The preperations to Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, are in full swing. Ticket pre-registration attracted about 500,000 sign-ups so far, with organizers suspecting between one-third to half of accounts are fake.
This year, unlike previous years, the official Eurovision website announced that to purchase tickets, individuals needed to first register for the ticket mailing list through the TicketCorner website by January 11th. This registration process was implemented to prevent ticket resale, a common issue that often hinders fans from acquiring tickets to live performances.
Thomas Pittino, the marketing manager for the Eurovision contest, revealed in an interview with local Swiss media (SRF) that between one-third to half of these registrations are suspected to be bots or fake accounts. He stated:
“Between a third and half of these registrations are suspected to be bots or fake accounts.”
Efforts are underway to filter out these inauthentic registrations, as the purpose of the pre-registration is to allow genuine fans to purchase tickets, not companies attempting to profit from the event.
The organizers have only 50,000 to 60,000 seats available for all nine planned shows at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. Consequently, significant efforts are being made to ensure that tickets are distributed to genuine contest fans during the sale. This year, OGAE clubs (official Eurovision fan clubs) worldwide have been allocated only about 500 ticket packages for all three types of shows, a significantly lower number compared to previous years.
Ticket sales for the contest will commence on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025, at 10:00 CET, one day after the semi-final allocation. Only those who pre-registered for the ticket mailing list through TicketCorner by January 10th, 2025, at 23:59 CET will be eligible to purchase tickets.
Eurovision 2025 Ticket Prices:
- Semi-final dress rehearsals: From 10 Swiss francs to 170 Swiss francs (from €11 to €180).
- Semi-finals – live broadcast: From 70 Swiss francs to 270 Swiss francs (from €75 to €287).
- Final dress rehearsals: From 25 Swiss francs to 220 Swiss francs (from €27 to €234).
- The Grand Final – live broadcast: From 90 Swiss francs to 350 Swiss francs (from €96 to €372).
These prices are relatively cheaper compared to recent years, especially in relation to Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool and Eurovision 2019 in Tel Aviv.
For more details about Eurovision 2025 – click here!
Jury Show? Family Show? Or maybe the Live Show?
The Eurovision Song Contest will be divided, as it is every year, into three main events: the First Semi-Final, the Second Semi-Final, and the Grand Final. The First Semi-Final will take place on May 13th, the Second Semi-Final on May 15th, and the Grand Final on May 17th.
Each of these events will include the main show that will be broadcast live (Live TV Show) at 21:00 CET. However, additional tickets will also be sold for the “Family Show” which will take place on the same day in the afternoon, and tickets will also be sold for another rehearsal previously known as the “Jury Show” which will take place the day before at 21:00 CET. All rehearsals will include all competing songs, the hosting, and the interval acts, but will not include the final results, and there may be technical issues that could affect the viewers’ experience.
Which countries will compete in each semi-final?
The allocation of countries to the semi-finals will take place on January 28th. This draw determines which countries will perform in the First Semi-Final and which will compete in the Second Semi-Final. We will only know the exact lineup for each semi-final after this draw is completed. Ticket sales will open the day after the Semi-Final draw.
When did ticket sales begin in previous years?
In previous years, ticket sales for Eurovision rehearsals and live shows opened much later:
Eurovision 2019 – First round of tickets sold on February 28th, 2019 – Delay due to technical issues.
Eurovision 2020 – First round of tickets sold on December 12th, 2019.
Eurovision 2021 – First round of tickets sold on May 8th, 2021 – Preference given to ticket buyers for Eurovision 2020.
Eurovision 2022 – First round of tickets sold on April 7th, 2022 – Sales delay likely due to the impact of the coronavirus.
Eurovision 2023 – First round of tickets sold on March 7th, 2023.
Eurovision 2024 – First round of tickets sold on November 28th, 2023.
Source: Eurovisionfun.
Eurovision 2025 will be the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, held in Basel, Switzerland on May 13, 15, and 17. This will be the third time Switzerland hosts the competition, with the last time being in 1989 in Lausanne. The hosting venue, “St. Jakobshalle,” has a capacity of 12,400 seats. This marks the first time Basel will host the contest.
