Gravel Festival Bern

Billed by its organisers as the biggest Swiss gravel event for young and old, the Gravel Festival Bern celebrates its tenth edition in 2027. The 2026 edition set a new record with more than 1,430 entries and crowned the first Swiss gravel champions, Lea Huber and Lars Forster.

The festival is based at the vonRoll-Areal in Bern, and its courses stay close to the city: the short loop runs entirely through the Bremgartenwald forest, while the longer one heads out over the land of Frauenkappelen and Mühleberg. The exact line is kept quiet beforehand, agreed with the forestry office and the Burgergemeinde Bern to keep the impact on forest and wildlife low.

Riders choose between a Race with rankings and a Ride with timing but no placings, and there is a family ride and a kids' race too, plus an expo and street food. It is organised by the team behind ridegravel.ch, whose motto is gravel passion since 2018, with a 15-member organising committee.