Junior Eurovision 2025 Shifts Venue to Tbilisi Gymnastics Palace
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A late venue change for Junior Eurovision 2025 will see the competition held at the Tbilisi Gymnastics Palace, just three weeks after initial plans pointed to the Tbilisi Olympic Palace. The move keeps the event within Georgia’s capital, but necessitates adjustments for a significantly smaller audience.
The alteration, first noted on November 24th when official contest materials were updated, appears to stem from the Olympic Palace’s unavailability for a crucial inspection by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Georgian media reports suggest the EBU required access to the original venue to assess its suitability for the broadcast.
Smaller Venue, Expanded Stage Potential
The Tbilisi Gymnastics Palace will accommodate just under 1,300 fans, a considerable reduction from the approximately 3,600–3,700 seats originally available at the Olympic Palace. Despite the decreased capacity, organizers are emphasizing a positive aspect of the change: a larger floor area within the gymnastics hall.
“The expanded floor area provides producers with increased flexibility for staging and camera work,” one analyst noted, “allowing for potentially more dynamic performances despite the reduced audience size.” This suggests a focus on visual spectacle to compensate for the more intimate atmosphere.
Preparations Underway for December 13th Broadcast
Preparations are already well underway at the new venue. Stage construction commenced this week, with Lasha Kapanadze, Georgia’s Head of Press for Junior Eurovision, sharing initial behind-the-scenes images from inside the Gymnastics Palace.
It remains unclear whether the previously announced stage concept – incorporating elements of the Georgian landscape and a stylized folk drum – will require modifications to fit the new space. A senior official stated that adjustments are being evaluated to optimize the design for the Gymnastics Palace.
Saturday Broadcast and Record-Breaking Host Nation
Junior Eurovision 2025 is scheduled to be broadcast live from Tbilisi on Saturday, December 13th, at 17:00 CET. This marks the second consecutive year the contest will air on a Saturday, departing from its traditional Sunday timeslot.
Eighteen countries are expected to participate in the 23rd edition of the show. Georgia earned the right to host after Andria Putkaradze’s victory at the 2024 competition in Madrid with his song “To My Mom,” securing 239 points and a record fourth Junior Eurovision title for the nation. This will be the second time Tbilisi has hosted the event, having previously welcomed the contest to the Olympic Palace in 2017.
With the venue now confirmed and construction progressing, attention is turning to how producers will adapt the production to the more intimate Gymnastics Palace—and what kind of atmosphere the smaller crowd will bring to Junior Eurovision’s return to Georgia.
