Fasnacht Basel Carnival 2024

Basel, Switzerland

Fasnacht Basel Carnival 2024: The Best Carnival in Switzerland

It’s that time of the year again. Time to invest your time in endless merriment, joy, tradition and culture and festivities. ‘Fasnacht’ otherwise known as The Basel Carnival has all this and more to offer. Listed as one of the top fifty festivities of Europe, the carnival takes place in Switzerland in the city of Basel and has continued to exercise its historic tradition of representing the cultural identity of the city.

‘Come along, come away and drink all your worries away in the Basel Carnival.’

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Your experience at Fasnacht Basel 2024

For 3 days, the Carnival of Basel (Fasnacht) goes wild with celebrations. People wear crazy costumes and face paint and follow floats that are sure to get you bursting into tears of laughter. The feverish nature of the Fasnacht landed it on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

You will be eating, drinking, dancing and singing to your heart’s content. No rules or regulations have been logged to contain the crowd’s happiness. You will lose yourself in the aura of the celebrations until the farewell Lantern ceremony.

It is a festival where you can reflect your inner artistic creativity through your choice of costumes and masks and encounter new people, making friends along the way. This spirit of unity embodied by the festival-goers who interact with each other is beautiful and is what truly represents the essence of the festivity. The Fasnacht is family-friendly particularly on Tuesdays where children and their parents can spend quality time together.

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Best views of Fasnacht Basel

The carnival takes place in Basel, Switzerland kicking off on Monday after Ash Wednesday at approximately 4:00 am. It lasts for exactly 72 hours ending on Thursday morning at 4:00 am.

The participants take over the old town of Basil. You can watch the floats in many places along the parade and just enjoy the atmosphere. 

How to get around Basel

Public transport in Switzerland is reliable, secure, easy to use and much simpler than getting to Basel by car. You can also opt for trams and local trains that connect Basel with neighboring regions and countries. Tickets can be bought from TNW.

Switzerland is pedestrian and bike-friendly. You can cycle your way using the Bikemap to get to your destination.

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Where to stay in Basel

The city of Basel knows full well the flood of human life the carnival brings along and is fully prepared to accommodate its visitors. The city has some of the best hotels and provides excellent service and comfortable suites that will guarantee you a peaceful experience.

The Grand Hotel Les Trois, Steinenschanze Stadthotel, Gast und Kulturhaus Der Teufelholf and The Garden Guesthouse are among the finest hotels in the world.

There are also loads of rental options. For the best apartments and hotels in Basel head to the map below.

Things to do in Basel

Basel is a city rich in history and culture. It is nestled on the banks of the Rhine River near the borders of France and Germany. Its main attraction is its magnificent cathedrals dating back to the medieval period, such as the Basel Munster, Peterskirche and Leonhardskirche which still enchants visitors with their grandeur and magnificent structure.

Basel’s Paper Mill Museum (Papiermühle) is also quite popular, set on a medieval canal with an operating waterwheel. There you can explore the evolution of printing from before Gutenberg’s press. You also cannot miss the chance of seeing the Spielzeug Welten Museum (Toy Museum) and its collection of more than 6,000 toys.

Last but not least, Swiss food is something that needs no introduction. Swiss cheese is enough to excite your taste buds into trying out more of their delicacies like Rosti, Raclette, Leeks with potatoes and sausage (Papet Vaudois) and braised beef. Once you’re done with these you will find yourself coming back for seconds.

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Fasnacht 2024 Dates

The Carnival of Basel will take place from February 19 – 21, 2024. 

Interested in other crazy European carnivals? Why not check out Battle of the Oranges in Italy and Notting Hill Carnival in London, England.