New Year's Eve in Interlaken: Three Days, One Fireworks

New Year's Eve in Interlaken is not one night. The town calls it the longest New Year's Eve in Switzerland: the night of 31 December on the Höheweg, a free open-air festival with fireworks on 1 January at 19:45, and a parade of masked figures on 2 January. I live here, I stood in the grass of the Höhematte for the fireworks last year, and the mistake I see every year is people booking one night and leaving before the best part.

What actually happens on New Year's Eve in Interlaken?

Three days, and the programme is set by the tourist office: the celebration on the evening of 31 December, Touch the Mountains on 1 January, the Harder-Potschete on 2 January. On the 31st the town has no single official event. Hotels and restaurants run their own evenings, and at midnight people are outside on the promenade. That is where I spend it, on the Höheweg, with the crowd.

Do not wait for a town fireworks at midnight. The official fireworks is fired from the Höhematte on the evening of 1 January, at the end of the free festival. Interlaken Tourismus lists the three days as one event on its winter page, read on 2 November 2026.

Insider tip: book your table for the 31st now. The restaurants are full on New Year's Eve, and the mistake I see most often is visitors arriving without a reservation.

When and where is the New Year fireworks in Interlaken?

On 1 January 2027 at 19:45, over the Höhematte, the big meadow in the centre of town, at the end of Touch the Mountains. The festival itself is free and runs from 13:00 to 21:00 on the Höheweg, with concerts by Swiss acts (Lo & Leduc and Soleroy are announced for 2027) and a DJ between the sets. The only paid area is the Golden Circle in front of the stage: CHF 39 for adults, CHF 29 for children up to 12, limited tickets, recommended age 8 and over.

Where to stand: on the grass itself. On 1 January 2026 I was on the Höhematte for the 19:45 show, in a tight crowd on the grass. My photos run from 19:46 to 20:06. Dress for standing still on cold grass.

From the organisers, read on 2 November 2026: the festival ground is 10 minutes on foot from Interlaken West or Ost, parking in the centre is scarce, and a paid park-and-ride at the JungfrauPark (CHF 10 per car) runs a free shuttle from 13:00 to 21:00.

What is the Harder-Potschete on 2 January?

A masked parade. Every year on 2 January, the Hardermannli, the face in the rock below the summit of the Harder, comes down to the town with his wife and the Potschen, figures in carved wooden masks who run through the streets to chase off the evil spirits of the old year; the association that runs it tells the legend on its site, and the parade is held on the Marktplatz in Interlaken. Interlaken Tourismus says the Potschete has been celebrated in this form for almost 50 years.

Of the three days, this is the one I would not miss.

Pierre says: "The bells of the Potschete."

Pierre Vetsch, founder and head guide at Swiss Local Adventures, on his favourite winter moment in Interlaken after sledding and snowshoeing

After the parade the town moves into the pubs, which is the local way to end the three days. If you only have the evening free, the fireworks of the 1st are the better choice; if you can stay for the 2nd, the Potschete is the thing you will not see anywhere else.

How do you plan three days in Interlaken at New Year?

Book the nights of 31 December and 1 January at least, reserve dinner for the 31st, and keep the evening of the 1st free. The festival is a ten-minute walk from either station, so you do not need a car.

For the days, the lifts are open from 21 November, and our sledding evenings run from 15 December 2026, Wednesday to Sunday at 15:30. A sledding in Interlaken evening on 30 December or 3 January ends with a fondue in town, which solves dinner for one night. For the rest, start with things to do in Interlaken in winter; the December section of Interlaken in winter covers the Christmas markets.

Fun fact: the Höhematte where the fireworks are fired has been a meadow since 1864, when Interlaken's hoteliers bought it and 37 co-owners tied it to rules that still keep it free of buildings. The whole story is in the Höhematte park article.

Your Questions About New Year's Eve in Interlaken

Is there a fireworks on 31 December in Interlaken?

Not an official one. The town's fireworks is on 1 January at 19:45 on the Höhematte, as the finale of Touch the Mountains. On the 31st the celebration is in the hotels, the restaurants and on the Höheweg at midnight; some hotels sell a dinner and party. To be sure of a fireworks, plan for the evening of the 1st and stand on the meadow.

Do you need a ticket for Touch the Mountains?

No. The concerts, the stands and the fireworks are free from 13:00 to 21:00. The only ticket is the Golden Circle in front of the stage, CHF 39 for adults and CHF 29 for children up to 12, sold in advance and limited. For a family that wants the fireworks, the free meadow is the better spot: you watch the sky, not the stage.

Where do Swiss people celebrate New Year's Eve?

At home, in a restaurant, or in the street at midnight, and in this region with bells. In Beatenberg and Sigriswil, above Lake Thun, young Trychler walk through the village with cowbells to ring in the year, and in Interlaken the year ends with the masked Potschete on 2 January.

Is Interlaken cold on New Year's Eve?

Around freezing. The MeteoSwiss station in Interlaken averaged 1.6 °C in December and 0.7 °C in January over 2016 to 2025, with lows around -2 °C, and the Höhematte is open grass with no shelter. For an hour of standing still, wear waterproof shoes, a hat and gloves; the full list is in what to wear in Interlaken in winter.

Plan the three days, then book the sled

Most visitors give Interlaken one night at New Year and miss the two days that make it different. Give it three: dinner booked for the 31st, the Höhematte at 19:45 on the 1st, the bells on the 2nd. In between, a sledding in Interlaken evening with a fondue is the one booking I would add to that dinner reservation, and it covers dinner on a second night.

How we made this: based on Pierre's interview of 2 November 2026, facts and dates checked at the official sources on 2 November 2026, written with AI assistance.

Source: Interlaken Tourismus, winter events, Touch the Mountains, Harder-Potschete Verein, and the Höhematte on 1 January 2026.

*Written by Pierre Vetsch, founder and head guide at Swiss Local Adventures