Ever since Nemo won Eurovision for Switzerland back in May, officials from across the country have jostled to try and host the famous music competition. Now, out of a shortlist of Geneva and Basel, we know which will host one of the greatest shows on Earth - and it is good news for the city on the Rhine.
At 10am on August 30, the national broadcasting cooperation SRG SSR announced that Basel will host Eurovision in 2025. The world’s largest musical event will be held at the St. Jakobshalle, with the final taking place on May 17.
In a statement, the SRG said that it looked forward to hosting the competition in Switzerland’s third-largest city. They promised to not only “hold a big celebration in Basel with the ESC, but to organise a positive event of diversity, creativity and openness that brings people together throughout Switzerland and beyond.”
St. Jakobshalle was able to beat off rival bids from Geneva, Zurich and Bern. With the announcement, the city will be thrown into the global spotlight: 163 million people watched the three live shows in Malmö, Sweden in 2024.
Switzerland has a long history at Eurovision, with Basel becoming the third Swiss city to host the competition and the first to do so in 36 years. The first-ever song contest - called the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson - was held in the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano in May 1956. Following a victory for Céline Dion in 1988, Eurovision was held in the Palais de Beaulieu in Lausanne in 1989.
This time, the alpine nation was propelled to the top by Nemo and their hit song “The Code.” In all, the competition is expected to cost between 30 and 35 million francs to host.
While officials in Basel celebrate, some have worried that Eurovision in Switzerland may be scuppered by referendum. In July, the Federal Democratic Union (EDU) called for any government loans used in the competition to be put to a public vote - indeed, the threat of referendum was one of the main reasons why rival bids from Zurich and Bern were rejected.
Luckily, according to SRG spokesperson Edi Estermann, "The holding of a referendum would not necessarily mean that the city cannot provide the agreed services.” As part of SRG and Eurovision’s contract with the city, even if these loans are rejected by voters, the song contest will take place in Basel regardless.
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