Chill am Rhy

if you are in Basel during the summer, you MUST swing by this outdoor event. «Chill on the Rhine» goes on from the start of July through the end of August.
you’ve got DJs playing music outdoors. not raging party music, but more lounge/​chill stuff, jazz, blues, and more. of course, I’m sure that just experiencing it one night means there could be different music on other nights, so your mileage may vary.
projectors and concert-​quality lighting rigs illuminate and highlight the old buildings along the Rhine in unique and awesome ways.
of course, what would a festival be without alcohol? there was plenty of beer! and it’s not expensive either — just remember to redeem your tokens at the end to get your deposit back (it’s to prevent people from throwing cups all over and making a mess).
crowds vary — there’s a big college-​age population in Basel, so you get the students, but you also get all kinds of random people who come out to enjoy the good weather and positive atmosphere. no one’s raging, people are just hanging out, enjoying some food and drinks.
just an FYI — their website is no longer active — they had the event when I was in Switzerland back in 2008, and my research on the interwebs shows they’ve had it every year up until 2011, so perhaps the domain expired or something. check up before you go to verify if they’re still having this — and if so, definitely attend!