The old festival hall will be demolished after the BEA
The old festival hall in Bern will soon be history: demolition will begin after the end of this year’s BEA on May 7th. The opening of the new building is planned for 2025.
Nothing stands in the way of constructing the new festival hall on the BEA site – except for the old festival hall, which is still standing. But for the building that dated back to 1948 and was planned as a temporary solution, the last hour has almost come: After this year’s spring exhibition BEA, which lasts from April 28th to May 7th, demolition is to begin, as Messepark Bern AG announced on informed Monday.
According to the communiqué, the board of directors unanimously approved the construction of the new festival hall and gave the go-ahead for its implementation. The last objection period expired last week, and in December, the governor rejected two objections to the building application.
At the beginning of March, the preparatory work around the old festival hall will begin; after the end of the BEA, according to the announcement, its demolition will begin. The opening of the new building is planned for BEA 2025. The new festival hall will enable cultural events, shows, sporting events, art exhibitions, musicals, television programs and other events with up to 9000 people.
In March 2021, 51.1 per cent of the voters in the city of Bern voted in favour of a contribution of CHF 15 million for the new festival hall, and the necessary building regulations were approved with 64.2 per cent of the votes.
The existing festival hall was built in 1948 as a temporary solution. It has been in poor condition for a long time. For reasons of fire protection, major cultural events can only be held. It used to be the scene of legendary concerts such as that of the Rolling Stones in 1973.
