Hi,

In Basel, a clique is a kind of club whose purpose is to participate in Fasnacht - the festival that takes place each year in Basel starting the Monday after Shrove Tuesday and finishing on Thursday morning. Their instruments of choice are the piccolo and the drum and they play marching music.

My clique - the Basler Mittwoch Gesellschaft Runzle - is looking for new members to become piccolo players. If you don't play the piccolo already, perhaps you play a similar instrument like the flute.

We are an all-male clique; the "Runzle" part is Baseldeutsch meaning "wrinkles" - i.e. most of our members are somewhat advanced in years and they like to take Fasnacht at a slightly more relaxed pace. As well as preparing for and participating in Fasnacht, the clique is also a social entity and we organise regular social events throughout the year.

Getting involved in Fasnacht is the ideal way to integrate and socialise with the locals in Basel; and of course Fasnacht from behind a mask takes on a wholly different perspective. And it's a good way to learn a bit of Baseldeutsch.

Now that Fasnacht 2008 is over, we will resume our regular Wednesday (the clue is in the name...) practice sessions in the autumn. These consist of meeting the other members at the cliquencäller (cellar) for a few beers and to practice some of the marches.

If you're interested, drop me a private message or email our chairman - address on this page.

Cheers,
Nick