Excited for Eurovision 2025? It’s coming back to Switzerland this year, hosted in Basel at the iconic St. Jakobshalle! Nine arena shows will happen throughout the Eurovision week – warmups, rehearsals for the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights, and the main event, the Grand Final on a Saturday the 17th of May, giving fans plenty of chances to be wowed.
Regardless of the 2018 live shows, or the Eurovision events on offer in Basel, this guide will give you all the need-to-know for visitors to get the most from your experience including important schedules to keep in notes.
Switzerland’s Hosting Eurovision
Scheduled to be held in Basel, Switzerland in 2025, the 69th edition of ESC is going to be provided following Switzerland's 2024 victory aided by Nemo and the song ‘’The Code.’’ This year it is planned to be held on May 13–17, 2025, and is being conducted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR).
This year the Eurovision Contest will be held in Switzerland for the third time, and the St. Jakobshalle in Basel with a seating capacity of 12,400 has been chosen. Most of these activities including but not limited to Eurovision Village, EuroClub, and others, the “Turquoise Carpet” for artists on May 11, will take place at Messe und Congress Centrum Basel in which other celebrations are also expected to happen. There will also be performances of songs from earlier Eurovision participants on the open-air stage of the St Johanns-Park in Basel, Switzerland.
Several Swiss cities showed concern after Switzerland had won in 2024, and wanted to organize Eurovision 2025. Taking bids since May 2024 by towns that include Geneva, Bern, and Zurich, Basel pulls out a last victory. Both Basel and Geneva had put forward their last offers, and the Swiss city of Basel was selected in August. When the representatives of both SRG SSR and EBU considered the candidate locations as well as the venues and the infrastructure, they chose St. Jakobshalle in Basel.
Only national broadcasters who can broadcast the contest live and are members of the EBU are allowed to participate. Joining automatic finalist Switzerland, the Big Five of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK go directly to the final stage, the other nations then have a chance to compete in the semi-final round. By October 2024, several countries have expressed their desire to take part. Some of those countries are Montenegro, although they have withdrawn from previous similar events for the past two rounds.
Schedule of the Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel means fans get nine opportunities to watch shows during the week of the Eurovision event, and not only the final. The main events are:
- First Semi-Final: Tuesday, May 13, 21:00 CET
- Second Semi-Final: Thursday, May 15, 21:00 CET
- Grand Final: Saturday, May 17, 21:00 CET
For each main show, there are additional previews and rehearsals:
- Evening Preview: Each evening before the Live TV Show, the full run-through includes an international vote for the Grand Final.
- Afternoon Preview: Each of them is happening every day and is aimed at young fans – the very experienced Live TV Shows that can be appreciated as the last rehearsal.
Afternoon Preview: Each of them is happening every day and is aimed at young fans – the very experienced Live TV Shows that can be appreciated as the last rehearsal.
Concert tickets are always sought after, and Preview shows will always offer a much easier ticket option. To know more, fans should join the official Eurovision mailing lists and follow all the channels for new ticket availability.
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There are so many opportunities to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, not only the main show. Starting with the Semi-Finals and the previews for the showpieces to the Final feast of the Grand Final, the week has it all. As always, tune in and get prepared for an evening of thrilling music and togetherness for this Eurovision to be most special.
