Basel – La città sede

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Welcome to Basel. Basel, Switzerland, is a place of exciting contrasts.

A city with historical buildings next to modern architecture.  Where a young and dynamic art scene exists alongside world-renowned museums. Cosmopolitan ambience here, lively traditions there. You just have to experience Basel for yourself.

ESC 2025 is coming to Basel! It’s official – the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place in Basel. We are proud to be able to represent Switzerland on this major international stage and will do our utmost to deliver an unforgettable experience for our guests. You can look forward to an event full of superlatives! 

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place in St. Jakobshalle, Basel, on Saturday 17 May with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May, after it was selected by Host Broadcaster SRG SSR and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to host the 69th edition of the Contest.

The bid process examined facilities at the venue, local infrastructure and the ability to accommodate thousands of visiting delegations, crew, fans and journalists from around the world, amongst other criteria.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest said:  ”The EBU is thrilled that Basel has been selected as the Host City for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. The Contest was born in Switzerland in Lugano back in 1956 and it’s great to be bringing it back to its birthplace almost 70 years later.’ Basel’s strategic location at the crossroads of Europe makes it the ideal setting for an event that celebrates the power of music to connect people across borders. With its unique blend of tradition and innovation, Basel reflects the spirit of the Eurovision Song Contest. The city’s exceptional St.Jakobshalle venue and outstanding hospitality will ensure a memorable experience for delegations, artists and fans alike. Following Contests in the Italian and French speaking parts of the country in 1956 and 1989 we’re also excited to bring the Eurovision Song Contest to German Switzerland for the very first time. Together with Host Broadcaster SRG SSR and the city of Basel we will create a spectacular celebration of music on the banks of the River Rhine that resonates far beyond the stage.’

Conradin Cramer, President of the Government of Basel said: ‘It is a great honour for Basel to be able to host the world’s biggest live music event! We are looking forward to this fantastic opportunity to present Basel to the world as a cosmopolitan city of culture in the heart of Europe. As an open city in the border triangle of Germany, France and Switzerland, we overcome borders of all kinds every day. This fits in perfectly with the Eurovision Song Contest. We are already looking forward to welcoming our guests from all over Europe: welcome to Basel!’.

Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler, SRG SSR’s Joint Executive Producers of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, added: ‘We were impressed by the quality of the cities’ applications! All 4 cities, and especially Geneva and Basel in the final round, fought for the title of “Host City” with creative approaches and a very constructive approach. Such commitment is by no means a matter of course. Our thanks therefore go to all the cities that applied. We look forward to working with you to make the ESC an unforgettable experience for the whole population.’

Switzerland hosted and won the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano, back in 1956. It remains the only Contest where competitors were invited to perform two songs instead of one.

Lys Assia triumphed with the French language song “Refrain” but it is unknown how her second song, the German language “Das alte Karussell”, performed with jurors as the points were never revealed.

A second Swiss win happened in Dublin 1988 when a relatively unknown Canadian took the crown in a nail-biting voting sequence; Céline Dion pipped the United Kingdom’s Scott Fitzgerald to victory by a single point with her ballad “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi”.

It would take another 36 years for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) to find their third champion; Nemo won Malmö 2024 with their song “The Code”, which tells the story of coming to terms with their non-binary identity.

The Eurovision Song Contest is an internationally televised songwriting competition, organised by the European Broadcasting Union and featuring participants chosen by EBU member broadcasters representing their countries from across Europe and beyond.

Each Participating Broadcaster has until mid-March to choose a song and an artist to perform it. The song and artist can be selected through a televised national selection show (or shows), an internal process, or via any other means they decide.

Participants then compete at the Eurovision Song Contest, traditionally held in May.

The Contest format comprises three live shows: the First Semi-Final (Tuesday evening), the Second Semi-Final (Thursday evening), and the Grand Final (a Saturday night spectacular).

Participating Broadcasters work hard to prepare acts that will qualify from the show’s Semi-Finals, hoping for a ticket to the Saturday night Grand Final where they will join the so-called ‘Big Five’ broadcasters and Host Broadcaster (usually the broadcaster of the nation than won the previous year).

The ‘Big Five’ are the Participating Broadcasters from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – the group of countries who via their broadcasters make the biggest financial contribution towards the organisation of the Contest.

