PHARAONIC TOMB • GLACIER CAVE • GROOVE NOW • BRASWELL ARTS CENTER • BREAK THE TANGO Volume 6 Issue 5 CHF 6 6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel February 2018 Daily Non-Stop Bus to/from Basel Badischer Bahnhof +49 (0)7626 91610 [email protected] Black Forest Academy bfacademy.de Oops - I forgot to sign up for Kindermusik class! Don’t fret – our new semester is starting now. Come along and join the fun! www.kidsmusic.ch 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, The month of February is dominated by what many Basler’s consider the “drei scheenschte Dääg” (three most wonderful days) of the year— February 2018 Volume 6 Issue 5 Fasnacht! This unique and culturally rich carnival, which is now officially inscribed onto UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage, includes over 11,000 TABLE OF CONTENTS participants and attracts over 200,000 visitors. Preparations have been running for nearly a year. Each clique or group has been busy choosing a subject or event to criticize, creating masks and costumes, artfully design- Feature Event: Fasnacht 4–7 ing and decorating large portable lanterns, and rehearsing their songs to perfection. In fact, in the weeks leading up to Fasnacht, you can see (and hear) the cliques practice their songs while marching through various Events in Basel: February 2018 8–11 parks and forests around town. If you have yet to experience Fasnacht, it is a definite must! So turn the page to learn all about the what, when, and Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 12–13 where of one of Basel’s annual highlights. There is also plenty of indoor culture this month with a host of new exhib- its. You can get to know some of Basel’s most famous inhabitants through Basel Culture: Get to Know Groove Now! 14–16 the “Basel Short Stories” exhibit at the Kunstmuseum; visit a recreated pharaoh’s tomb at the Antikenmuseum; examine the impact of new tech- nologies and social media on our affective relationships and sexuality at Information Desk: Holiday Camps for Kids 17 the HEK’s exhibit on “Future Love;” or become an art student as British artist Patrick Brill, aka Bob & Roberta Smith, transforms the von Bartha Calendar: February 2018 18–19 gallery space into an art school. You can also amuse the children (or the child in you) at the toy museum in Colmar and its current “World of Action Figures” exhibit. And if you want to learn more about Fasnacht, take a tour Sports and Recreation 20–21 of the permanent exhibit at the Museum der Kulturen in Basel. Looking for outdoor wintery adventure? Why not enjoy a torch-lit walk or a day of getting around in the snow at the annual Snow-Up in canton Jura? Workshops, Tours, and Education 22–25 You may also consider a winter holiday on the farm, go on a snowshoe ex- cursion rewarded by a delicious fondue meal in an igloo, or discover the glacier caves on the top of Mount Titlis. Did You Know? 26–27 You will also find a list of the holiday camps for kids offered during the up- coming Fasnacht break, as well as the sign-up information for this year’s Entertainment: Night on the Town 28–34 university lecture series designed to pique children’s interest in various educational topics, as well as Saturday morning physics lectures for teens. Additionally, you can learn how you or your child can participate in the Mark Your Calendar: March 2018 back page Natural History Museum’s amateur photo competition held in conjunction with their “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” exhibit; get to know the Groove Now blues concert series created by local blues aficionados; and Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page discover the Braswell Arts Center, a space for quality classes and creativity, collaboration, and innovation in all art forms, founded by Ballett Theater Basel soloist, Armando Braswell. Last, but certainly not least, you can as always choose from a multitude of great evening events for that perfect night out, including concerts, theater, shows, opera, ballet, comedy, dance, and even a magic comedy festival— the only problem is to fit it all into your schedule! So don’t delay, start plan- ning a Fantastic February Filled with Fabulous Fun! Christine Basel Life Magazine Staff: Editor-in-Chief: Christine Pesold COVER: The Basel Fasnacht has some traditional costumes Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: that you’ll see in many variations. The most common one is Susanne Hiller the Waggis, shown on the cover, who is supposed to repre- sent an Alsatian farmer. While they can wear a variety of cos- Design & Print: tumes, they always have a mask with colorful hair made from Schwabe AG bast fibers and a grotesquely enlarged nose. Also common is For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: the “Alte Tante” (old aunt), who represents an old lady from the 19th century wearing an elegant costume with a long info basellife.com skirt, a mask with a sharp nose and white or gray hair, and www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine often an ornately decorated hat. Other traditional costumes www.basellife.com include the “Dummpeter” (trumpeter) and the harlekin. 