On 4 June 2026, the official announcement of the «Swiss Capital of Culture 2030» took place at a ceremony in Bern.

A joyful moment: Aarau has been named «Swiss Capital of Culture 2030»! We offer our warmest congratulations.

Aarau, the capital of the canton of Aargau, has prevailed against competition from Bellinzona, Lugano (together with Locarno and Mendrisio) and Thun following a bidding process lasting several months.

The jury’s decision was announced today in Bern by Daniel Rossellat, President of the Association Swiss Capital of Culture. The ten-member jury* of the Association SCC made its decision in early June based on six differently weighted criteria: objectives, cultural offering, cultural participation, management, finances, and experience with major events. Before the announcement, Daniel Rossellat thanked all the candidate cities, their authorities and the heads of their cultural departments: “Unfortunately, only one city can win, yet in a sense all the cities emerge from the competition as winners. The application process alone has already set a great deal in motion in all four cities and, in particular, promoted cultural participation.”

This means that following the inaugural edition in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 2027, the next edition will take place in German-speaking Switzerland. In 2033, priority will be given to the Italian-speaking part of the country to host the Swiss Capital of Culture.

Photos: @Micha Eicher, Scharfsinn