Eurovision 2025 organizers reveal their vision for the competition events to be held in Basel, Switzerland next May: events throughout the city, sculptures with the host city’s name, and the longest turquoise carpet in Eurovision history.
The Swiss national broadcaster SRG SSR, which will host Eurovision 2025 next May in Basel, is revealing more plans for hosting the competition in Switzerland’s third-largest city. The organizers’ general idea, which they have conveyed to the city’s cultural and tourism sites, is to use Basel’s various areas and local scenes to create an unmissable Eurovision atmosphere. Thus, the event organizers hope to transform it into more than just a live broadcast, but rather a comprehensive, massive, and vibrant event. Among other things, Basel is planning to hold the “Turquoise Carpet” ceremony in a way that has never been done before.
Transforming Basel into a Cultural Hub
Basel aims to establish its position as a leading city in the world of culture as a result of hosting Eurovision. To this end, it aspires for all businesses, restaurants, cultural sites, tourism, and art venues to collaborate. Letizia Elia, Basel’s tourism director, said: “We all need to seize this opportunity together,” referring to the potential of holding Eurovision in the city. For this purpose, the organizers want to turn Eurovision 2025 into an impressive and visually striking event that will be seen and stand out in every corner of the city: intensive advertising, visual branding that will spread throughout the entire city, and especially along the planned Eurovision Street in Steinenvorstadt. Branded entrance gates will be placed at the entrances to Eurovision Street, and the event’s branding will also extend along the Rhine River that crosses the city and on stages that will be set up for live performances in Barfüsserplatz. Sculptures with the inscription “Basel” will be placed in the city and serve as benches and photo opportunities for tourists and visitors.
A Eurovision for Everyone
Eurovision in Basel is expected to be felt in every aspect, including in schools and nursing homes. The organizers in the city and the Swiss national broadcaster are taking much inspiration from Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool, and they want the event to belong to everyone: “We want to create an event for the whole society,” said Eurovision producers at SRG SSR, Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler. Eurovision will be present throughout the city in other special events, in addition to the official Eurovision production events such as the Eurovision Village. The organizers aim to hold events that will flood the entire city and enter the neighborhoods as well, and invite business owners, cultural figures, restaurants, and professionals who wish to offer ideas for participation in Eurovision events to contact the authorities in Basel.
The Longest Turquoise Carpet in Eurovision History
The biggest idea of all, which is perhaps the crowning glory, is holding the longest “Turquoise Carpet” in Eurovision history. The Turquoise Carpet (which became turquoise in 2021 due to the competition’s official sponsor, ‘Moroccanoil’) is an event held annually at the beginning of Eurovision week, where delegations from participating countries walk and during which photo shoots, media interviews, and meetings with fans and competition enthusiasts take place.
After harsh criticism from the audience about a rather small and uninvested event in Malmö, Basel 2025 is currently planning to roll out the longest turquoise carpet in the competition’s history. This is a part of the Eurovision production that has not yet had a “breakthrough,” except for changing the carpet colors to the sponsors’ colors each year and holding it in different (but not very breathtaking) locations. It is not yet known what this big promise means in practice, but undoubtedly the competition producers in Switzerland want to make the opening ceremony of Eurovision week an unforgettable event.
Source: BaZ
Eurovision 2025: The 69th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Basel, Switzerland, on May 13, 15, and 17, 2025. The St. Jakobshalle arena, which will host the competition, is expected to accommodate about 12,000 spectators for each show. The contest will take place in Switzerland following the country’s third historical win with the song “The Code”, performed by singer Nemo. This will be the third time the competition has been hosted in Switzerland, after the contest was held there in 1956 and 1989.
