The International Alphorn Festival and Competition is held every year in the town of Nanda, Valais, Switzerland. The town of Nanda in Valais is located in southwest Switzerland and in the heart of the Alps. The annual music festival is an important local cultural event and has made this town famous overseas. At the music festival, most of the contestants wore traditional national costumes. Some soloists, some ensembles, and some whole families played together, playing melodious and moving pieces of music with the unique sound of the alphorn. The sound of the horns echoing through the valley was soothing and the outcome of the game seemed less important.