% discount. The festival uses print-at-home tickets exchanged for wristbands on-site. Tickets are not personalized.
2. Food & Beverage: The festival operates a cashless system where all F&B purchases are made using the Cashless Card. Festival visitors load credit (CHF 30.00–500.00 minimum to maximum) onto the card to pay for food, drinks, and goods across all acceptance points. Deposits are collected on cups, dishes, and bottles, which are donated to a tax-exempt organization after the festival.
3. Sponsorship & Partnerships: The festival generates revenue through multi-tiered sponsorship arrangements with partners including Presenting Partner (Miros), Main Partners (Eichhof, Swisscom, ewb, Raiffeisen), Partners, Media Partners, and Supporters across F&B, Transportation, and general categories. Partner inquiries are directed to [email protected].
4. Merchandise: The festival operates an online shop accessible through the main website (gurtenfestival.ch/en/shop/) where merchandise is available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gurtenfestival AG operates an annual four-day open-air music festival held mid-July on Bern's Gurten mountain, featuring three stages (Main Stage, Tent Stage, Waldbühne) with international headliners and Swiss artists. The festival sells tickets directly through its own proprietary ticketing platform, operates a fully cashless on-site payment system (Cashless Card), runs an annual Waldbühne Contest that provides Swiss emerging bands a path to the main stage, and sells merchandise through its own online shop. The event draws approximately 20,000 visitors per day and is supported by a multi-tiered sponsorship ecosystem.

Product overview

Gurtenfestival is a single unified product—a multi-day annual music festival held on Bern's Gurten mountain. The core offering centers on live music performances across multiple stages, with the Main Stage hosting international headliners and the Waldbühne dedicated to Swiss artists. The festival operates several integrated service modules: an online Ticket Shop for sales, a Cashless Card System (powered by WeezEvent) for on-site payments, a my Line-up personalization tool, and GurtenGPT for AI-assisted visitor assistance. The Waldbühne Contest is a talent discovery platform within the festival ecosystem, providing emerging Swiss bands a path to main stage exposure. Additional services include newsletter communications, press accreditations, and an online media center for press resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Waldbühne: The third stage at Gurtenfestival dedicated to Swiss music creation. Features emerging Swiss bands selected through the annual Waldbühne Contest. The stage was originally launched in 1977 and relaunched in 2007.

