Event highlights for 2024

The coming months will be packed with top-class action. Here you can find an overview of the highlights on offer in Basel in 2024.
January

Longines CHI Classics Basel (11 to 14 January 2024)

The world-class equestrian show welcomes to the St. Jakobshalle in Basel the top athletes in showjumping, dressage and, for the first time, vaulting.

 

Basel Museums Night (19 January 2024)

The museums and cultural institutions will open their doors at an unusual time and offer their guests the opportunity to wander through their collections from 6.00 pm to 2.00 am.

February

Otto Piene. Paths to Paradise (7 February to 12 May 2024)

Otto Piene (1928−2014) aimed high with his art – not only did he literally extend his creative scope to the heavens with his floating sky art and media projections, his works were also intended to help make the world a more harmonious, peaceful and sustainable place. The exhibition at Museum Tinguely thematically structures the artist's vision along the most important projects and series of works in his oeuvre.

 

Basler Fasnacht (19 to 21 February 2024)

Basel’s famous Carnival will take place with the Morgenstreich, the cortège, (i.e. the big procession), the lantern exhibition on Münsterplatz, the Kids’ Carnival, Guggenmusik and Schnitzelbängg.

March

Dan Flavin. Dedications in Lights (2 March to 18 August 2024)

American artist Dan Flavin (1933–1996) was a pioneer of Minimal Art. He rose to fame on the back of his creative work based on industrially manufactured fluorescent tubes, inventing a new art form and securing a place in art history. The exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart focuses on his works that are dedicated to other artists or specific events.

 

Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes (23 March to 31 August 2024)

There’s a wealth of unique artefacts to explore in the “Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes” exhibition at Messe Basel, including genuine costumes, props and original drawings – ranging from the origins of the Marvel Universe in New York in the 1940s to the present day.

 

Transform! Designing the Future of Energy (23 March to 1 September 2024)

The exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum is dedicated to the radical transformation of the energy sector from a design perspective – from everyday products for the use of renewable energies to the design of solar houses and wind turbines, and from smart mobility concepts to the vision of the future portrayed by energy-self-sufficient cities.

April

Open House Basel (27 and 28 April 2024)

For the sixth time, Open House Basel is teaming up with a host of dedicated partners to make outstanding architecture from different eras accessible to all.

May

Young Stage Basel (2 to 6 May 2024)

One of the world’s most important circus festivals, Young Stage provides young professional artists with a platform to showcase their talent and to compete with others.

 

Fantasy Basel (9 to 11 May 2024)

For three whole days, creative-minded people can let their fantasy run wild and meet others who share their fascination with science fiction, cinema, game design and fantasy in an area of over 90,000 m2.

 

Summer Show (19 May to 11 August 2024)

For the first time in the more than 25-year history of the Fondation Beyeler, the entire museum and the surrounding park will become the setting for an experimental presentation of contemporary art.

 

When We See Us (25 May to 27 October 2024)

How have artists from the African continent and its diaspora experienced and artistically explored everyday life over the last 100 years? An extensive exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart brings together figurative paintings by 156 artists to explore this question.

June

Mika Rottenberg: Antimatter Factory (5 June to 3 November 2024)

Mika Rottenberg’s art humorously confronts us with the absurdity of our excessive production of commodities. Her films are colourful and painterly, celebrating a surreal poetry whose protagonists often resemble cogwheels in a fantastic machine. The exhibition at Museum Tinguely shows a representative selection of Rottenberg’s films and installations, as well as new drawings and interactive kinetic works.

 

Art Basel (13 to 16 June 2024)

The Art Basel, exhibiting art of the 20th and 21st centuries, is indisputably the world’s leading fair in the international art market. Over 250 selected galleries from around the world present modern and contemporary works of high quality, making the fair the most important temporary museum.

July

Basel Tattoo (19 to 27 July 2024)

Against the historical backdrop of Kaserne Basel, the Basel Tattoo – the world’s second-largest tattoo – is held each summer. The line-up features the traditional Massed Pipes and Drums, with around 200 pipers and drummers, as well as musicians from USA, Poland, Australia, Singapur and Switzerland.

August

Floss Festival (6 to 24 August 2024)

The free summer event brings a Mediterranean festival mood to Basel. Performing on a floating stage on the Rhine with a sail-shaped canopy, insider tips and well-known bands from Switzerland and abroad will delight up to 50,000 visitors.

September

Architekturwoche Basel (9 to 15 September 2024)

The Architekturwoche Basel (AWB) is the biennial platform for architecture and urban development in Switzerland’s capital of architecture. You can dive into the building culture of the metropolitan region at over 100 different events.

 

Erasmus klingt! (9 to 15 September 2024)

“Erasmus klingt! Festival – LAB” is an interdisciplinary event that aims to shed light on the impact Erasmus had on the sciences of the following centuries. “Pace” (war and peace) will be the theme of the concerts in this second edition of the festival, while the interdisciplinary programmes will revolve around Erasmus’ work “The Complaint of Peace”, which he wrote in preparation for an international peace conference in 1517.

 

Nike. Form Follows Motion (21 September 2024 to 2 March 2025)

In autumn 2024 the Vitra Design Museum will present the first ever museum exhibition about Nike, the world’s most revered sport brand. The exhibition will mark the milestones in Nike’s fifty year history and will explore its ascent into a global brand that holds a central role in popular culture. 

October

Baloise Session (17 October to 14 November 2024)

Since 1986, the Baloise Session has showcased some of the most famous artists from the international music scene. The festival takes place in small locations with an intimate nightclub atmosphere.

 

Swiss Indoors Basel (19 to 27 October 2024)

One of the world’s most important indoor tennis tournaments, Swiss Indoors Basel is undoubtedly the most significant tennis event in the Swiss sporting calendar.

 

Basel Autumn Fair (26 October to 10 November 2024)

The Basel Autumn Fair is a unique experience for young and old alike. The many rides, the culinary variety and colourful market on Petersplatz have something to offer each and every visitor. 

November/ December

Basel Christmas market (28 November to 23 December 2024)

The Basel Christmas market at Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz is considered to be one of the prettiest and largest in Switzerland. In the middle of the city centre, nestled in the historic Old Town, traders and artisans offer their goods for sale in small, rustic wooden chalets.

Want to know more?

We would love for you to report on our city and would be happy to help you conduct your research or plan a media trip. Please contact our PR Department – our staff will answer any questions you might have.

Isidora Rudolph

Manager Markets & Communication