The Georgian government has officially announced Tbilisi as the host city for Junior Eurovision 2025! The competition will take place on December 13!

The Georgian National Procurement Agency, a governmental body, has confirmed that Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, will host Junior Eurovision 2025! This announcement follows a leak from the Dutch national broadcaster, AVROTROS, which mentioned the decision during the first audition episode of the Dutch Junior Eurovision pre-selection show, “Juniorsongfestival.” The contest is scheduled for Saturday, December 13, 2025. Similar to this year’s event, it will be held on a Saturday but has once again shifted from November to December.

Georgia earned the right to celebrate its victory in Junior Eurovision 2024, held in Madrid, with Andria Putkaradze performing the song “To My Mom”. However, unlike the adult Eurovision Song Contest, winning Junior Eurovision does not automatically grant the winning country hosting rights for the following year.

In an official statement from the Georgian National Procurement Agency, it was announced: “By a joint decision of the Government of Georgia, the Georgian Public Broadcasting Company (GPB), and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is scheduled to take place in Tbilisi on December 13, 2025. Given the large-scale nature of the event, it is necessary to begin preparations for the technical and organizational aspects six months in advance. This includes bringing the European Broadcasting Union’s organizational team to Georgia and purchasing creative/promotional services for the event. A minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 countries will participate in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Technical preparations for the competition will begin six months before the event, while stage, sound, and lighting setup at the host venue will start 30 days prior to the final. Delegations from the participating countries will arrive in Georgia 10 days before the competition. During this time, they will take part in rehearsals, attend various events, and explore the city, visiting landmarks, experiencing Georgian art and culture, and more. The event is of state and public importance, as it concerns the smooth hosting of one of the largest competitions in Georgia, which in turn is closely tied to the country’s reputation and will contribute to its promotion”

Tbilisi previously hosted Junior Eurovision in 2017 following its earlier victory in 2016. That edition was held at Olympic Palace. Georgia holds the record for most wins in Junior Eurovision with four titles after its latest triumph.

Participating Countries and Potential Returns

So far, eight countries have confirmed their intention to participate in Junior Eurovision 2025. Croatia and Lithuania are also seriously considering returning to the competition after previous withdrawals. The confirmed list includes:

Georgia
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
North Macedonia
Poland
Portugal
San Marino

On the other hand, Estonia and Germany have already announced their withdrawal from this year’s contest. Additionally, several countries have declared that they do not plan to return to Junior Eurovision anytime soon:

Australia
Belgium
Denmark
Israel
Latvia
Sweden

Tinatin Berdzenishvili, Director of the Georgian national broadcaster, congratulated Georgia on its fourth Junior Eurovision win, stating: “I congratulate Georgia on winning Junior Eurovision! Andria represented the country with great dignity. We are ready for Georgia to host Eurovision.” Berdzenishvili noted that the winning song received widespread support from many countries that awarded Georgia the maximum points. She added, “Andria’s voice and excellent song proved that Georgia is a musical country.”

The winning song was written and composed by Maka Davitaia and Giga Kukhianidze. Kukhianidze is Georgia’s most prolific Junior Eurovision songwriter, having contributed to all four of Georgia’s winning Junior Eurovision entries. He also co-wrote Iru‘s song “Echo” for Eurovision 2023, which did not advance to the final.