ESAF2028

What ESAF2028 does

OK ESAF 2028 Thun Berner Oberland is a Swiss non-profit association (Verein) established in March 2024 to organize the Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest 2028, Switzerland's premier traditional wrestling and Alpine heritage festival, scheduled for August 25-27, 2028 at Waffenplatz Thun. The venue spans 64 hectares across the Arena, Gabentempel, and Burgerallmend (camping) areas, with 15,000 seats across 10 festival tents and 40 food and beverage stands. The event is expected to generate approximately CHF 35 million in regional economic value and 85,000 overnight stays across the Berner Oberland's roughly 15,000 hotel and motel beds.

The organization's revenue model rests on ticket sales, a multi-tiered sponsorship structure (Königspartner, Kranzpartner, Partner, Supporter), on-site food and beverage concessions, and indirect tourism inflows. The flagship Königspartner tier includes Migros, Mobiliar, BEKB, Feldschlösschen, BKW, swisspor, and McDonald's, with AMAG as the exclusive mobility partner and the City of Thun as a host-city partner. A 10-person paid staff executes the program, led by OK-Präsident Matthias Glarner (the first former Schwingerkönig to hold the role), Geschäftsführer Adrian Affolter, and Stv. Geschäftsführer Reto Bleiker.

The go-to-market is event-driven rather than technology-driven: the organization markets through its official website, Medienmitteilungen (press releases), downloadable brochures, and partner sponsor visibility, with a campaign narrative anchored on the 72-year absence of ESAF from Thun, the Eiger/Mönch/Jungfrau backdrop, and the cultural values of Schwingen (Demut, Authentizität, Ehrlichkeit, Bodenständigkeit, Loyalität, Respekt, Leidenschaft, Zusammengehörigkeit). The committee is the legal organiz

Name

ESAF2028

Legal name

OK ESAF 2028 Thun Berner Oberland

Website

https://esaf2028.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OK ESAF 2028 Thun Berner Oberland is a Swiss non-profit association organizing the 2028 Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest (ESAF), a three-day traditional Swiss wrestling festival at Waffenplatz Thun (August 25-27, 2028), funded by tiered sponsorships, ticket sales, and concessions, and projected to generate CHF 35M in regional economic value.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional Sports & Cultural Festival Events

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

International Multi-Sport Games Organizing Committees (e.g., Olympics, Commonwealth) (MPAKADAJ)

Keywords

• Traditional swiss festival
• Schwingen wrestling events
• Cultural sports festival
• Event organization services
• Alpine heritage events

Headquarters

HQ city

Thun

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Entry fees for the three-day festival event
2. Sponsorship: Multi-tiered sponsorship model including Königspartner (King Partners), Kranzpartner (Wreath Partners), Partner, and Supporter categories
3. Food and Beverage Concessions: 40 Verpflegungsstände (food and beverage stands) on festival grounds
4. Accommodation and Tourism: Indirect revenue through regional tourism - approximately 85,000 Logiernächte (overnight stays) projected

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ESAF 2028 (OK ESAF 2028 Thun Berner Oberland) is a Swiss non-profit association organizing the Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest 2028, a three-day traditional Swiss wrestling and Alpine heritage festival scheduled for August 25-27, 2028 at Waffenplatz Thun. The event features Schwingen (Swiss wrestling) competitions, Älpler (alpine herder) traditions, and cultural celebrations across a 64-hectare venue with 15,000 seats, 40 food and beverage stands, and projected 85,000 overnight stays in the region.

Product overview

ESAF2028 (Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest 2028 Thun Berner Oberland) is a traditional Swiss festival organization that manages the planning and execution of Switzerland's premier traditional wrestling event. The organization does not offer software products or technology services; its core offering is the festival event itself, featuring traditional Swiss wrestling (Schwingen), alpine traditions, and cultural celebrations. The event will take place August 25-27, 2028 at the Waffenplatz Thun on a 64-hectare festival grounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ESAF 2028 Thun Berner Oberland Festival The Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest (ESAF) is Switzerland's most prestigious traditional wrestling festival, held every three years. The 2028 edition takes place in Thun, Berner Oberland, featuring competitive Schwingen (Swiss wrestling), Älpler competitions, and cultural celebrations across a 64-hectare venue. Targeted at the Swiss population and international tourists.
• Sponsorship Partnership Tiers Corporate sponsorship packages offered to companies seeking association with the traditional Swiss national sports festival. Tiered offerings include Königspartner (flagship), Kranzpartner (core), Partner (tertiary), and Supporter (minor) levels with corresponding visibility and partnership benefits.
• Festival Ground Concessions (40 Food and Beverage Stands) On-site food and beverage concessions available to festival attendees during the three-day ESAF 2028 event at Waffenplatz Thun. Operates across 40 Verpflegungsstände on the festival grounds.

