Events calendar Basel

The people of Basel make the Rhine their own all year round, and each has his or her own way of doing things. But there's one particular day when everyone jumps into the water, and that's in summer, for the traditional "Basler Rheinschwimmen". It's a big swim organized by friends. You don't dive into the Rhine, you enter it... You have to swim along, taking care to stay on the right bank. The whole of Basel swims with its head resting on a waterproof buoyancy bag, the famous "Schwimmsack".

The Basel Autumn Fair is the largest and oldest fair in Switzerland. It is a commercial, informative and entertaining event that attracts thousands of visitors every year. Visitors come with their families, to have fun, to ride the carousel, to taste local products on the stands. They also come to discover trades that have almost disappeared, embroidery, textiles, carpentry and manufacturers of wooden toys, but also glass blowers ...

Basel's largest open-air cinema. On Münsterplatz, a giant screen is set up throughout August, delighting spectators in an exceptional setting, with the cathedral illuminated. Most films are shown in their original version. The magic of the seventh art is so popular that the festival also takes place in two other major cities in the summer: Geneva and Zurich. In Geneva, the backdrop of Lake Geneva gives an impression of infinity, and the same impression is felt in Zurich. A different way to experience cinema!

The Floss Festival is a stage on the Rhine with an eclectic programme of excellent music. For more than twenty years, Basel has been alive with concerts for three weeks at the end of July. The floating stage is in motion, while the audience sits on the riverbank. On stage, the bands play to hundreds of spectators who stroll and stop along the banks of the Rhine. The Floss Festival is free of charge: all you have to do to contribute is throw a few coins into the sailors' nets at the collection.

In early September, Elisabethenstrasse becomes the vibrant heart of the Flâneur Festival. Explore Basel's diversity in three days of exchange, creativity and warm encounters. New brands, innovative and creative workshops, culinary delights and an exceptional musical program on six stages with thirty-five local bands and musicians. Meet one hundred and forty local businesses, from restaurants to boutiques, museums, clubs and theaters. It's a colorful, lively and incredibly beautiful festival. Come and discover Basel in a different way!

Every year, the Basel Theatre opens at 17 pm to celebrate Christmas in its own way. Every evening, a musical or literary surprise awaits the curious. In the programme: stories, poems, songs, classic or completely twisted, funny or not… Let yourself surprise!

The outdoor scenes, spread over the right bank, invite you to get out and mix with the crowd, on the shores of blues of local and international interpreters. It's Summerblues time!

The Jazz Festival Suzanne Bebbi Sy Jazz marks the end of school holidays in Basel every year. On several scenes in the city centre, dozens of musicians make tens of thousands of jazz fans vibrate.

For book-makers, the book fair BuchBasel brings together an impressive number of publishers from all over Switzerland and is organising a prize discount. Several exchange forums are held around different themes. Part of the exhibition is devoted to comics. Some authors of French origin are present.

The Basel MARATHON Basel Marathon is open to all for 16 years, with courses across the city for each runner style. The most confirmed will take place within 42 km of the marathon (two semi marathon hens) or within 21 km. Other distance, 10 km course, team race (Ekiden) and youth race for children aged 11 to 15.