Eurovision Song Contest organisers call for ‘city party’ in Basel
The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2025 in Basel should not just be a television show. At an information event for Basel’s cultural scene, those responsible called on those present to contribute something to the “big city party”.
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Restraint is not the order of the day for the ESC 2025 in Basel. Those responsible from canton Basel City and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company, are expecting a lively city festival. It will take place around the main events broadcast throughout Europe and the world in mid-May in the St Jakobshalle stadium, with public rehearsals, the semi-finals and the final on May 17.
+ Eurovision Song Contest 2025 to be staged in Basel
From May 10, hundreds of thousands of fans are expected in addition to the up to 15,000 accredited participants, said SBC executive producers Reto Peritz and Moritz Stalder, explaining that these people should meet a city in which the Eurovision Song Contest is really lived. And in this respect, Basel has beaten off the national competition to host the global event, they said.
Events with local acts wanted
Events are now being sought for the main areas and show stages, which was an appeal to the 80 or so cultural event organisers present at the information event – be it professional performances by local and regional acts on show stages or by street musicians from all over the world.
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The programme for the big pre-show of the Public View Arena Plus in the St Jakob-Park football stadium will remain in the hands of the SBC, while the programme in the ESC Club in the Messe event hall will be put together by the fan clubs.
Those responsible are still cautious about the exact programme. They only announced that the largest turquoise carpet in ESC history would be rolled out for the opening ceremony at Messe Basel on May 11 and that local organisers could exceptionally apply for Swisslos lottery funds for ESC-specific contributions more than once a year.
Canton Basel City has allocated CHF37 million ($42.8 million) for the staging of the ESC. The Federal Democratic Union (EDU) is collecting signatures for a referendum against this loan, which according to the party will be submitted on Saturday.
Translated from German by DeepL/ts
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