Basel autumn fair balances tradition with 37 new attractions

Basel’s 555th Autumn Fair opens on October 24 with 37 new attractions among 460 rides, stalls and other offerings, SRF reports. The event draws about one million visitors each year.

Organisers are also monitoring the effects of a dry summer. The fair takes place across seven squares, including Petersplatz and Münsterplatz, both of which have many trees. Strong winds could cause branches to fall, said Manuel Staub, head of fairs and markets for the canton of Basel-Stadt. The canton will monitor conditions with the city’s parks department and Switzerland’s weather service, and may temporarily close parts of the fair if winds become strong.

New attractions include a Ferris wheel on Münsterplatz, a free-fall tower on Messeplatz and the “Invader” ride on the Kaserne grounds. Staub described the latter as a particularly wild ride and advised against going on it straight after lunch. There will also be 15 new food offerings, including vegan vegetable dishes from the Gemüsewerk stand.

Organisers received 1,000 applications from businesses but awarded places to only 460. Staub said the challenge was to preserve tradition while making room for new attractions. The fair’s traditional crafts village on Petersplatz will be larger than last year and will have a wine bar at its centre. A new palm-reading attraction on the Kaserne grounds also brings a traditional fairground activity to the event.

This year will be the last for the food strip beside the exhibition car park, which is due to be demolished. Staub has not yet said where the food stalls will move. A security team will be stationed there this year and may ask visitors to return later if the strip becomes too crowded.