Basler Fasnacht (February)

Occuring for 3 days in February every year, a national holiday marks this celebration. In Basel, Fasnacht starts with the Liestal Fire Parade on the Sunday night after Ash Wednesday. Take a train for approx. 10 minutes towards Luzern or Bern. Following this the Morgestraich starts at exactly 4am on the following morning, which marks the start of 72 hours of continuous festivities!

The Cortège takes place on the Monday and Wednesday afternoons, where floats follow defined reoutes around the new and old cities. Badges for these events are sold in the run up to the events for around CHF10.- (£6.50) and if a Fasnachter sees someone not wearing a badge (thus not supporting the festivities), they are liable to have confetti thrown over them.

Across the old and new cities on the Tuesday night is the Guggemusik concert. These are live brass bands performing continuously at stages all across the inner city with some fantasticly catchy music. The music is continuous all evening, with different groups performing throughout the evening. Groups line up in the streets to have their time on stage and even play while waiting and entering and exiting the stage!

Swiss National Day (July)

This is another single-day of celebrations of Switzerland in general, for Basel, starting on the evening of 31 July, with 1 August marked as a national holiday. Basel holds an evening of events down by the Rhein on the 31st in the evening, ending with a spectacular fireworks display at around 11pm. Following this, bars and clubs city-wide open their doors until the early hours, with the following day used for recovery.

Basler Herbstmesse (October / November)

Herbstmesse or autumn festival occurs in late October and early November for approximately 2 weeks, and is for all intensive purposes, the Swiss equivalent of Oktoberfest in Germany. Temporary bars, theme parks, food stalls, sweet stands andgift stalls are setup all over the city at several locations.

Weihnachtsmarkt (November/December)

Starting in late November, der Weihnachtsmarkt also known as the Christmas Markets, has three or fourt Christmas markets across Basel's old and new city. These run until late afternoon on 24 December, selling gifts and presents, local food delicacies, Christmas snacks and of course mulled wine!