There is a comprehensive set of rules concerning participation that has evolved over the decades, but the main ones relating to competing songs and artists are:

  • Songs must be original and no more than 3 minutes in length
  • Lead vocals must be performed live
  • No more than 6 performers can take to the stage during any one performance

In each show, after all songs have been performed, each country will give two sets of points (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12) to their favourite songs; one set is given by a jury of five music industry professionals from that country, and one set given by viewers watching the show in that country. Viewers can vote by telephone, SMS and through the official app. 

Out of fairness, you cannot vote for your own country.

In the Semi-Finals, only those countries who took part in that specific show, and those in non-participating countries –  the “Rest of the World” – can vote (along with 2 or 3 of the ‘Big Five’ who are already in the Grand Final), whereas in the Grand Final, all competing countries and the “Rest of the World” can vote. Also, in the Semi-Finals only the audience televote points are awarded and count towards qualification – the jury scores are retained for back-up purposes. 

At the end of the Grand Final, the song that has received the most points wins the iconic trophy, and is performed once more.

The 69th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland, thanks to Nemo who won the Contest for the Swiss with their song The Code – this means that the 2025 edition will be hosted by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR.

  • First Semi-Final: Tuesday 13 May, 21:00 CET
  • Second Semi-Final: Thursday 15 May, 21:00 CET
  • Grand Final: Saturday 17 May, 21:00 CET 

Venue: St. Jakobshalle, Basel

How to buy tickets. The first wave of tickets sold out within just a few minutes on 29 January, and so too did the second wave on 27 March. The tickets were made available at TicketCorner and only for those who had already registered.

Due to the high demand, the organisers continue to appeal to all fans who have not yet been able to purchase tickets to refrain from purchasing on third-party platforms. The organisers cannot guarantee the validity of tickets from third-party platforms or private sales. 

At a later date, it will be possible to search for verified tickets exclusively on TicketCorner fanSALE. TicketCorner’s official secondary market guarantees that all resold tickets are valid. More information will be made available in the near future.

Further information on ticket purchasing and registration can be found in our Ticket FAQs.

Advice on planning for tickets. If you haven’t bought tickets for a Eurovision Song Contest before: listen up! 

The Eurovision Song Contest isn’t just one Saturday night spectacular… it isn’t even just the three broadcast Semi-Finals and Grand Final… it’s actually 9 arena shows across the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Eurovision week!

This means fans have 9 opportunities to watch an arena show (or two… or 9!) and can also enjoy their time in the Host City without everything being focused around the Grand Final live show. 

The Arena Shows in 2025 will be:

First Semi-Final: Tuesday 13 May, 21:00 CET 

  • Evening Preview: Monday (12 May)
  • Afternoon Preview: Tuesday afternoon (13 May)
  • Live TV Show: Tuesday evening (13 May)

Second Semi-Final: Thursday 15 May, 21:00 CET 

  • Evening Preview: Wednesday evening (14 May)
  • Afternoon Preview: Thursday afternoon (15 May)
  • Live TV Show: Thursday evening (15 May)

Grand Final: Saturday 17 May, 21:00 CET 

  • Evening Preview: Friday evening (16 May)
  • Afternoon Preview: Saturday afternoon (17 May)
  • Live TV Show: Saturday evening (17 May)

The Evening Preview (previously known as the ‘Jury Show’) is a full run through of the show that takes place the night before the televised version. On Friday evening it’s when the international juries cast their votes for the participants that are announced in the live Grand Final. Audiences can stay for a randomised version of the qualifier/points reveals, as the presenters rehearse for different scenarios.

The Afternoon Preview (previously known as the ‘Family Show’) is a full run through of the show that takes place earlier in the day of the Live TV Show; it serves as one final rehearsal for the artists and crew, and as the name suggests, it’s much more convenient for those who wish to bring younger Eurovision fans. Again, the Family Show features a randomly generated presentation of the qualifiers and points.

The Live TV Show is exactly that: a live television show. Audiences across Europe (and Australia) will get to cast their votes to add to the Jury scores. No randomisations this time – it’s all for real!

Interest in Eurovision tickets is always high, but as fans who have travelled to a Contest before will tell you: traditionally it can be easier to secure tickets for the Preview shows. These shows have all of the content and performances of the broadcast shows, but leave you free to watch the Live TV Show as it was intended… on the television!

Where can I find more information? Further information on ticket purchasing and registration can be found in our Ticket FAQs.

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place in St. Jakobshalle, Basel, on Saturday 17 May with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May, after it was selected by Host Broadcaster SRG SSR and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to host the 69th edition of the Contest.

After a competitive selection process that saw a number of potential Host Cities narrow down to Basel and Geneva, Switzerland’s third-most-populous city won out, and will host the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.

The bid process examined facilities at the venue, local infrastructure and the ability to accommodate thousands of visiting delegations, crew, fans and journalists from around the world, amongst other criteria.

37 Participants. We’ll have 37 public service broadcasters taking part at Basel 2025.

RTCG of Montenegro return to the competition after last competing in 2022. And 36 of the 37 countries that took part at Malmö 2024 will be participating once again in May 2025.

31 of the 37 participating broadcasters will compete in Semi-Finals on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May with the Top 10 from each qualifying for the Grand Final on Saturday 17 May based on public votes.

The draw to determine in which Semi Final they will perform took place in Basel on Tuesday 28 January. 

The other 5 broadcasters from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are pre-qualified for the Grand Final, along with host broadcaster SRG SSR from Switzerland who have been drawn to perform 19th in the running order.

You can listen to all 37 competing entries right here.

The Hosts. Hazel Brugger, Michelle Hunziker and Sandra Studer will be presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 when it comes to us from Basel in May. Hazel Brugger, Sandra Studer and Michelle Hunziker will present the Grand Final, while Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer will also host the First Semi-Final and the Second Semi-Final. 

According to Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, the choice of the host trio for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 symbolises the values that define Switzerland: openness, diversity, multilingualism and a sense of togetherness. In May, the trio will not only aim to celebrate Europe’s diversity, but also to bring the true values and spirit of Switzerland to the stage – a country known for its openness, integration and community.

Two more hosts, Mélanie Freymond and Sven Epiney, will be presenting the pre-show party and public viewing in the Arena plus, the repurposed St. Jakob-Park football stadium. They will also be live on air during the Grand Final to announce the Swiss points during the eagerly-anticipated voting segment.

Visual and Audio Brand Identity. The visual and audio brand identity for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest has been developed by Art Director Artur Deyneuve. His aim was to create a design that made people feel heard and valued. Inspired by the Swiss tradition of direct democracy, which revolves around listening and dialogue, Deyneuve chose ‘listening’ as the central guiding theme of the whole branding concept, calling it ‘Unity Shapes Love’. 

This message will also be conveyed visually through the iconic Eurovision heart symbol, which stands for dialogue, unity and the unifying power of music. The pulsating Eurovision hearts have therefore become a core element of the design, representing the millions of people unified by the Eurovision Song Contest, to listen and celebrate together.

Welcome Home. Anyone tuning in to all three of the Basel 2025 Live Shows will spot that each one will have its own unique story running through the evening’s broadcast. 

SRG SSR will be implementing three celebratory themes into the two Semi-Finals and the Grand Final. The broadcaster will be reminding viewers that Eurovision is returning to its origins, right back to when the first Contest came to us from Switzerland in 1956. 

To help frame this picture, each of the Live Shows will tell its own story, united by the motto ‘Welcome Home’.

  • First Semi-Final, 13 May: Where It All Began – an homage to the Eurovision Song Contest’s birthplace, Switzerland
  • Second Semi-Final, 15 May: Eurovision fans – a big party for anyone who’s ever enjoyed the Eurovision Song Contest
  • Grand Final, 17 May: Let’s Celebrate a New Winner – 26 countries will compete for the coveted glass trophy and the whole of Europe and beyond will be joining in on the excitement and celebrations. 

The Basel 2025 stage. The stage design for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest has been inspired by Switzerland’s mountains and diversity.

Florian Wieder, the Production Designer with Swiss roots, is overseeing the Eurovision stage design for the eighth time. For this year’s event at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Florian reveals that he has taken inspiration from the Swiss mountains and the country’s linguistic diversity: “Our goal was to create a revolutionary stage concept – a holistic experience that we’ve never seen before at Eurovision. Thanks to the immersive stage layout, the audience will get to be part of Eurovision like never before.”

Tickets. Both waves of ticket sales for the Eurovision Song Contest have sold out. Now, an official re-sale platform, TicketCorner fanSALE, has opened in case ticket buyers are not able to come to one or more of the shows they purchased tickets for. Tickets can only be offered at face-value (excluding applicable fees). 

You can find the platform right here.

Programme of Local Events. A comprehensive programme is planned in the city from May 10 – 17 for fans from all over Europe (as well as local people from Basel). Check out our Host City Guide for an overview of what’s going to be happening in Basel, as well as information about public transport and accommodation tailored towards anyone visiting for the Eurovision Song Contest.