National holiday Canton of Bern celebrates August 1 with Nemo and barbecues
Federal Councillor Beat Jans was a guest at the Barryhof in Schüpfen on August 1.
Image: Keystone
A 1 August celebration with up to 12,000 visitors took place in front of the Federal Palace on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Federal Councillor Beat Jans was a guest at the Barryhof in Schüpfen on August 1.
Image: Keystone
A 1 August celebration with up to 12,000 visitors took place in front of the Federal Palace on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Despite temporary thunderstorms, numerous well-attended 1st August celebrations took place in Bern on Thursday. Biel celebrated - alongside Switzerland - the local ESC star Nemo and a garden party was held on the Bundesplatz.
01.08.2024, 12:21
01.08.2024, 17:50
SDA
The organizers from Idée Bern were expecting up to 12,000 guests in front of the Bundeshaus, as the Keystone-SDA news agency reported on Thursday evening. Up to this point, all program items could have been carried out, sometimes with a slight delay due to rain.
In addition to food and drink with a 24-metre barbecue, there were concerts and a children's program on offer. The cathedral and the Bundeshaus were also open to the public. According to a spokesperson for the Federal Assembly, almost 2,500 people accepted the invitation to the latter. At times, visitors queued for up to two hours at the entrance control.
Federal Councillor Jans visits Schüpfen
Speaking of federal politics: SP Federal Councillor Beat Jans gave a speech in the morning in the Seeland municipality of Schüpfen. "A functioning democratic constitutional state is a great achievement that we must defend," he said to the 500 guests at the Schüpberg farm and called on them to celebrate togetherness.
Biel celebrates Nemo
The people of Biel/Bienne, on the other hand, already toasted the national holiday on July 31. A drone show took place as part of the opening day of the Lakelive Festival. Around 15,000 people watched the spectacle, as co-organizer Lukas Hohl told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
He spoke of a "harmonious start", as the multi-talented Nemo from Biel gave a home performance on the big stage on the same evening. The organizers took advantage of this opportunity and incorporated the distinguished visitor into the drone formation: a glowing "Congrats Nemo" could be seen in the Biel night sky. "It was important to us to congratulate Nemo on his ESC victory," said Hohl. The reactions from the audience were approving.
