Basel’s Fasnacht, referred to by locals as the “drei scheenschte Dääg” (three most beautiful days), came to an end at 4:00 on Thursday morning. Since the Basler Fasnacht was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, it has become even more colorful, original, and creative. This year’s edition was considered one of the best in recent years, in no small part due to the beautiful weather. The pre-Fasnacht events, consisting of humorous, theatrical, and musical programs, were all sold-out. The magical Morgenstreich took place with pleasant temperatures, and the atmosphere on the streets was terrific and mostly peaceful on all three days. Over 15,000 active participants took part in the two parades (Cortèges), and an estimated 200,000 came to watch!

Trump and U.S. politics were one of the main topics on the minds of the Cliques this year, alongside international figures like FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Swiss federal Councilor Karin Keller-Sutter, global conflicts, artificial intelligence, digitalization, the climate crisis, and the controversial decision of the International Olympic Committee. Local “Sujets,” or topics, this year ranged from the Eurovision Song Contest and the 20-year anniversary of the Basel Tattoo to the constant construction in the city, doves in the SBB train station, and the controversial through-traffic and traffic cameras in Birsfelden.

Considering what a HUGE event it is, Fasnacht ended up being another mostly peaceful festival with only very few disturbances, as the organizers and public services report.

• The Basel-Stadt professional fire department responded to a total of six incidents and fire alarm activations in the city center. They report that carnival participants and the public provided exemplary support by immediately clearing a lane for emergency vehicles.
• The Basel-Stadt rescue service was unusually busy this year, responding to 79 incidents during this year’s carnival, compared to 44 calls last year.
• The information about carnival customs disseminated on social media in the lead-up to the Fasnacht appears to have been well received by young people. Officers from the cantonal police, particularly the youth and prevention units, were present at various meeting points and engaged in conversation. This helped prevent unpleasant incidents like those that occurred in 2025.
• As every year, the cantonal police accompanied the “three most beautiful days” with a large contingent, maintaining a visible presence and ready to intervene in case of any disturbances. In particular, the children’s badges were distributed and worn in large numbers again this year, which proved very helpful in reuniting lost children with their companions. In total, 29 children had to be reunited with their companions (compared to 15 last year).
• More than 292 bicycles needed to be removed from the route to clear the way for the parade—a significant increase from the 194 last year; they are awaiting collection from the Zweiradsammelstelle at Zeughaus..

So, while public services certainly were kept busy, these statistics demonstrate that overall the Basel Fasnacht is a safe and peaceful tradition and an event that you definitely should experience at least once!

Of course, the event was less peaceful for the public works department, whose workers had to work late at night or early in the morning for those three days to clear the roads in the town center from bottles, cups, boxes—and above all, tons and tons of Räppli (confetti) so that by 6:00, the first trams could pass through the town center again. On Thursday morning, after the official “Endstreich” at 4:00, nearly 300 workers with over 100 vehicles were busy with brooms, shovels, large and small street sweepers of all kinds, small trucks, and even snowplows to clear the main streets. Overall, they removed over 272 tons of trash! The relatively low figure can be attributed to the dry weather. The weight of the trash after the 2025 carnival, which saw more rain, was significantly higher (350 tons). The collected trash will be incinerated by the IWB, giving the Räppli and other items a “second life” in the form of heat energy that will be funneled into Basel’s district heating system. But despite the public workers’ best efforts, chances are you will find leftover Räppli in the streets, stuck to your shoes, and in your clothes for several more weeks.

Even though the the main Basel Fasnacht is over for this year, you can still get some more Fasnacht feeling over the next couple of weeks with the “Bummelsonntage” on the next three Sundays, when many of the Cliques march through town in the afternoon without their costumes but still playing their music (https://www.basellife.com/event/fasnacht-bummelsonntage-strolling-sundays). And then it will really be all over—until the next Morgenstreich on February 15, 2027, at 04:00!

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