August 1st, Switzerland’s National Day, is considered a holiday and most people have the day off in order to relax, commemorate our independence and have fun.
This day is celebrated solely in the municipalities, at a local level, with parades [not military], speeches, bonfires, fireworks, music, gymnastic shows and group performances of the Swiss national anthem. People will also organize feasts and picnics and launch their own fireworks.
In Basel, the 1st of August is celebrated on ‘Bruderholz’, a hill south of the city. It is scattered with many beautiful villas but its main attraction is the ‘Wasserturm’ [water tower] and the park surrounding it. The festivities on Bruderholz begin at 20:00, with another spectacular fireworks show wrapping things up at 22:15. On Bruderholz, the rockets are launched from the ground.
Again, this photo is from my archive. Duo to the corona virus pandemic, large National Day celebrations with fireworks displays have been prohibited this year.