Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Revellers get satirical at Basel carnival

Basel Fasnacht
Revellers in Basel on Monday KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / GEORGIOS KEFALAS

The Basel Fasnacht (carnival) parade began on Monday in dry weather. The clubs, floats and bands presented their motifs to the crowds.

According to the Fasnacht committee, more than 11,100 people in 430 units are taking part this year. The most popular theme is climate change. Other popular themes are artificial intelligence and fake news.

Basel Fasnacht
KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / GEORGIOS KEFALAS

The death of cinemas and hotels in the city, the 150th anniversary of Basel Zoo with its new bird house, the takeover of Credit Suisse, the film Barbie and thought-provoking topics such as wars and conflicts around the world were also played out.

+ Basel carnival takes steps to avoid being racist

More children and young people are taking part this year. According to the committee, the number of active members of the “Young Guards” and “Binggis” groups has risen from 1,767 last year to 1,944.

After the parade, the revellers parade through the streets to the sound of drums and piccolos or Guggenmusik bands.

The parade enters its second round on Wednesday afternoon. Before that, however, the children’s carnival and the free “Gässle” – drumming and whistling without a predetermined route – take place on Tuesday.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Zora del Buono

More

Zora del Buono wins Swiss Book Prize

This content was published on The 17th Swiss Book Prize has been awarded to Zora del Buono for her research novel Seinetwegen (For his sake).

Read more: Zora del Buono wins Swiss Book Prize
Cantons have killed 39 wolves so far this fall

More

Swiss cantons have killed 39 wolves so far this autumn

This content was published on In mid-November, 35 packs of three or more wolves were detected in Switzerland. At least eight of them may be eliminated during the current hunting season. So far, at least 39 wolves have been shot in Graubünden, Valais, Vaud and St. Gallen.

Read more: Swiss cantons have killed 39 wolves so far this autumn
People queue up in Kilchberg ZH for Dubai chocolate

More

Chocoholics queue for Dubai chocolate in Zurich

This content was published on The "Dubai chocolate" has also caused a rush in Switzerland: queues formed outside the Lindt chocolate factory in Kilchberg, canton Zurich, on Saturday morning.

Read more: Chocoholics queue for Dubai chocolate in Zurich
Shooting stars of the Leonid stream in the Swiss night sky

More

Leonid meteor shower to cross Swiss night sky

This content was published on Stargazers currently have the chance to spot shooting stars in the night sky. Until November 30, the Leonid meteor shower is lighting up the darkness.

Read more: Leonid meteor shower to cross Swiss night sky
224 Swiss companies with CO2 reduction targets

More

Climate: 224 Swiss companies announce CO2 reduction targets

This content was published on A total of 224 companies from Switzerland have joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), committing to CO2 reduction targets that are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Read more: Climate: 224 Swiss companies announce CO2 reduction targets

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR