The final of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on May 17, 2025 under the motto “Overcoming Borders,” but not in Geneva. Basel, the third-largest city in Switzerland, won out over Geneva.
The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) will take place in Basel in 2025. Switzerland’s third-largest city has won the race against Geneva, as the host, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), announced. The final will take place on May 17. The decision was met with great joy in Basel, while the defeated Geneva was very disappointed. It was a neck-and-neck race, said Reto Peritz, Co-Executive Producer ESC of the SRG, to the media in Basel on Friday.
Basel was ultimately able to convince with an attractive side event program “absolutely”, said Peritz, who mentioned the large public viewing arena in the St. Jakob football stadium and various ESC areas in the city. Around 100 criteria were considered. But the main venue, St. Jakobshalle, also played a role. The Basel hall, known for tennis tournaments and other sporting events, has already been designed as a concert hall. It has space for 12,000 people. St. Jakob Park has space for 20,000 people. The city expects costs of around 30 to 35 million francs (37 million euros).
On the border with Germany and France
The motto is: “Overcoming borders”. Basel has been demonstrating how this works for decades: The city itself borders directly on Germany and France, and the communities in the border triangle work so closely together that residents hardly notice the borders anymore. “The ESC connects and inspires, across all borders,” the city wrote in its application, recommending itself with its “cosmopolitan scene”. The motto also fits the ESC, which has recently been increasingly reflected in political tensions, for example in connection with the Russian war against Ukraine or Israel’s war against the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
It had been clear since Nemo won the 68th ESC in Malmö this year that Switzerland would host the event. Nemo won with the song “The Code”. The non-binary person, who defines himself as neither man nor woman, addressed his own career in it. During the three live television shows in 2024, 163 million people watched the music performances. The three show days on May 13, 15 and 17 are now set to put Basel in the spotlight of millions of people. Basel hotels are already fully booked during these days. However, Basel Tourism has been able to secure a contingent of rooms at fair prices, as the director of Basel Tourism, Letizia Elia, said.
Basel, home to pharmaceutical companies such as Roche and Novartis, is culturally known for its legendary carnival with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is a world cultural heritage site. The Fondation Beyeler museum for modern and contemporary art in Riehen near Basel is also internationally renowned. Out of sheer joy, government president Conradin Cramer (LDP) was carried away by a dance on the steps of the town hall to the tune of “The Code”, as can be seen in a video that went viral.
EDU wants to prevent ESC in Basel
The Swiss Federal Democratic Union (EDU) wants to prevent the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. On Friday, the party announced a referendum against the financing proposal on social media. As a politician in a country that places great value on direct democracy, Cramer said he accepts that there is opposition to the event. But there are enough good and convincing arguments for co-financing and hosting the event. If the referendum comes to fruition, the Basel electorate will decide on the loan at the end of November.
Geneva was disappointed that it was not considered. “Although the final decision did not go in the direction we had hoped, Geneva has demonstrated its ability to come together in record time and propose a solid candidacy for the organization of the Eurovision Song Contest,” said representatives of the canton and the city at a press conference on Friday.
For Switzerland, this is the third ESC: it hosted the first competition in 1956 in Lugano and won with Lys Assia. The next host, however, was Frankfurt. Canadian Céline Dion won for Switzerland for a second time in 1988, thus launching her international career. The following year, the competition took place in Lausanne. (APA/DPA)
