Basel starts on 20 November with Ystimme, the market follows on 26 November

On Friday 20 November 2026 Basel begins Advent with a singing evening. From 17:30 to 20:00 the Marktplatz in front of the town hall is given over to “Ystimme”, the festive opening of the Basler Weihnacht. The programme starts with public karaoke of Christmas classics, supported by a children’s choir. Then Government President Conradin Cramer switches on the Christmas lights. The audience sings “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in three parts with SING!Basel. There is free mulled wine and punch. The organisers call it the emotional start of the Basler Weihnacht.

The market itself opens six days later, on 26 November, and runs until 23 December 2026. It stands in two places: the Barfüsserplatz and the Münsterplatz. Both are open daily from 11:00 to 20:30. On 23 December the Barfüsserplatz closes at 20:00 and the Münsterplatz at 18:00. Entry is free. Visiting the market costs nothing, although some activities may cost money.

On the Barfüsserplatz and around the Barfüsserkirche there are numerous market stalls. The stalls sell Christmas tree decorations and gift items, there are food stalls and you can dip candles. The market on the Münsterplatz has been a highlight of the Basler Weihnacht since 2011. In front of the Münster stands a decorated Christmas tree, with stalls for goods, food and drink. The Märchenwald is also there, a family area with activities for children: tin casting, candle dipping, decorating lebkuchen and blacksmithing. A Christmas story is performed in the marionette theatre. On the Claraplatz there are food stalls, from cheese dishes to meat and drinks. The Märliwald activities run from 26 November to 22 December: on weekdays from 13:30 to 19:00, at weekends from 11:00 to 19:00. The Holzfällerbar is open daily from 11:00 to 20:30. In 2021 the ranking European Best Destinations chose the market as the best Christmas market in Europe. In 2026 it received the distinction Excellent European Christmas Market.

A deposit applies to cups and other reusable crockery, which you get back on return. The official cup costs CHF 4, reusable cups CHF 2 and PET bottles with a deposit token CHF 2. Cups and crockery are returned to the same market where you bought them, and only the food stalls on the Barfüsserplatz and the Münsterplatz take them back. Dogs are allowed. In the evenings and at weekends it can get busy. Anyone who wants to run a stall can apply from 24 December for the following year’s market. Applications close on the last day of February of the market year.

New in the programme is the Wienachtsdorf am Theaterplatz, around the Elisabethenkirche. It opens on 26 November, together with the markets and the Adväntsgass, and stays open until 3 January 2027, including the Altjahreswoche, unlike the traditional market. The village targets a younger audience and aims to complement the existing Christmas offer, which draws many visitors. The emphasis is on local design, social projects and a curated food offering for an urban, culture-minded public. The huts are decorated, have festive roofs and atmospheric lighting, and there is seating protected from the rain.

Behind the village is Katja Weber, one of the initiators of the former Zürcher Weihnachtsdorf am Bellevue, together with Marc Blickenstorfer and the Basel restaurateur Jeanny Messerli. The organisers have more than 15 years of experience running urban Christmas markets. Christoph Bosshardt, head of external relations and location marketing for Basel-Stadt, represents the Verein Basler Weihnacht.

The Adväntsgass in the Kleinbasel Rheingasse also opens on 26 November. The agenda also includes a Sennehütte, an advent calendar and a Christmas circus at the Theater Basel, Gospelnächte im Münster, Zauberhöfe, a Weihnachtsfähre, a Krippenweg and a wishing tree on the Rümelinsplatz. The canton calls Basel ‘die traditionsreichste Weihnachtsstadt der Schweiz’.

The most striking thing about the Basel offer is how it is divided. There is one free market on two squares with the same hours. In addition there is a third, new village that continues until 3 January, and an opening that starts six days before the market itself. Anyone at the Ystimme therefore sees the city in Christmas mood while the stalls are still closed. The next editions are also fixed: in 2027 the market runs from 25 November to 23 December, in 2028 from 23 November to 23 December.

Practical

Ystimme: Friday 20 November 2026, 17:30-20:00, Marktplatz

Market: 26 November to 23 December 2026, Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz

Open: daily 11:00-20:30 (23 December: Barfüsserplatz until 20:00, Münsterplatz until 18:00)

Entry: free

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