HeroFest 2026
Switzerland's biggest gaming and geek festival takes over BERNEXPO in Bern from 2-4 October 2026: gaming, cosplay, anime, a medieval market and live music.
HeroFest is the biggest festival for Switzerland's gaming and geek scene, and the 2026 edition takes over the BERNEXPO grounds in Bern from 2 to 4 October. It's a three-day celebration of gaming and pop culture that regularly draws tens of thousands of visitors, and this year it expands into an additional hall. Expect show floors packed with playable games, a large cosplay area and contest, a medieval market, live music, an anime and manga corner, and a dedicated Japan experience. The festival is built around its community: fans of games, cosplay and pop culture come to try new titles, meet creators and artists, and soak up the atmosphere. For visitors from Croatia and the wider region, HeroFest is a well-organised, family-friendly autumn trip into the heart of Switzerland - and a change of pace from the big commercial expos, with cosplay and fantasy culture front and centre alongside the gaming zones.
Image: Daniel Kraft / CC BY-SA 3.0, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bern_Panorama_von_Rosengarten_20211007.jpg