Taking place for the first time, Art Basel’s Merian program will activate the titular historic – and currently vacant – hotel with a series of performances and DJ sets every night during the show week. Situated directly on the Rhine, the building boasts gilded rooms and terraces overlooking Basel’s Old Town where you can enjoy post-show cocktails alongside everything from a performance by Young Boy Dancing Group to an artist-led karaoke night to a special afternoon pop-up focused on digital art. Read on for an insider’s guide to the six event-filled nights at the Merian – and don’t miss Petrit Halilaj’s installation When The Sun Goes Away We Paint The Sky (2022) on the façade.

The program kicks off on Tuesday, June 11 at 9 pm with a lineup hosted by Aindrea Emelife, Curator Modern and Contemporary at the Museum of West African Art, Benin City; Pati Hertling, Director of Performance Space, New York; and Jenny Schlenzka, Director of Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin. Come for a provocative performance by the experimental collective Young Boy Dancing Group, stay for a DJ set by Okra Collective.

Director of New York’s Swiss Institute Stefanie Hessler is hosting Wednesday’s Parcours Night, celebrating the outdoor sector she guest curated for this year’s show. The night begins with a pop-up karaoke bar conceived by artist Sam Lui’s culinary alter-ego, Wendy, from 9–10:30 pm. Wendy has become known for her pop-up wok nights; in Basel, however, wok cooking will be replaced by three specialty cocktails inspired by Wendy’s signature dishes and paired with a group karaoke session featuring songs that contain the words and phrases of her guiding principles, such as ‘control,’ ‘purity,’ ‘strive,’ and ‘restraint.’ Following karaoke, musician Chuquimamani-Condori will give a live performance, hosted by artists Jan Vorisek and Mathis Altmann.

On Thursday, stop by for the special Digital Dialogues talks program. From 3–4 pm, visitors can view a new installation by Krista Kim, whose work explores the concept of digital consciousness, hosted in collaboration with the crypto platform TAEX. At 4 pm, Kim will join artist Cory Arcangel for a panel discussion on how digital art is transforming public spaces, hosted by Right Click Save’s Alex Estorick, followed by panels with artists Rebecca Allen and Refik Anadol debating how technology has changed the art world. The talks will conclude with LAS Foundation’s Bettina Kames and House of Electronic Arts Sabine Himmelsbach discussing how museums are displaying innovative art forms and supporting tech-oriented artists. The afternoon concludes with a reading by Web3-poet Sasha Stiles with Technelegy, her AI counterpart.

For Thursday’s evening program, beginning at 9 pm, the opening night hosts return to welcome Hairbone, a New York-based trio of artists (Raúl de Nieves, Jessie Stead, and Nathan Whipple). Having performed in New York everywhere from the Met to MoMA, the trio descends on Basel for the first time to give a carnivalesque, multimedia performance – or what they describe as one of their ‘near-opera burlesque freak shows.’ DJ sets by the non-profit Accra-based radio station Oroko Radio and AYAYA will follow.

On Friday, football fans can root for Germany or Scotland during the opening game of UEFA EURO 2024, which will be screened at the Merian. Come Saturday, public screenings of the football matches will be augmented by artworks, concerts, performances, and DJ sets from 2 pm – 2 am. Hosted by SALTS, Kollektiv Avalon, and Bebbi Zine, and curated by Benedikt Wyss, the 12-hour-long happening will feature contributions from Bio Goat, Donna Softa, Dudette, Orakle Ngoy, Pilar Quinteros, Bob and Roberta Smith, and Claudia Wieser, among others. Come and stay awhile – as the happening’s title intones, it’s ‘Finally Saturday.’

All access to the Merian program is free, within space limits. Find the full schedule here. The Merian is located at Rheingasse 2, Basel (entrance via Greifengasse).