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Basel Fasnacht is quite unique. Unlike the Carnaval of Rio, it is not known for exuberant dancing and singing in the streets, nor for heavy beer-drinking and fancy-dress balls as in the Rhineland, nor parades of elaborately decorated floats as in New Orleans or luxuriously costumed figures silently posing as in Venice.

Fasnacht in Basel could best be described as a cacaphony of thundering sound and outrageous sights, all with a pervasive undercurrent of sardonic wit and humor. For three days at the beginning of Lent, it transforms this otherwise quiet, stayed Swiss city of 200,000 into a lively, noisy and colorful spectacle, permeating every nook and cranny of the town.

The sounds of thousands of drums and fifes* (one out of ten Baslers plays one of these instruments) and of dozens of big brass bands playing lively and intentionally dissonant tunes reverberate throughout the city for these three days, starting with a big bang (“Morgestraich”) at the stroke of 4am on the Monday following Ash Wednesday and ending at 4am on the following Thursday. But what makes this "carneval" so different is the fact that each and every one of the tens of thousands of participants is masked from head to toe in wildly artistic and inventive masks and costumes. Uncountable hours are spent by Baslers every year to create costumes which are unique in every way.

Basel has developed its own type of fife, called a “Basler piccolo” – a cross between a fife and a concert piccolo: it is made of wood or plastic with a metallic head-piece and a raised mouth-plate. Six of the twelve holes are covered by keys. The Basel drum is a heavy snare drum, the frame made of wood (antique) or metal with wooden rim (new style).

One thing common to all activities at the Fasnacht: there is no social distinction whatsoever during these “Three Happiest Days” – people from all social strata, from street laborer to bank director, march side by side in all groups. Fasnacht is really the time to let your hair down and forget everyday restrictions. This includes the fact that at Fasnacht the formal "Sie" of the German language is suspended – everybody addresses everybody in the informal "Du".

The main events of the Fasnacht are:

"Morgestraich"

"Cortège"

"Guggemusik Concerts"

The Street Fasnacht

start of Fasnacht, Monday 4am. The activities peter out around 6am – 8am.

the main Parade, starting Monday and Wednesday at 2pm, dissolving approx. 6pm-7pm.

on all central squares on Tuesday evening, approx. 8pm – 11pm

goes on for the full three days, daily from approx. noon until early morning

For a much more thorough and beautifully illustrated description of the Fasnacht in English, written from the point of view of a local "Fasnächtler" with many practical hints and great insight into what's going on behind the scene, we recommend the booklet:

"Lifting the Mask" by Peter Habicht, published by Bergli Books in Basel (www.bergli.ch).