BASEL TATTOO • SWISS NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATIONS • SUMMER GRILLING AND WINE • OPEN-AIR ENTERTAINMENT Volume 4 Issue 10 CHF 5 5 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel July / August 2016 Summer Fun in Basel S R E T O A F C A K D C E A M L Y B School pick-up and 1 9 5 6 drop-off at Basel Badische Bahnhof Quality Christian Schooling since 1956 Mulhouse D Kandern F Basel Zurich CH bfacademy.com A cAsuAl ApproAch to luxury AsK For A pErsoNAl AppoINtMENt. phoNE +41 79 352 42 12 · FrEIE strAssE 34, 4001 BAsEl · www.jANEtBArgEzI.coM 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Summer in Basel is a time to Relax, enjoy, and celebrate the fabulous diver- sity and rich culture that our charming city on the Rhein has to offer. Life July / August 2016 Volume 4 Issue 10 takes to the great outdoors with a host of entertainment and activities to suit everyone’s taste. Take a stroll and enjoy some of the many open-air TABLE OF CONTENTS concerts in the streets, parks, and on the Rhein; choose from a multitude of theater productions in parks, castles, and in the amazing amphitheater of Events in Basel: July / August 2016 4–11 Augusta Raurica; experience a movie under the stars at Münsterplatz or à la 1950s in the comfort of your caR at the drive-in cinema in Pratteln; par- take in the Swiss National Day celebrations and fireworks; make a night- Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 12–13 time visit to the zoo; take a Romantic swim by candle- and moonlight; check out the beach volleyball tournament in Barfüsserplatz; or simply relax and Did You Know? 14–16 indulge at one of the many riverside eateries with the best views in town! Basel is also sizzling with festivals of all kinds this summer, including a dragonboat festival, the large electronic-music Tension festival, the Calendar: July /August 2016 17–20 Klosterbergfest, a beer festival, Theaterfestival Basel, a reading festival in the park, a street food festival, the Fondation Beyeler’s Summerfest, and Information Desk: Summer Wines 21 the fabulous Römerfest at the Roman ruins of Augusta Raurica. Other options to spend your summer days (and nights) include dances, shows, opera, flea markets, one of the many circuses in town, a visit of the city Sports and Recreation 22–25 gates, an old-car parade, wine festivals in France, and a day outing to a nature/amusement park in the Black Forest of Germany. Workshops, Tours, and Education 26–29 FoR more sporty activities, join the masses foR the favorite local activity of floating down the Rhein, exercise with others in one of Basel’s beautiful parks, participate in Basel’s annual Bruggelauf (bridge run), or hop on your Special Feature: Open-Air Music Festivals 30–31 bike and head to the Bikefestival Basel. You can also discoveR nature walks around the three-country area or combine nature and art by walking along Entertainment: Night on the Town 32–35 the route of the new “24 Stops” project. In this issue, you will also learn about Basel’s new hop-on-hop-off bus tours, what to consider when you want to grill in Basel, and the best wines to pair with your summer menu. Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page With another great year of Basel Life Magazine coming to a close, we would like to take the opportunity to thank our loyal readers for their endless sup- Mark Your Calendar: September 2016 back page port and feedback over the years that has helped us develop to what we are today. The tremendous growth of Basel Life Magazine has, however, led to a proportionate increase in its production costs, forcing us to Raise the price of individual copies (from CHF 5 to CHF 6), so that we can continue to deliver up-to-date information to Basel’s English-speaking community. We will, however, Reward our loyal readers by offering our subscribers last year’s prices on the magazine. If you are not already a subscriber, you are always welcome to become one by going to our website (www.basellife.com), click- ing on “Subscriptions,” and filling in your address and contact details. Best wishes for lots of summer fun and/or happy and safe travels, Christine Basel Life Magazine Staff: COVER: On hot summer days, most Baslers seem to be spending their time next to, on, or IN the Rhein, Editor-in-Chief: and floating down the river is a favorite way to cool Christine Pesold down. Swimming is officially permitted in dedicated Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: swimming