December 2018 / January 2019 a Monthly Guide to Living in Basel
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CIRQUE NOËL • VOGEL GRYFF • MUSEUMS NIGHT • E-SCOOTERS • MUSICAL LIGHT CIRCUS Volume 7 Issue 4 CHF 6 €6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel December 2018 / January 2019 Daily Non-Stop Bus to/from Basel Badischer Bahnhof +49 (0)7626 91610 [email protected] Black Forest Academy bfacademy.de LIVINGROOM STORE FABRICS CONSULTATIONS Curtain up for your home! Textiles make your rooms cosy and personal. Visit us in our lovely shop for wonderful fabric and competent consulting or make an appointment. Lilian Mandingorra, Interiordesigner FH, livingroom-basel.ch, 061 261 11 20, [email protected] 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Our beautiful city on the Rhein gets even more charming during the Christ- mas season in December. Basel is home to the largest and prettiest Christ- December 2018 / January 2019 Volume 7 Issue 4 mas markets, with over 180 traders and artisans selling their goods in small, rustic wooden chalets set up at the main markets on Barfüsser- TABLE OF CONTENTS platz, with its distinctive star, and Münsterplatz, enchantingly decorated with snowflake lights in the trees and an enormous Christmas tree. The winter wonderland also set up at the Münsterplatz will appeal to the kids, Christmas Special—Events in Basel 4–9 and Rheingasse in Kleinbasel turns into a festive alley with plenty of fur- lined seating and crackling fires where you can enjoy delicious street food and a warm drink with friends. Surrounded by hundreds of illuminated Events in Basel: December 2018 / January 2019 10–13 Christmas trees, lovingly decorated store windows, and lights strung all along the streets and bridges, visitors to the city can also enjoy extended shopping hours on Thursday evenings, which will be accompanied by a Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 14–15 relaxing outdoor jazz lounge with live music right on the Marktplatz, along- side a small skating rink for the kids. Christmas Market Special 16–17 St. Nick will also be coming to town, and he (they) will be everywhere— riding through town on Harley Davidson motorcycles, strolling with his donkey at the Basel zoo and Lange Erlen animal park, and even paddling Information Desk 18 down the Rhein in dozens of kayaks and canoes! Numerous other holiday events will also surely put you in a festive spirit, including many Christmas concerts from gospel and choir to caroling; the Christmas tram and ferry; Calendar: December 2018 / January 2019 19–22 the new Cirque Noël de Bâle; a daily musical Advent calendar; the English- language Panto production of “Cinderella;” Palazzo Colombino’s holiday variety-show; the “Nutcracker” ballet; several special Christmas museum Did You Know? 23 exhibits; and, for the first time, Illuminarium’s Fabulous Christmas Magic Musical Light Circus. To end the year in style, enjoy a New Year’s Eve con- Sports and Recreation 24–25 cert or show, then count down to midnight with fellow Baslers on the Mün- sterplatz, followed by a spectacular fireworks display over the Rhein. The month of January is also filled with traditions, greeting us with deli- Workshops, Tours, and Education 26–27 cious crowns of sweet bread in all the bakeries to commemorate Three Kings’ Day. The month is equally rich in culture and excitement with the CSI international horse show, a book event hosted on a ship on the Rhein, Entertainment: Night on the Town 29–39 a chess festival, a cheese festival, the fabulous Museums’ Night, and the ever so strange medieval tradition of the Vogel Gryff. Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! 40 If you would like to venture out of town, there are many nighttime adventures to experience—join a night tour or Santa Claus’ lantern procession through the forest in the Tierpark Goldau; discover a beautifully illuminated enchanted forest and take a torch-lit New Year’s Eve walk in the Sundgau region of Al- sace; immerse yourself in the ambiance of Christmas in the evening by the glow of lanterns at a medieval castle in France; or enjoy a romantic moonlit outdoor bathing experience at a spa. Turn to the "Information Desk" to learn all about Basel’s new e-scooters and read about the new edition of the fan- tastic “prozentbuch Basel" in our "Did You Know?" section. Despite the rush of the holidays, I hope that you will take the time to enjoy the splendor and magic that surrounds this season. Wishing you wonder- ful holidays, safe travels, and all the best for 2019! Basel Life Magazine Staff: Christine Editor-in-Chief: Christine Pesold Still looking for a present for your English- speaking friends, neighbors, and colleagues? Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: How about a gift that will remind them of you all year— Susanne Hiller a gift subscription to Design & Print: Die Medienmacher AG, Muttenz For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: To order a gift subscription (CHF 75/year for a paper subscription and CHF 40/year for an e-subscription), contact info basellife.com us at [email protected]. www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine We will be happy to send them the first issue with a www.basellife.com certificate acknowledging your gift. BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2018. 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 credit: © basel tourismus December 2018 / January 2019 3 Christmas Special—Events in Basel The whole Christmas season is a magical time in Basel—with the illuminated “Christmas street” from Aeschenplatz through Freie Strasse, over the Mittlere Brücke, and to Messeplatz; hundreds of illuminated Christmas trees all over the city center; and the host of festively deco- rated storefronts, it is almost impossible not to get into the Christmas spirit. Basel is also home to two large and pretty Christmas markets for browsing and eating, and the kids will certainly keep busy with holiday-fun activities at the Christmas fairy-tale forest on the Münsterplatz or on the small skating rink at Marktplatz. The city center will be an ideal place to shop with additional shopping hours on the two Sundays leading up to Christmas and, new this year, extended shopping hours on Thursday evenings that will be accompanied by an outdoor jazz lounge at Marktplatz and a small skating rink. In addition, Basel will also host numerous Christmas-related events, including circuses, concerts, exhibits, theater, public singing, variety shows, festive tram and ferry rides, visits with Santa, and so much more. Christmas Ferry Basler Wunschbuch und Wunschbaum Until December 23 (Basel’s Book and Tree of Wishes) The Klingental ferry near Kaserne will be transformed into a Christmas Until January 3 ferry during the festive season. You can enjoy a ride across the river on This is a great time of this magical ferry with its special atmosphere and admire the city’s light- the year to reflect and ed decorations from a different perspective. The Christmas ferry can conjure up wishes and also be booked for private apéro or fondue events. thoughts—things you www.weihnachtsfaehre.ch are thankful for; lists to Santa Claus; or wishes for peace, love, and Nativity Scene Exhibit health. There is a public “Wunschbuch” located in Until December 23 the front courtyard of the Take a stroll from Schifflände to the Spalentor to take in this very special city hall at Marktplatz. exhibit of nativity scenes in the windows of over 20 shops. Additional For the 25th year, every- nativity scenes will be displayed in a variety of churches, starting on one is invited to come December 2. and write their thoughts, as well as read what other people are wishing for! Afterwards, the book will be kept in the Basel archives for years to come—a The Fabulous Christmas Magic Musical Light Circus sort of modern-day wish time capsule. Another option is to write your wish- es on a card that you decorate and place on the designated “Wunschbaum” Until December 30 located in Rümelinsplatz, just behind the Marktplatz. Visitors can expect an enchanting winter wonderland of illuminations, illusion, and music—a fantastic world that appeals to all the senses. It's a unique sea of lights and a Christmas concert of spectacular mythical creatures, staged and orchestrated by the conductor and mythical crea- Christmas Park at St. Claraspital ture, Yuki. This interactive experience where you can dive into the fantas- Until January 6 tic world of Yuki and her friends will take place in the inner courtyard of Stephan Primus has designed this enchanting Christmas park that is open the Museum der Kulturen Basel, right next to the Christmas market on daily from 10:00–20:00. All are welcome to enjoy the festive atmosphere the Münsterplatz. With a magical 3-D concert where Giuseppe Verdi’s with all their senses. Claraspital is located at Kleinriehenstrasse 30 “La Traviata” is performed in an unprecedented way, the Illuminarium in Basel and can be reached by trams 2 or 6 (“Hirzbrunnen” stop).