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Alphorn ensembles echo through the Bavarian village
Hear the iconic long horn in concerts and pop-up performances all weekend, with mountain backdrops, beer gardens, and easy strolls between venues.
Event details
Every Memorial Day Weekend, the Leavenworth Alphorn Association welcomes alphorn players from across North America and Switzerland for four days of concerts, workshops, and public performances that turn the Front Street Gazebo and Leavenworth Ski Hill into alpine music venues. The Northwest Alphorn Workshop runs May 22 to 25 at a private riverfront park, offering classes for all skill levels (including a Beginners’ Circle), instrument rentals, and instruction from expert teachers who’ve been sharing this 12-foot-long wooden horn tradition since 2015. The festival kicks off with a meet-and-greet on Thursday evening, then fills Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with presentations, hands-on sessions, and public performances that showcase both solo alphorn calls and full ensemble pieces.
Free public concerts happen throughout the weekend, starting with Saturday’s Alpine Showcase at the Leavenworth Ski Hill (10701 Ski Hill Drive) at 1 PM, where players sound their horns in the natural amphitheater of the surrounding mountains. A procession through downtown follows at 3:45 PM, ending with a grand finale concert at the Front Street Gazebo at 4 PM. Sunday repeats the Ski Hill performance at 1 PM and closes with the Northwest Alphorn Workshop Recital and Concert at the gazebo at 4 PM. The festival launches a summer tradition of free Saturday alphorn serenades at 5 PM through Labor Day Weekend, giving visitors weekly opportunities to hear these iconic instruments echo across Front Street Park. After a full day of Alpine music, München Haus (opened 2001) serves Bavarian sausages with 20 specialty mustards in a dog-friendly beer garden setting, while Rhein Haus features heated patios, fire pits, and bocce courts ideal for extending the festive atmosphere.
Lake Wenatchee State Park, 20 miles north, offers hiking trails and lake access perfect for Memorial Day weekend paddling and swimming. Lake Chelan, an hour northeast, hosts its own waterfront activities and wine-tasting rooms that make for an ideal follow-up to alphorn weekend. Lake.com features vacation rentals at both lakes for travelers who want to combine Memorial Day alpine music with quiet mornings fishing from private docks and afternoons exploring the Cascade backcountry that inspired these mountain traditions.
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