lanes, particularly on the Kleinbasel side Susanne Hiller of the Rhein. There, a permissible swimming lane extends from just below the Schwarzwaldbrücke, by Design & Print: the Tinguely Museum, all the way to just before the Schwabe AG Dreirosenbrücke. On the Grossbasel side, there are For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: three permissible swimming areas: One around the confluence of the Birs in Birsfelden; one from just below the Schwarzwaldbrücke to the Wettsteinbrücke; and one surrounding info basellife.com the Johanniterbrücke. In all cases, it is important to be aware of any boat traffic, including www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine the ferries, and to keep a safe distance from the pillars of the bridges to avoid potentially www.basellife.com deadly eddies. Note that there are no life guards, swimming is at your own risk! BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2016. 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 reflectthose 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: © stephen oliver (cover), © kantonspolizei basel-stadt July / August 2016 3 Events in Basel: July-August 2016 Summer Blues in Basel July 1 On this Friday evening, Kleinbasel will be the location foR the 8. Glai- basler Bluesfescht (8th Kleinbasel Blues Festival). There will be 16 bands playing on a total of 7 stages between Claraplatz and Theodors- kirchplatz. All concerts on the evening are free and run from 18:00 to about midnight. Just stroll oveR and enjoy the music and the great at- mosphere; there will be numerous food and drink stands and bars set up throughout the concert areas. The final of the Swiss Blues Chal- lenge will also take place on this evening in the courtyard of the Volks- haus Basel from 19:45–22:10. The four finalists that were selected by the organization “Swiss Blues” will each be playing for 25 minutes and competing foR the public’s and the jury’s vote. Don’t miss an opportu- nity to hear these young talents and cheer them on. The competition will be topped with a performance of the winners of last year’s Swiss Blues Challenge, Johnny Fontane & The Rivals. Visit their website and click on “Programm 2016” foR a complete list of the times and bands playing on the various stages. www.summerblues.ch Videocity.bs The Jewish Museum of Switzerland in Basel is hosting this exhibit; Until July 31 opening hours are Monday and Wednesday from 14:00–17:00 and Sun- day from 11:00–17:00; entrance costs CHF 8 foR adults (CHF 5 reduced) Basel plays an important role in Swiss video art and boasts a dynamic, and CHF 3 for students up to age 16. prolific, and globally present video art scene. This year, videocity.bs aims to highlight this role by implementing a special screening of http://juedisches-museum.ch Dominik Stauch’s never-before shown video “Coast to Coast” on the e- board of the Congress Center at Messeplatz next to the Swissôtel. Zita— apa Stauch already participated in last year’s videocity.bs parcours with a Until October 2 screening on the large e-board at St. Jakobsturm. This year he returns with a new video that, like many of his pieces, is based on an examina- The Schaulager is presenting “Zita— apa. Chamber Piece by Katharina tion of the concept of space. But the most fascinating aspect will be to Fritsch and Alexej Koschkarow,” an installation developed in close col- see how this piece, which was originally created foR an enclosed space, laboration between Katharina Fritsch (*1956 in Essen, Germany) and interacts with the large-size e-board and the surrounding public space. Alexej Koschkarow (*1972 in Minsk, Belarus). Staged in three small How do the reflections of the surrounding buildings, the ambient noise, rooms and concentrating on the interaction of individual works—a the changing light and weather conditions, and the dense traffic at this strategy borrowed from the world of theatre—the chamber piece fea- busy intersection at Messeplatz influence the presentation and impact tures sculptures and wall works created especially for the installation. of the piece? How does the rhythm of the coloR blocks that move on the Although each piece has an independent presence and can readily screen relate to the rhythm of the street? Do the winding paths of the stand foR itself, the juxtaposition of the works creates an atmospheric bicycles crossing Messeplatz reflect the curving lines in the video? With visual environment full of cultural and historical references.