Sketchcrawl at the Swiss Yodelling Festival, Basel
As is well known, yodelling festivals are celebrated with spontaneous group yodelling, singing and alphorn playing, combined with flag-waving in the alleys of the festival grounds. The festival grounds are divided into three zones: the Yodelling Village on Petersplatz, the Yodelling Mile by the adjacent Petersgraben, and the ‘Yodelling Hill’ (i.e. the old town alleys). There will be a large number of small and larger festival bars and stalls throughout the area to cater for everyone at the Swiss Festival. An overview of the festival grounds can be found on the site map (link to site map). Access to the festival grounds is generally free.
We’ll meet in front of St Peter’s Church. Subjects to sketch can be found directly opposite on Petersplatz, where the ‘Yodelling Village’ is located, featuring the open-air stage of the Basler Kantonalbank (BKB).
For anyone who’d like to sketch alphorn players, I recommend the rehearsal area for alphorn performances at the Holbeinschulhaus, Pausenplatz, Kanonengasse 9. Google Maps link (a good 10-minute walk from St Peter’s Church)
More information
- Three open-air stages: 1) in the Yodelling Village on Petersplatz (BKB Stage), 2) at the Rosshof (Novartis Stage) and 3) on Rümelinsplatz
An admission wristband is required to attend the performances - Categories: Yodelling, alphorn, Büchel, flag-waving
- Background: At the start of the 20th century, more people moved from the countryside to the cities in search of work and, driven by homesickness, would meet up to sing their songs together. In recent years, natural yodelling courses have been growing in popularity in the cities.
Date: Saturday, 27 June 2026, 1.30–4.00 pm
Meeting point:
Saturday, 27 June 2026, 1.30 pm in front of St Peter’s Church, Basel, Peterskirchplatz 7.
And to view our drawings at 4.00 pm, also in front of St Peter’s Church.
Google Maps: Peterskirche, Peterskirchplatz 7, Basel