Quantifiable outcome

• CHF 35 million estimated economic value creation for Berner Oberland
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• McDonald'sflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 July 2026Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced July 8, 2026.
• BKWflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 April 2026Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced April 9, 2026.
• swissporflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 February 2026Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced February 19, 2026.
• AMAGcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 August 2025Kranzpartner (Wreath Partner) and exclusive mobility partner. Partnership announced August 14, 2025.
• MigrosflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 April 2025Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced April 11, 2025.
• FeldschlösschenflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 April 2025Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced April 8, 2025.
• MobiliarflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 March 2025Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced March 5, 2025.
• BEKB (Berner Kantonalbank)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 December 2024Königspartner (King Partner) - Primary flagship sponsor of ESAF 2028. Königspartnerschaft announced December 10, 2024.
• Textcube GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThuner Werbe- und Kommunikationsagentur (advertising and communication agency) that developed and designed the official ESAF 2028 logo. Located at Obere Hauptgasse 74, 3600 Thun.
• TissotcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKranzpartner (Wreath Partner) - secondary tier sponsor
• RamseiercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKranzpartner (Wreath Partner) - secondary tier sponsor
• RivellacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKranzpartner (Wreath Partner) - secondary tier sponsor
• RaiffeisencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner - tertiary sponsor level
• VisanacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner - tertiary sponsor level
• City of ThuncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKranzpartner - Host city partnership for ESAF 2028
• MediData AGminorOthersSupporter - minor support partner
• Reichmuth & Co PrivatbankiersminorOthersSupporter - minor support partner (financial institution)
• Barbara LooslicoreOthersOfficial photographer (BKSV Fotografin) for ESAF 2028 event imagery

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• IOC (International Olympic Committee): The reference multi-sport games organizing committee (Olympics), the most comparable governance model for a single, mass-spectator, multi-competition event with cyclical hosting and tiered sponsorship.
• Montreux Jazz Festival: One of Switzerland's largest annual cultural festivals, a benchmark for Swiss festival economics, sponsorship tiers, and multi-day live-event logistics with similar Bern-region tourism draw.
• FIFA: International federation that organizes global football mega-events from Zürich; comparable as a federation-driven, one-off mega-event operator with sponsorship-tier packaging and host-city economic impact frameworks.
• Eidgenössischer Schwingerverband (ESV): The national Swiss wrestling federation that governs the sport and sanctions the ESAF, the broader incumbent authority that the ESAF 2028 organizing committee operates under.

Direct peers

• Eidgenössisches Turnfest: The Swiss national gymnastics festival, a comparable mass-participation Swiss cultural-sport event held on a multi-year rotation with a dedicated organizing committee and significant regional economic impact.
• Eidgenössisches Schützenfest: The Swiss national shooting festival, another triennial traditional Swiss federal festival with a similar organizing-committee model and large-scale spectator/participant logistics.
• Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest: Another triennial Swiss national traditional-cultural festival (yodeling) with a comparable organizing-committee structure, multi-tier sponsorship model, and regional host rotation.
• Eidgenössisches Musikfest: The Swiss national music festival, a peer in the family of major Swiss traditional federal festivals with comparable event scale, sponsorship tiers, and regional host-rotation governance.
• OK ESAF 2025 Glarnerland+: The immediately preceding organizing committee for ESAF 2025 in Glarnerland+, the most direct structural analogue as the prior national host under the same triennial rotation.

Regional players

• Wengen Lauberhornrennen Organizing Committee: Organizer of the annual Lauberhorn ski races in the Berner Oberland, a comparable large-scale outdoor sporting event in the same Swiss region with analogous sponsorship, volunteer, and venue infrastructure needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esaf2028

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 ESAF2028