Products and services

• Gurtenfestival (Annual Festival) Annual four-day open-air music festival held mid-July on Bern's Gurten mountain, featuring three stages (Main Stage, Tent Stage, Waldbühne) with international headliners and Swiss artists. Tickets include multi-day passes, single-day tickets, youth tickets (ages 13–15, 30% discount), and children's tickets (up to age 12, with CHF 8.00 processing fee). Attracts approximately 20,000 visitors daily.
• Waldbühne Contest Annual competition enabling Swiss bands to win performance slots on the Waldbühne stage at Gurtenfestival. Bands register via mx3.ch, undergo public voting and jury selection; six finalists compete in a live contest, and four win a 'Ticket to Rock' performance slot. Open to Swiss bands meeting eligibility criteria (Swiss residency of majority of members, original songs).
• Cashless Card (Festival Payment System) Festival payment system operated by WeezEvent Switzerland Sàrl that allows visitors to load credit and pay for food, beverages, and merchandise across all on-site acceptance points. The Cashless Card is the sole payment method on the festival grounds (with credit cards accepted only in the Comfort Zone).
• Gurtenfestival Online Merchandise Shop Online shop accessible via the main website (gurtenfestival.ch/en/shop/) where visitors can purchase festival merchandise including apparel and accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~20,000 visitors per day over 4 days (80,000+ visitor-days)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Miros (Migros)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerMiros (associated with Migros) is listed as the Presenting Partner of Gurtenfestival. As the top-tier sponsor, Migros receives prominent branding placement across the festival and its communications.
• EichhofcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEichhof is listed as a Main Partner, providing beverage sponsorship (likely beer) and brand visibility at the festival site.
• SwisscomcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSwisscom is listed as a Main Partner, providing technology/telecommunications sponsorship and brand visibility.
• ewb (Energie Wasser Bern)coreGTM or Marketing Partnerewb (Energie Wasser Bern) is listed as a Main Partner, providing local energy/utilities sponsorship with brand visibility.
• RaiffeisencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRaiffeisen is listed as a Main Partner, providing banking/financial sponsorship and brand visibility at the festival.
• SRF 3coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSRF 3 (Swiss Radio and Television, formerly DRS 3) is listed as a Media Partner. The broadcaster provides editorial coverage and on-air promotion of the festival, with live broadcasts from the Waldbühne in past years.
• 20mincoreGTM or Marketing Partner20min is a leading Swiss free newspaper and digital news platform listed as a Media Partner, providing editorial coverage and promotional visibility.
• Energy BerncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy Bern is a regional radio station listed as a Media Partner, providing on-air promotional coverage to the festival audience.
• Eventon AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationEventon AG is identified as the sister company (Schwestergesellschaft) of Gurtenfestival AG and is referenced as a service provider. Eventon provides ticketing infrastructure and platform services for the festival's ticketing operations.
• Weezevent Switzerland SàrlcoreTechnology or IntegrationWeezevent is the third-party provider responsible for the Cashless Card system at Gurtenfestival. The service manages on-site cashless payments, credit top-ups, balance tracking, and refunds. Festival visitors' personal data and transaction data are processed by Weezevent under a data processing agreement.
• Studio VoileminorOthersStudio Voile is credited with creative direction and website design for Gurtenfestival, in collaboration with Salzmann Gertsch.
• Salzmann GertschminorOthersSalzmann Gertsch is credited with creative direction and website design for Gurtenfestival, in collaboration with Studio Voile.
• Roger BurkhardminorOthersRoger Burkhard is credited with web development for the Gurtenfestival website.
• mx3.chcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnermx3.ch is the Swiss music platform used for the Waldbühne Contest registration and public voting system. Bands must register with an mx3 account to participate, and audience voting on mx3 determines two automatic finalists for the contest.
• Stiftung SuisaminorOthersStiftung Suisa (Swiss foundation for music creators) is a Supporter and partner of the Waldbühne. In 2007, the foundation presented the Swiss Newcomer Award worth CHF 5,000 to Pegasus at the Waldbühne launch.
• NussliminorOthersNussli provides stage infrastructure for the Waldbühne contest and festival stages.
• StagelightminorOthersStagelight provides lighting equipment for the Waldbühne stage as part of the contest and festival infrastructure.
• AVMS SchweizminorOthersAVMS Schweiz provides audio/video equipment and services for the Waldbühne infrastructure.
• Ernst Göhner StiftungminorOthersErnst Göhner Stiftung is listed as a Supporter of the Waldbühne, providing grant or sponsorship support for the contest and festival.
• BLSminorOthersBLS is listed as a Transportation Partner, providing special train services (extrazüge) and transport connections to the festival site.
• GurtenbahnminorOthersGurtenbahn (funicular railway to the festival site) is listed as a Transportation Partner, providing the cable car ascent to Gurten mountain where the festival takes place.
• BernmobilminorOthersBernmobil (Bern's public transport operator) is listed as a Transportation Partner, providing transit connections to the festival.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Paléo Festival Nyon: Switzerland's largest open-air music festival, held annually in Nyon. Directly comparable to Gurtenfestival as a multi-day Swiss music festival competing for the same headliners, sponsors and Swiss-resident audience.
• Openair St. Gallen: Multi-day Swiss open-air music festival in St. Gallen. Closely comparable business model: summer open-air format, multi-stage programming, sponsor- and ticket-driven revenue.
• Zurich Openair: Major Swiss multi-stage open-air festival held annually near Zurich. Overlapping audience, format and headliner pool with Gurtenfestival.
• Openair Frauenfeld: Switzerland's largest hip-hop / urban music festival. Comparable ticketing, sponsorship and audience model within the same Swiss market.
• Stars in Town: Swiss multi-day summer open-air festival. Similar scale, regional Swiss positioning and headliner-driven programming model.
• Baloise Session Basel: Swiss ticketed live music event series based in Basel. Comparable Swiss-based live entertainment promoter model with sponsor-supported ticketed concerts.
• Heitere Open Air: Bern-region outdoor music festival. Closest geographic peer to Gurtenfestival, competing for the same Bern-area audience and sponsors.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: World's largest live entertainment company and concert/festival promoter. Operates globally but competes with Gurtenfestival via touring acts and broader festival portfolio.
• CTS Eventim: European live entertainment and ticketing group. Operates large-scale festivals and ticketing platforms across Europe that compete for touring acts and audience share.
• AEG Presents: Global concert promoter and festival operator with European festival interests. Adjacent competitive threat through touring artist bookings and sponsorships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gurtenfestival
• YouTubeyoutube.com/gurtenfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/gurtenfestival
• TikToktiktok.com/@gurtenfestival
• Xx.com/gurtenfestival

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gurtenfestival