MEDIA RELEASE SRG SSR from 14.04.2025
The 69th Eurovision Song Contest has definitely arrived in Basel. The stage in St. Jakobshalle has been under construction for a week now. After months of planning and hard work, the countdown is on, with just four weeks remaining until the first Semi-Final. And all signs suggest that the ESC 2025 will be a very special event.
On Sunday 11 May, the Eurovision adventure will begin with a special moment for fans from home and abroad, the acts and the entire public. The Opening Ceremony will begin, officially kicking off the ESC week. The 37 delegations will walk over a turquoise-coloured carpet across the market square, accompanied by cheers from fans and the sound of their songs. There they will be met by vintage trams, which will take them to the exhibition site at walking pace. Accompanied by entertainers in a wide range of different styles – including Basel drummers and pipers, an excerpt from the Carnival of Basel, dance ensembles, school classes, Guggenmusik, alphorn players and techno acts – the route through the city will become a euphonious parade.
The parade will start around 2 pm. Visitors can experience the spectacle live along the route for around two hours. From approx. 3:15 pm, the first delegations will arrive at the large stage in the Eurovision Village at Messe Basel, where an audience will await them. This will be a free highlight of the week for the public.
Eurovision Song Contest 2025: The three shows are ready
The stage is taking shape in the St. Jakobshalle, and the countdown is on, with just four weeks remaining until the first semi-final. This year, the ESC is taking things to the next level as regards both the performances by the 37 participating countries and the opening and interval acts. This is all thanks to a highly versatile stage and one of the most cutting-edge lighting systems. Yves Schifferle, Head of Show: «Audiences can expect performances unlike any they’ve seen before on the Eurovision Song Contest. We are transcending creative and technical boundaries, and pushing the envelope in terms of what is actually possible on a live stage.»
Three shows – Three stories – One message: Welcome Home
The ESC 2025 is all about returning to its origins in Switzerland. Each show will tell its own story, united under the motto «Welcome Home»:
- Semi-Final 1 (13 May): «Where It All Began» – an homage to the ESC’s birthplace in Switzerland.
- Semi-Final 2 (15 May): «Eurovision Fans»– a party for everyone who loves the ESC
- Grand Final (17 May): «Let’s Celebrate A New Winner» – 26 countries compete for the coveted glass trophy and the whole of Europe joins in the excitement and celebrations. Great emotions and excitement are guaranteed until the early hours.
Presenters: Hazel Brugger, Sandra Studer & Michelle Hunziker (only on Saturday)
Opening & interval acts: Surprising, emotive, Swiss
From the alphorn to the avant-garde – the ESC 2025 is bridging the gap between traditional and modern. True to the motto «United by Music», the opening and interval acts of the ESC 2025 will bring together musical genres and perspectives – with unexpected surprises and a mixture of Swiss identity and international pop culture.
A powerful homage to the Swiss ESC history was announced today in Basel as the first of many more national and international interval acts. Paola, Peter, Sue & Marc, Luca Hänni and Gjon’s Tears will come together on stage for the first time to sing a medley celebrating Switzerland’s musical ESC legacy. Tribute will also be paid to the historical moment that made all of this possible: Nemo’s impressive win in Malmö in 2024, which brought the ESC back to Switzerland.
More acts and surprises will be announced successively on the SRG and Eurovision social media channels. The detailed show concept can be found here.
Postcards: Experience Switzerland through the eyes of the artists
In the weeks leading up to the ESC, each of the 37 acts has discovered Switzerland in their own way, while shooting their «postcards». They were accompanied by local hosts, who introduced the artists to their home country. The result is a series of short films showing each artist as the protagonist on a personal journey– full of curiosity and emotion, and ready for encounters. The cultural and scenic diversity of Switzerland will be brought to life – but always through the eyes of the artists. Click herefor a list of all the regions.
