Things to do in Basel this Winter
Looking for things to do in Basel? A Swiss city based on the Rhine and nestled on the borders of France and Germany, Basel is a cultural hotspot. As the winter draws in, the city’s cultural institutions make for a perfect way to escape the cold and soak up a rich mix of art and design, and of course, no winter guide to Basel would be complete without some suggestions of how to spend the festive period in the city (“Basler Weihnacht”).
Discover VOLTA’s top suggestions of things to do and see in Basel over the winter months below.
Find our year round guides to the city of Basel here.
Installation view, Yayoi Kusama at Fondation Beyeler. Infinity Mirrored Room – The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe, 2025. © YAYOI KUSAMA. Photo: Mark Niedermann
Fondation Beyeler
Yayoi Kusama
Until 25 January 2026
Fondation Beyeler is the first museum in Switzerland to dedicate a retrospective to the renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Organised in close collaboration with the artist and her studio, the exhibition offers a complete overview of Kusama’s more than seven-year decade. Alongside some of her most iconic artworks, the exhibition features early works never seen before in Europe.
Further information here.
Vitra Design Museum - Fashion Show scenery from Gazette du bon ton, 1921 © Alamy
Vitra Design Museum
Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show
Until 15 February 2026
In Catwalk: The Art of the Fashion Show, Vitra Design Museum dedicates a major show to the phenomenon of fashion. From private fashion parades of the late nineteenth century to today’s live-stream experiences, the exhibition used film clips, photographs, original couture creations, stage props and numerous documents to create a vivid picture of more than one hundred years of catwalk history.
Further information here.
Kunstmuseum Basel - Cassidy Turner, Besides the Point, Key Visual. Photo: Cassidy Turner. Photo credit: Cassidy Turner
Kunstmuseum Basel
Cassidy Toner | Besides the Point
Until 11 January 2026
Besides the Point is Cassidy Toner’s most comprehensive institutional solo exhibition to date. Witty, sly, and full of surprises – in her work, Toner casts an ironic and critical eye on the mechanisms of the art world and its prevailing expectations and values. A generous dose of humour and plenty of self-irony serve as her strategy to counteract the supposed logic of the art world.
Further information here.
HEK - Tintin Patrone, the_oaten_flute, 2022–2026, courtesy the artist.
HEK (House of Electronic Arts)
Regionale 26 | Frequency: Dark and Stormy
30 November 2025 – 1 February 2026
Frequency: Dark and Stormy explores the theme of weather in its most dramatic forms. Storm, rain, dark clouds, lightning, and thunder create the atmospheric framework of the exhibition. The works respond to this setting in different ways: some, through vibration and noise; others more figuratively, as moods, resonances, and reflections on the current socio-political environment. All the artists and works in the exhibition are selection via an open call.
The Regionale is an annual group exhibition developed in the context of a cross-border collaboration between 20 institutions in Germany, France, and Switzerland, focusing on local contemporary art production in the tri-border region around Basel.
Further information here.
How to spend the festive season in Basel
For mulled wine and present shopping, visit Basel’s Christmas markets on Barfüsserplatz, Münsterplatz and Claraplatz - considered to be one of the best in Switzerland.
Find our more here.
Theater Basel run a free ‘Advent' calendar’ with a new performance held in their foyer each day from 1 - 23 December, as well as Christmas carols and a New Year’s Concert and party.
Find out more here.
The Basel Christmas Circus opens its door from 16 - 28 December and makes for a special festive experience for all ages.
Find our more here.