To the Memory of Normal Life: Basel Carnival

Destination: Basel, Switzerland

The year 2020 will be remembered. It is the year when everything we have been considering normal suddenly became a privilege we don’t have. A little invisible virus turned the whole world upside down, and as we speak the corona pandemic is shifting into new gear here in Europe. Yesterday came the news of new stricker rules that we are again obliged to follow. Yesterday, at the same time I was reading the news, my kids were talking about carnivals overall, and especially the one they know and have experienced before – Basel Carnival. They were asking if we could go there again, and I was forced to say that I do not know when the next time will be. Oh, because of the exceptional time? Asked the little lad, shrugged, and went on playing with his cars. For a moment I couldn’t help but feeling sad. Our little man doesn’t actually remeber anymore what the so-called normal means. For him the normal is limitations, face-masks etc.

Well, it is as it is. However, I was inspired to pull out this older story from our previous Basel Carnival experience (published first time March 11th, 2019). I hope we will be able to experience all this soon again. Meanwhile, the happy memories will have to do. (We’ll get back to the second part of our Wallis Adventure next time, I promise!)

Travel Diary:

Basler Fasnacht – The Basel Carnival 2019

Basler Fasnacht – Basel Carnival, it happens every year and lasts for three days. We were there once before and loved it. Ever since we’ve planned to go again but somehow there was always something else – work, pre-school, everyday life… this year we actually put it into our calendars months earlier, and organized a day off for the whole family.

Website describes the atmosphere of Basler Fasnacht to be jovial but also seriously melancholic. And it is. The Parade walking and driving around the city in cool costumes followed by sounds of marching drums that echo from the ancient buildings made of stone. Confettis flying in the air. Candys, fruits, flowers and soft toys are being tossed on the strees from the passing trucks… At the end of the day, every kid naturally has pockets full of candy!

We all loved it again. I was a bit worried that the noise would be too much for our first-timer, but I should’ve known better. As usual, he was experiencing everything with stoaic calmness and was pretty cool with the events unfolding around him. Complete opposite to our princess who experienced Basel Carnival the first time when she was about 2 years old… I remember very clearly how she could not sleep the night after because of all the exitement… But it left a permanent mark into her memory – she still remembers how she got her first lollipop ever from a clown in the Parade!

Basel Carnival is an event that is very hard to describe with words, you just have to experience it all by yourself to get the feeling… and therefore I am not even going to try to say more… I’ll just let you enjoy some pics that we took along the way. Here you go…

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Thank you Basel, see you again next year! :) (edit: and then came the corona pandemic. So far the next year didn’t happen…)

Traveler’s information:

Location: Basel, Switzerland

With a car: Navigate to the city centre of Basel. There is plenty of parking houses available and I recommend you just park wherever you’re able to find space.

Public Transportation: Basel Hauptbanhof is the place you want to land.

Go to Railway Timetables

Cost: Basler Fasnacht has a voluntary fee of 5-20 CHF that you can pay once you arrive to whereabouts. There are stands available all over the place where you can do this. You are also allowed to enter the area without paying, but if you do so, be aware that the masked creatures can pull some nasty tricks on you.

Open: next time 22. – 24. February 2021.

Services: restaurants and cafees are open around the area.

More Information available at their website

For more tourist attractions in the city of Basel, click here