Public Value: World record, music for all the senses and one platform for you
Specific projects and events will turn the ESC 2025 into a festival for all of society and therefore more than the shows in the arena. For example, two parties will take place in Basel on 3 May 2025: With over 1400 tickets, the ESC 60+ Disco – organised by SRG and Pro Senectute Schweiz, with support from Basler Kantonalbank and Pro Senectute beider Basel – has already sold out and will probably be the largest over-60s disco in the world.
The second disco, «Feel the Beat», is for people with and without a hearing impairment, and is being organised by SRG, the Swiss Association of the Deaf and Sonos. The initiative will be facilitated with the support of Novartis. The result: an inclusive experience with vibrating dance floors and visual effects in the Voltahalle. On the day before, groups and school classes can experience the special, customised dance floor and the visual effects. Through this, experts are raising awareness about deafness. More information and tickets can be found here: «Feel the Beat» disco – SRG SSR
ESC 2025 – Celebrating accessibility
The two Semi-Finals of the ESC will hit the stage in Basel on 13 and 15 May, with the Grand Final taking place on 17 May. SRG will be broadcasting the three television shows live. In consultation with associations for the sensory impaired, they will ensure that the needs of those with hearing or visual impairments will be met by making the programmes on RSI, RTS and SRF accessible with audio description, subtitles and sign language. ESC fans who attend the event in the St. Jakobshalle will be able to use the SRG’s range of accessibility programmes via the «accessify.live» website. Visitors with hearing aids or cochlea implants can also connect via the accessify.live service to hear the presenters in the hall via the ultrafast audio stream. They can also read along and translate if required. More information can be found here: ESC 2025: Accessible services on RSI, RTS and SRF
The ESC 2025 also includes a number of smaller projects and events which the Swiss public can actively take part in themselves. To accompany these activities and help people keep track of them, the «ESC unites» community platform will be used for the first time at the ESC. This is a joint project of the ESC 2025 and Swiss Solidarity.
By registering their own event, the organisers will become part of the 2025 ESC spirit. What’s more, the event can be used to raise funds for Swiss Solidarity, thereby supporting a sense of unity. Following a brief check, the individual community projects will have a high level of visibility, usage rights for the «ESC unites» logo, and with a bit of luck the ESC social media team will visit the event and post about it!
«Basel-Welcome Home» app: The ultimate ESC event and city guide
The «Basel-Welcome Home» official app will turn Basel into a personalised ESC experience: It will combine all the Eurovision highlights with the most beautiful parts of the city. With an interactive city map, real-time event updates, personalised recommendations and helpful tips, the app will be the perfect aide for ESC fans – and anyone looking to rediscover Basel. The app will be available free of charge from the start of May in all standard app stores.
Get there in comfort – return safely. Let the SBB take you to the ESC
With its extensive public transport services, the SBB – an official service partner of the Eurovision Song Contest and the transport company for the Basel region – will ensure that visitors have a comfortable, sustainable journey both to and from the Eurovision Song Contest. Those with a ticket for the ESC shows, the Arena plus and the Eurovision Club will benefit from discounted travel tickets on show day from a Swiss locality to Basel to the value of 20 CHF and can travel to and from the event free of charge within the TNW, RVL and Distribus network.
After the shows, a number of additional buses, trams and shuttle trains will take visitors from Basel St. Jakob to Basel SBB, where they can make the last connections to Zurich, Bern and Lucerne, as well as the last S-Bahn services in the region. In addition, night trams and buses will be in service throughout the week in the city of Basel, as will S-Bahns in the Basel region. On the day of the Grand Final, shuttle trains will run from Basel SBB to Basel St. Jakob every 20 minutes. After the show finishes, shuttle trains will run from Basel St. Jakob to Basel SBB every 7 minutes. Extra trains will run from there to Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, Biel/Bienne and Lucerne. Buses and trams will also be running on a special timetable throughout the night at the weekend too.
All connections can be found on the online timetable at www.sbb.ch.
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