Messepark Bern: Start of construction for New Festival Hall draws nearer
Messepark Bern AG is beginning preparatory work for the construction of the Neue Festhalle on the BERNEXPO grounds. The deadline for filing any objections expired last week. This bodes well for the Neue Festhalle opening on schedule for BEA 2025.
Nothing seems to stand in the way of the construction of the New Festival Hall in Bern: Last week, the deadline for objections expired. Already on December 22, 2022, Ladina Kirchen, governor of the Bern-Mittelland administrative district, rejected two objections to the building application: the requests had already been met with the zoning ordinance and were unfounded under public law. At its meeting, the Board of Directors of Messepark Bern AG, the company in charge of the project, unanimously approved the construction of the New Festival Hall and gave the green light for its realization.
Deconstruction of the old festival hall after BEA
From the beginning of March, Messepark Bern AG will begin preparatory work around the existing Festhalle. After this year's BEA, which lasts until May 7, 2023, the deconstruction of the old Festhalle will begin. At the current planning stage, the opening of the New Festhalle is scheduled for BEA 2025. Andrea Wucher, President of the Board of Directors of Messepark Bern AG, explains: "With the construction of the New Festival Hall, the Bern Exhibition Center, the City of Bern, the Canton of Bern and the Bernese population will have a platform that can be used in a variety of ways and that will give the Bern Exhibition Center new potential. The city of Bern and the economy of the canton of Bern will benefit sustainably from the added value generated by the event and congress business."
New festival hall: A generation project for Bern
The contemporary new building will enable the staging of cultural events, shows, sports events, art exhibitions, musicals, TV shows, meetings, and other conventions with up to 9,000 people. The intergenerational project enjoys the broad support of the people of Bern: in the vote on March 7, 2021, the city's voters approved the Mingerstrasse-Papiermühlestrasse development plan and the city's investment contribution of 15 million Swiss francs for the realization of the New Festival Hall. The Grand Council of the Canton of Bern has also approved a corresponding investment contribution. The construction of the new festival hall is also thanks to the generous support of the Bernese companies Mobiliar, Die Securitas Group and Visana Beteiligungen, as well as HRS, headquartered in Frauenfeld.
