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You won’t see people crammed with their Basel Christmas glass at a mulled wine stand to indulge themselves with the second (or third) mulled wine this year. Not because the cups are not there, they were ordered in the summer, but because the Christmas market does not take place.
However, there should be a festive atmosphere in the city center. The heads of Pro Innerstadt, Basel Location Marketing and the Basel Christmas Association reported today on the program. “We all know that the two main Christmas markets cannot take place this year. And we told ourselves that, however, it is important that the many people who walk during this time continue to live a Christmas town, “says Gabriel Barrel, president of the Basel Christmas Association.
Retail Expect Solidarity
What should not be missing this year are the typical Basel Christmas lights. On November 26, the switch will be flipped and the city center will be bathed in a sea of lights. Since this year’s Christmas business is particularly important for retail, the Basel Christmas Association has made a unique contribution to lighting on Freie Strasse, on the market square, on Spalenberg and on Schneidergasse.
Mathias F. Böhm, Managing Director of Pro Innerstadt Basel, is confident, but also puts expectations in perspective: “If the situation remains stable and people are well distributed in the city, chances are there will not be such a bad Christmas business . But it will not be a record year. That’s completely presumptuous. This year, more than ever, downtown stores are relying on gifts to be purchased locally and not ordered online.
But it doesn’t stop at the exhibition. A Christmas tree decorated by Johann Wanner stands on Münsterplatz. The Ferris wheel will also remain in place until January 3 and will be festively decorated. This year there will be a reunion at the Barfi with the large glittering poinsettia, which lit up the square from 1988 to 2016. In addition, a confectionery and a barrel organ should create an atmospheric experience.
The poinsettia at Barfüsserplatz: height: approx. 6 meters / diameter: approx. 4 meters / lighting: approx. 280 lights / age: 32 years / Design and conception: Hans-Peter Hort. (Image: Canton BS)
By the way: if you want to help the operators of the canceled Christmas market booth, you will find a virtual Christmas market on the canton’s website, where the market traders offer their wares.