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: john varaklis (cover and page 3) February 2018 3 Feature Event Fasnacht February 19–21 Fasnacht, affectionately referred to by Baslers as the “drei scheenschte Dääg” (three most wonderful days), is Basel’s carnival where for 72 crazy hours, normal life is suspended, people in fantastic costumes roam the city at all hours of the day or night, shrill music resounds in the streets and alleys, and the city drowns in confetti. It is often ironic, satirical, and critical, but at the same time joyful, social, musical, colorful, and—most im- portantly—traditional! Locals have always known that their Fasnacht is something special, but on December 7, 2017, it became official when the Basler Fasnacht was added to the UNESCO’s list of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”! The UNESCO committee stated that “The carni- val contributes to social cohesion, promotes tolerance through social criticism, and helps safeguard the local dialect. Transmission occurs infor- mally in families, while the ‘cliques’ also play an important role throughout the year, with several having a section dedicated to encouraging the next generation” (https://ich.unesco.org). The Basel Fasnacht is the second Swiss tradition recognized by the UNESCO this way, following the wine- grower’s festival in Vevey, which has been on this list since 2016. The Basler Fasnacht starts with the Morgenstreich on Monday morning at 04:00 and ends with the Endstreich at 04:00 on Thursday morning. The 72 hours in between are filled with a variety of events, including two huge main parades with over 11,000 participants, a children’s carnival, a lantern exhibit, a float exhibit, and Gugge concerts on three stages in the town center. The carnival has been successfully safeguarded over past decades thanks to measures taken by the communities. If you haven’t experienced the Basler Fasnacht yet—be there on Monday, February 19, at 04:00; be sure to set your alarm clock, bundle up, and witness a tradition that UNESCO considers worthy of preserving. Below is a schedule and description of the various events to enjoy this Fasnacht. To read more about Basel’s Fasnacht, you can visit their official sites at www.fasnacht.ch or www.basler-fasnacht.com. Additionally, the official Fasnacht committee has put together a wonderful brochure explaining Fasnacht in detail; to download the English version, go to their website at www.fasnachts-comite.ch/allgemein_en and click on “Bro- chure Basel Carnival” on the bottom of the page. To view the film submitted in support of the Basler Fasnacht’s application to the UNESCO, go to www.basler-fasnachts-welt.ch/unesco.html and click on the first “Link”; the film is in Basel dialect with English subtitles. Schedule of Fasnacht Events Day Time Event Sunday, February 4, 11, and 18 All day Walking rehearsals for the musicians of the Fasnacht groups ("cliques" and “Guggemusik” groups) in parks and wooded areas around Basel Thursday, February 8 17:00 School children’s Fasnacht parade through Basel Monday, February 19 04:00–sunrise Morgenstreich (beginning of Fasnacht 2018) Monday, February 19 From 13:30 Cortège (parade with cliques, Guggemusik groups, and floats) Monday, February 19 Evening Schnitzelbänk Tuesday, February 20 From around 13:00 Kinderfasnacht (children’s carnival) Tuesday, February 20 From dusk to Lantern exhibit at Münsterplatz morning Tuesday, February 20 From dusk to Exhibit of floats and props at Kaserne morning Tuesday, February 20 19:30–23:00 Gugge concerts at Marktplatz, Barfüsserplatz, and Claraplatz Wednesday, February 21 From 13:30 Cortège (parade) Thursday, February 22 04:00 Endstreich (end of Fasnacht 2018) Sunday, February 25, and March 4 and 11 All day “Bummelsonntage” (strolling Sundays) 4 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com Fasnacht Events Morgenstreich: It all starts early on Monday morning, when the bells of St.