Big stadium concerts will be held again in Basel

The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica: the big names in rock and pop have all played at Basel. But in most cases that was a long time ago: In the 1980s and 1990s, the city boomed at the old St. Jacob’s Stadium with large outdoor events in front of tens of thousands of fans. With the new construction of the football stadium, which has since been called St. Jakob-Park, concerts dwindled, and there had been no such major events in Basel for years. This is for various reasons.

The government should make a comparison with other cities

Johannes Sieber, a member of the GLP council, thinks this is a shame. In a new initiative in parliament, he asked the government what it intended to do to ensure that major cultural and entertainment events could be held in Basel again. After all, in the past, these concerts would draw thousands of people from outside city and state borders to Basel in the summer months.

“Does the government board have a concept of how the glory days of outdoor events at Joggeli will continue?” Sieber asks. If the government is not supposed to aim for this, the Green Liberals would like to know why. Finally, he also asks how the costs imposed by the authorities, such as security costs, are handled in Basel compared to other cities where these concerts are frequently held.