In action for the carnival

In action for the carnival

Task & function

The role of the Fasnacht Committee

The Fasnacht Committee was formalised as an association in the 1960s and is essentially responsible for the following tasks:

Organising the Cortège on Carnival Monday and Wednesday, as well as managing the overall logistics for the entire carnival

Organising the lantern, float, and props exhibition

Publishing the badge and the digital carnival guide in the Basel City Guide app "This is Basel"

Organising and running the Drummeli

Supporting youth development, running the first lesson and conducting courses and information events for newcomers to Basel

Distributing subsidies to the active carnival groups registered with the Fasnacht Committee: Traditional piccolo and drum bands, junior and senior sections, piccolo and drum groups, Guggenmusik bands, carnival floats, carriages, small groups and individual participants.

Exchanging with the city government, the Department of Justice and Security, the public transport company BVB, the Department of Construction and Transport, Basel Tourism, etc.

Patronage of the "Bryysdrummle und -pfyffe" Offiziells (a competition for drumming and piccolo playing)

Members

This is the Fasnacht Committee

Robi Schärz

Robi Schärz, Chairman/Board of Directors

Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2013
Drummer and former chairman of a traditional piccolo and drum band

Technical sales consultant
Susanne Andreetti

Susanne Andreetti, Deputy/Board of Directors

Young talent departement
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2018
Piccolo player in a piccolo group

Entrepreneur
Hans Flückiger

Hans Flückiger, Treasurer/Board of Directors

Badge + finance department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2013
Piccolo player and former chairman of a traditional piccolo and drum band

Member of the management board of an asset management firm
Linda Atz

Linda Atz

Drummeli department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2025
Piccolo player in a traditional piccolo and drum band

Self-employed service provider and event manager
Andreas Bertschmann

Andreas Bertschmann

Carnival guide department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2015
Passive member of a traditional piccolo and drum band
Schnitzelbänkler (satirical carnival singer)

Owner of a flower store
Roger Birrer

Roger Birrer

Drummeli department
Member of Fasnacht Committee since 2016
Drummer in a senior section
Former "Guggemajor" (band leader of a Guggenmusik band)

Managing Director of the Swiss branch of a Dutch company specializing in low flow measurement and control of gases and liquids
Lukas Buholzer

Lukas Buholzer

Street Carnival Department
Member of Fasnacht Committee since 2025
Former chairman of a carnival float group and former vice-chairman of Wage-IG

Head of electrical planning in a building technology planning firm
Patrice Cron

Patrice Cron

Street carnival department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2016
Piccolo player in a traditional piccolo and drum band

Owner of a Basel construction company
Stefanie Gloor

Stefanie Gloor

Communications department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2021
Drummer in a traditional piccolo and drum band

Owner and managing director of an agency for branding and design
Daniel Hanimann

Daniel Hanimann

Communications department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2018
Drummer in a traditional piccolo and drum band

Delegate of the Swiss National Bank
Marc Helfenstein

Marc Helfenstein

Young talent department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2025
Drummer in a traditional piccolo and drum band

Project manager for area development and infrastructure at IWB - Industrielle Werke Basel
Beat Läuchli

Beat Läuchli

Projects department
Member of Fasnacht Committee since 2021
Drummer in a piccolo and drum group

Self-employed entrepreneur and event organizer
Markus Lesmann

Markus Lesmann

Street carnival department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2023
Schnitzelbänkler (satirical carnival singer)

Lawyer
Matthieu Meyer

Matthieu Meyer

Drummeli department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2023
Drummer in a traditional piccolo and drum band

Economist and cultural manager
Markus Vögtli

Markus Vögtli

Street carnival department
Member of the Fasnacht Committee since 2023
Member of a Guggenmusik band

Architect

Office

Points of contact for the Fasnacht Committee

Fränzi Schmid

Fränzi Schmid

Head of office
fraenzi.schmid@fasnachts-comite.ch
+41 61 261 25 75
Myriam Glaser

Myriam Glaser

myriam.glaser@fasnachts-comite.ch
+41 61 261 25 75

Honorary & passive members

Honorary members

Fränzi Baltisberger (Geschäftsstelle)1995 - 2016
Christoph Bürgin1999 - 2021
Alex Fischer1991 - 2003
Pia Inderbitzin2000 - 2023
Monika Nickler (Geschäftsstelle)2010 - 2022
Felix Rudolf von Rohr1987 - 2010
Helle Thommen (Geschäftsstelle)1985 - 2003

Passive members

Andreas C. Albrecht2004 - 2012
Raphael Blechschmidt1996 - 2005
Mathias Brenneis2018 - 2025
Urs Michael Bucher1996 - 2010
Florence Develey2000 - 2007
Andreas Guth2004 - 2017
Adrian Kunz2003 - 2021
Ruth Ludwig-Hagemann2003 - 2015
Carlos Methner2000 - 2014
Annicken Müller2011 - 2018
Stephan Musfeld1986 - 2000
Walo Niedermann1992 - 1999
Nicole Salathé2010 - 2016
Alexander Sarasin2010 - 2022
André Schaad2007 - 2018
Werner Schmid1989 - 2004
Gilbert Thiriet1998 - 2003
Georg Vischer1996 - 2010
Kathrin von Bidder2013 - 2025
Urs Weiss1995 - 2015

Organization

These are the responsibilities of the Fasnacht Committee

Chairman

Robi Schärz

Deputy

Susanne Andreetti

Communication

Daniel Hanimann
Stefanie Gloor

Street carnival

Patrice Cron
Markus Lesmann
Markus Vögtli
Lukas Buholzer

Badge

Hans Flückiger

Drummeli

Roger Birrer
Matthieu Meyer
Linda Atz

Drummeli

Andreas Bertschmann

Promotion of young talent

Susanne Andreetti
Marc Helfenstein

Finances

Hans Flückiger

Rädäbäng

Andreas Bertschmann

Web + Archive

Office

projects

Beat Läuchli

The Board of the Fasnacht Committee consists of the chairperson, the vice-chairperson and the treasurer, as stipulated by the statutes.

For determing the amount of subsidies (75% based on participant number per category; 25% based on evaluation), all active carnival groups are evaluated by the members of the Fasnacht Committee. Initial evaluations are carried out by the following sub-commissions:

Traditional piccolo and drum bands, senior sections

Robi Schärz
Patrice Cron
Daniel Hanimann
Matthieu Meyer

Junior sections

Susanne Andreetti Marc Helfenstein

Guggenmusik bands, chaises

Hans Flückiger
Beat Läuchli

Carnival floats

Linda Atz Markus Lesmann
Markus Vögtli

Piccolo and drum groups

Andreas Bertschmann
Stefanie Gloor

Small groups, individual participants

Roger Birrer Lukas Buholzer

History

How the Fasnacht Committee was founded

On March 21, 1910, the Basel Tourist Office, together with the carnival associations Quodlibet (Grossbasel) and Wurzengraber-Kämmerli (Kleinbasel), decided to found a neutral Fasnacht Committee. The first recorded meeting took place on January 16, 1911.

In 2010, the Fasnacht Committee celebrated its 100th birthday. To mark the occasion, a composition inspired by the Basel Carnival was commissioned from renowned jazz musician George Gruntz, which choreographer Richard Wherlock used as an inspiration. The piece "Milk and Honey" premiered on April 23, 2010.

Other celebrations included a Cortège with over 5,000 costumend children, a publication titled "Basler Fasnacht-vorwärts-marsch!" by Christoph Merian Verlag, a commemorative postage stamp by the Swiss Post, and a special exhibition at the Tinguely Museum. An additional carnival-themed stamp was issued in 2019.

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