Rendez-vous Bundesplatz: Bern’s Free Light Show on the Federal Palace

Every autumn, the Federal Palace in Bern turns into a giant screen. Frogs climb up the facade, roots crawl across the windows and an ibex looks down on the crowd. Rendez-vous Bundesplatz is a free light and sound show on Bundesplatz, and it is one of the best things to do in Bern on an autumn evening.

I go every autumn, and this time I watched the 7 pm show with my wife and my parents. I have seen a few projection shows in Japan, including the one on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, but this one felt more detailed and made with more love. For me it is the best of them.

Rendez-vous Bundesplatz at a glance

• What: a free light and sound show projected onto the Federal Palace (Bundeshaus)
• Where: Bundesplatz, Bern, about five minutes on foot from the main station
• When: every autumn, usually mid October to late November (this season 17 October to 21 November)
• Show times: every evening at 7 pm, 8 pm and 9 pm
• Length: about 30 minutes per show
• Tickets: none needed, the show is free
• Current show: Natur pur, a journey through Swiss nature and the seasons

What is Rendez-vous Bundesplatz?

Rendez-vous Bundesplatz is a projection mapping show. Powerful projectors light up the whole front of the Federal Palace, the seat of the Swiss parliament and government, and the images are made to fit every column, window and the dome. Music plays over speakers across the square, so it feels a bit like an open air cinema where the building itself is the screen.

The show started in 2011 and has run every autumn since then. The producer Brigitte Roux and her company Starlight Events organise it, and each season tells a new story. Over the years it has become one of the biggest free events in Switzerland: some seasons drew several hundred thousand visitors.

For locals it is a fixed part of autumn in Bern. Families come with children, couples come after dinner, and school classes come on weekday evenings. It is a very Swiss thing in the best way: free, well organised and starting exactly on time.

The current show: Natur pur

The current show is called Natur pur, which means pure nature. It takes you through the Swiss landscape over the seasons. The Federal Palace seems to fall apart and behind it you see a swamp with herons and frogs, an autumn forest with squirrels, icy mountains with ibex, summer meadows with butterflies and even the life under the ground. Near the end the weather turns and nature gets out of balance, until the ants save the day.

The music was composed by Andreas Renggli and Christoph Fluri and arranged by the Swiss collective Take This, with live singing in some parts of the show. The light artists come from Lumine Projections in Vienna.

My favourite moments were the ibex and the dancing squirrels. The live music makes a big difference, and at the end the whole square clapped.

Dates and show times

The show runs every evening for about five weeks in autumn, usually starting in mid October and ending in late November. This season the dates are 17 October to 21 November, and the opening screen shows them in German, French, Italian and English.

• 7 pm: the first show, popular with families
• 8 pm: still busy, good if you eat early in the old town
• 9 pm: the last show of the evening, good after dinner in the old town

We went to the 7 pm show. The square was fairly full, but not packed, and we still found a good spot without any problem.

Each show lasts about 30 minutes and they repeat every hour, so if you arrive late you can simply wait for the next one. Check the official Rendez-vous Bundesplatz website before you go, because single evenings can be cancelled for other events on the square.

Tips for visiting

Where to stand

Do not stand right in front of the Federal Palace. From too close you only see the lower part of the facade. The best view is from the middle of the square or a bit further back, near the water fountains in the ground, where you see the whole building including the dome.

We stood right in the middle of the square, and I think that is the best spot. We did not come early, we simply walked up just before the start.

Arrive early

The square fills up quickly, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings and during the autumn holidays. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the show starts. On weekdays it is much more relaxed.

Dress warm

Bern in late October and November is cold in the evening, and you stand still for half an hour. Wear a warm jacket, a hat and good shoes. If it rains, bring a rain jacket rather than an umbrella, because umbrellas block the view for everyone behind you.

Photos and videos

Phones work well because the facade is bright. Lower the exposure a little so the colours do not burn out, and use the wide angle lens to get the whole building. Please do not hold your phone up for the whole show, the people behind you will thank you.

How to get to Bundesplatz

Bundesplatz is in the centre of Bern, about five minutes on foot from the main station. Walk along Spitalgasse towards the old town and turn right after the Käfigturm tower, or simply follow the crowds in the evening. If you come by car, use a car park near the station, because the old town is not made for driving.

Bern is easy to reach by train from Zurich, Basel, Lucerne or Interlaken in about an hour, so the show works well as an evening stop on a week in Switzerland.

What to do before and after the show

Make an evening of it. The old town of Bern with its arcades, fountains and the Zytglogge clock tower starts right next to Bundesplatz, and it is lovely in the evening. My Bern guide has more ideas.

A few minutes away on Kornhausplatz you find the Kindlifresserbrunnen, the strange fountain of an ogre eating a child, and the Kornhauskeller, a huge vaulted cellar restaurant and bar under the old granary. Both are a great stop after the show.

If you visit Bern later in the season, the light show ends just when the Christmas markets start. Have a look at my guide to the Swiss Christmas markets and, for something warm, my Swiss food guide.

Is Rendez-vous Bundesplatz worth it?

Yes. It is free, it takes only half an hour and it shows Bern from a side many tourists miss. The projections are made for this one building, so it feels very different from a normal light festival. If you are in Bern on an autumn evening, it is an easy yes.

For me it is great every year, and it is the best light show I have seen so far. I will be back next autumn.

FAQ: Rendez-vous Bundesplatz