The decision has been made: The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place in Basel. The city on the Rhine bend was chosen last night by the Swiss organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), the SRG, and confirmed this morning by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Three and a half months after Nemo’s victory for Switzerland in Malmö, Sweden, on May 11, 2024, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) has found a home in Switzerland: Basel will host the world’s largest music event as the so-called “Host City” and managed to win against Geneva in the final stretch. The two cities had engaged in a close race with their excellent applications.
Refinement of the Cities’ Applications
In the last weeks since the presentation of the shortlist on July 19, the cities of Geneva and Basel, which advanced to the next round, had the opportunity to refine their applications and provide additional information. The ESC core team visited both cities again, inspected the main and side event venues, and evaluated them according to a comprehensive assessment catalog. The auditing and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) acted as an independent party in both the creation of this assessment catalog and the evaluation, ensuring transparency, objectivity, and traceability.
The Best Offer for the ESC 2025
The aim of this second round was to reassess the two best offers from the previous process based on the additional information and new insights and to determine the most attractive overall offer for the ESC in Switzerland. Criteria such as the suitability of the venue for the show-specific requirements, creative ideas for the side events, the financial resources provided, the cultural offerings, as well as sustainability and safety concepts were weighed. Potential risks in preparation and execution were considered, and expectations regarding value creation in Switzerland for the two border cities of Geneva and Basel were defined. In total, around 100 criteria were applied.
Guest in Basel – Final Show on May 17, 2025
The ESC core team of the SRG made a recommendation to the steering committee this week, which decided on Thursday evening to follow this recommendation – and this Friday morning, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), responsible for the event, also confirmed this choice: the ESC 2025 will take place in Basel. The date of the music event is now also set: the grand final will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025. The announcement of the Host City was communicated today Friday at 10 AM on the official ESC channels.
Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler, the Co-Executive Producers of the ESC: “The quality of the cities’ applications has impressed us! All four cities, and especially Geneva and Basel in the final round, have competed for the title of ‘Host City’ with creative approaches and a very constructive attitude. Such commitment is by no means a given. Our thanks go to all the cities that applied. And congratulations, Basel! We look forward to working with you to make the ESC an unforgettable experience for the entire population.”
The goal of the SRG now is to not only organize a great celebration in Basel with the ESC but also to conduct a positive event of diversity, creativity, and openness that brings people together from all over Switzerland and beyond.