OPEN-AIR CONCERTS & FILMS • OUTDOOR POOLS • AMUSEMENT-PARK SPECIAL • ROMAN & MEDIEVAL FESTIVALS Volume 5 Issue 10 CHF 6 6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel July / August 2017 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Summer is heating up in Basel with plenty of outdoor music, cool relax- ation, fun festivals, and an ample supply of outdoor fun! Enjoy musical July / August 2017 Volume 5 Issue 10 entertainment under the stars at the Im Fluss concert series on the Rhein; Basel’s outdoor jazz festival, Em Bebbi sy Jazz; the Basel Tattoo summer TABLE OF CONTENTS spectacle; the Tension electronic music festival; and the multitude of open-air music festivals in Basel and beyond. If you prefer to kick back and Events in Basel: July / August 2017 4–11 relax, you can check out the outdoor cinema at Münsterplatz; enjoy a throw-back to the 50s and 60s at the drive-in cinema in Pratteln; discover the Meriangärten, a small garden oasis in the city; experience a leisurely Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 12–13 float down the Rhein; or chill out at one of the numerous local pools. With so many opportunities to swim in the summer, be sure to read the article Did You Know? 14–15 by our resident expert, Dr. Michelle Knight, about the very important life- saving procedures you should know to assist a potential drowning victim. Basel is also sizzling with festivals of all kinds this summer, including a Get Going! Outdoor Swimming Pools 16–17 dragonboat festival, the Klosterbergfest, a beer festival, the Gässli Film Festival, a reading festival in the park, a festival for old music, the Fonda- Information Desk Drowning: Do You Know What to Do? 18 tion Beyeler’s Summerfest, a bicycle festival, and the fabulous Römerfest at the Roman ruins of Augusta Raurica. Other options to spend your sum- mer days (and nights) include checking out the beach-volleyball tourna- Calendar: July /August 2017 19–22 ment in Barfüsserplatz or the motorbikes and classic American cars at Biker Days, treating the family to one of the many circuses in town, visiting Inside Basel: Discover the Meriangärten 23 the old city gates, watching the old-car parade, visiting the zoo at night, or taking a romantic swim by candle- and moonlight. Also, be sure not to miss the spectacular Swiss National Day celebrations on August 1. Sports and Recreation 24–27 For more sporty pursuits, jump into the river alongside thousands for the annual Rheinschwimmen, lace up your running shoes for Basel’s annual Workshops, Tours, and Education 28–31 Bruggelauf (bridge run), hop on your bike and partake in one of the many guided bicycle tours this summer, or exercise with others in one of Basel’s beautiful parks—there are activities for adults, kids, and families. For fam- Summer Special: Open-Air Music Festivals 32–35 ilies there is also a new summer paradise for kids at the Kunsti Marga- rethen—with the many activities on offer, it is sure to become your family’s Entertainment: Night on the Town 36–39 new favorite place for outdoor fun. Summer is also a great time to venture out of the city and explore the sur- rounding regions, so why not visit an Alsatian wine fair or flower parade? Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page You can also marvel at the astounding natural beauty of the St. Léonard’s underground lake, discover Europe by train with the money-saving Inter- Mark Your Calendar: September 2017 back page rail pass, or spend some unforgettable days at one of the many amuse- ment parks in the region that are worthy of a drive. How ever you choose to spend your summer, we wish you lots of fun and/ or happy and safe travels, Christine Basel Life Magazine Staff: COVER: Swimming in the Rhein is one of the favorite ways for Baslers to beat the Editor-in-Chief: summer heat. Most of the official swim- Christine Pesold ming lanes are on the Kleinbasel side of the Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: river, but the Grossbasel side also offers Susanne Hiller some swimming opportunities, including the two “Rhein pools” at Breite (shown on Design & Print: the cover) and at St. Johann, where you’ll Schwabe AG find changing rooms, toilets, kiosks, or—in For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: case of the Rheinbad Breite—even a great restaurant. You can learn all about these info basellife.com and other swimming pools in and around www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine Basel in our Get Going! section in this sum- www.basellife.com mer issue of Basel Life Magazine. BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2017. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: info basellife.com. photo credits: © basel tourism (cover), © stephen oliver (page 3) July / August 2017 3 Events in Basel: July/August 2017 factors of movement and space within the video. Vassiliev’s composi- tions build bridges between the eye of the camera and the eye of the spectator and allow us to perceive what we see on a physical level. Under the title of “Last Next Winter,” three of his video works were brought together in the GLOBUS Basel display window in June, and four videos will be shown on the e-boards of the Congress Center Basel until August 6. http://videocitybs.ch Migration—Moving the World Until January 21, 2018 Human history is marked by migration. The phenomenon has shaped Magnet Basel—Granted. Tolerated. Rejected the lives and values of people around the globe and informed the eco- nomic and political development of countries and nations throughout Until October 10 the ages. But why do people migrate and what is set in motion by mi- Migration is a key theme of the 21st century, leading to controversy gration? The exhibition at the Museum der Kulturen Basel opens the around the world—who can enter, who can emigrate, who is wel- door to world history as well as current affairs, Switzerland included. come, and who is unwanted. “Magnet Basel” is a series of five exhi- Objects slip into the role of migrants and come alive, offering a com- bitions focusing on the topic of migration in the three-country re- pletely new perspective on issues we find ourselves confronted with gion. The State Archives of Basel-Stadt house about 1 km in length every day. of dossiers from the “Fremdenpolizei” (immigration authorities) of http://mkb.ch the canton Basel-Stadt dating from 1917 to 1970. These present a very diverse picture of the foreign population of the city of Basel and their personal circumstances. In letters, petitions, police reports, and submissions, the question is again and again: Who can stay, who must go? The immigration authorities watched, produced re- ports, requested, granted, tolerated, and dismissed. Initiated by the State Archives of Basel-Stadt, selected dossiers are now being pre- sented to the general public for the first time, supplemented by fur- ther exhibits and illuminated in a current context. The life stories and fates presented in the exhibition provide a detailed insight into the city’s timelines. The materials, which also illustrate the mode of operation of the immigration authorities, reveal the changing condi- tions under which job seekers, refugees, and adventurers could be accommodated—or rejected. The Museum für Wohnkultur will be presenting this fascinating panorama of immigration in the Basel region, which also provides a captivating look at the people’s every- day lives. If you visit the exhibit during the warm season, you can also take Circus School Le Lido—I Love You, But… advantage of the museum’s beautiful garden. For the fifth consecu- tive year, you can enjoy a fuss-free picnic in this secluded oasis in July 1 the city center with a “Picknick über Mittag.” From Tuesday to Fri- Set up at Dreispitz, Station Circus features various circus acts through- day, you can order a picnic basket by going online and clicking on out the year. Le Lido, the prestigious circus school from Toulouse, will your choice of soup, sandwich, salad, desert, and/or drinks, which is be bringing their act to Basel as a part of their tour. Four jugglers, two lovingly prepared for you by their partner so’up, delivered, and wait- handstand artists, several acrobats, two tight-rope dancers, and a Cyr ing for you to enjoy in the museum gardens, either before or after wheel artist complete their training with the program “I Love You, your visit to the current exhibit. But...” On this occasion, the trapeze duo OfNi, two graduates of the www.hmb.ch/museum-wohnkultur.html circus school in Tilburg (NL), will also be showing their first joint short solo-number “légère dispersion.” The shows will start at 19:30; tickets cost CHF 30 for adults and CHF 20 for kids and students.