Where will the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 take place? The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel. Switzerland’s third-largest city won the race against Geneva. Zurich and Bern had already been eliminated. The decision was made by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Swiss media company SRG, to which SRF also belongs.
KEYSTONE/Georgios Kefalas
What will be the motto of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025? “Overcoming borders” is the motto. That suits a border town in the border triangle of Switzerland, Germany and France.
What does the Basel government say about this? The government is extremely pleased with the decision. Hosting the world’s largest music competition is a great opportunity. Basel will do everything in its power to be a good host, the government said immediately after the decision was announced.
What exactly is planned in Basel? The ESC will take place in the St. Jakobshalle, which has around 12,000 seats. In the neighboring St. Jakob Park, there will be an “Arena Plus” with concerts by former ESC stars on the final day. The canton is also planning “a comprehensive supporting program” in the city, and a “Eurovision Street” is also planned in the Steinenvorstadt and along the banks of the Rhine in Kleinbasel.
Are there enough hotel rooms in Basel? The hotels in Basel are already fully booked for the ESC days. However, Basel Tourism has managed to secure a quota of rooms at fair prices, says the director of Basel Tourism, Letizia Elia. She was cautious about the horrendous hotel prices that have been reported in various places. Hotels everywhere have dynamic pricing. However, Basel Tourism will ensure that prices do not become excessive.
What happens next in Basel? The Basel government will soon submit a proposal to the Grand Council for the implementation of the event, which envisages net expenditure of 34.9 million francs. The Grand Council will decide on this on September 11th.
How did Geneva react to the decision? The SRG’s decision in favour of Basel has caused great disappointment in the canton and city of Geneva. “Although the final decision did not go in the direction hoped for, Geneva has demonstrated its ability to come together in record time and propose a solid candidacy for the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest,” the canton and the city stressed in a joint statement. The authorities, Palexpo, Geneva Tourism and numerous representatives of the political and economic world supported the candidacy.
How does the SRG justify its decision? Edi Estermann, media spokesperson for SRG, told SRF: “Both Basel and Geneva submitted excellent dossiers.” There was no particular argument for Basel that particularly stood out. “Basel won when we looked at the various criteria.” Basel clearly convinced with its attractive overall package, which includes many side events. A total of 100 criteria were looked at.
What happens in the event of a possible referendum? When asked about possible referendums by EDU and the Young SVP regarding the financing of the ESC, Estermann said: “We live in a direct democracy and such issues are part of it. We take it seriously.” This creates a certain degree of planning uncertainty. “However, a referendum would not mean the definitive end of the ESC, but would first mean that there would be a vote.” If the referendum is accepted and the city’s financial contribution is thus eliminated, the ESC would have to take place at a significantly reduced level.
When will the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 take place? The semi-finals will take place on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May 2025. The final will then be on Saturday 17 May 2025. More than 35 public media organisations, mainly from Europe, which are EBU members, will take part in the music competition.
Who will represent Switzerland at the next ESC? This is still unclear and will be announced in early 2025.
How many people watch the Eurovision Song Contest each year? Basel will be in the spotlight of millions of people: During the three live television shows from Malmö, Sweden in 2024, 163 million people watched the musical performances, including almost 800,000 from Switzerland alone.
How often has the ESC taken place in Switzerland? For Switzerland, it is the third time: the ESC is returning to Switzerland for the first time in 36 years after Nemo’s victory last spring. In 1988, Céline Dion won the contest for Switzerland in the Irish capital Dublin with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi”, and the following year the event was held in the Palais de Beaulieu in Lausanne. On May 24, 1956, the first “Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson” – as the competition was called at the time – took place in the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano.
