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Three cities are already vying for the venue. The best arguments will be examined immediately.
It’s all about this: After Nemo’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö, the first possible venues for the 2025 competition have been lined up. They sense “a great artistic and tourism opportunity to show the world what Switzerland is all about,” as SRG General Director Gilles Marchand puts it. Some want. But who can?
The criteria: According to SRG spokesman Edi Estermann, a city would have to meet numerous conditions in order to be able to hold the ESC – including sufficiently large halls, sufficient accommodation and the format for the required catering. The conditions will then likely limit the field to a few cities. Speed is also required. Because: According to Estermann, there is no time to waste.
The dimensionsAccording to Estermann, the ESC is “comparable to a European Football Championship, almost to the Olympic Games.” Tourism expert Florian Eggli from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences encourages him: It’s not just about the tourists who arrive, but also about Switzerland’s image: “This is a big event with a huge impact.” This brings added value at the event and beyond – by significantly influencing the image of the destination. Especially since a basic infrastructure and connection to international connections are needed, Heggli explains, Zurich, Basel and Geneva have the best cards.
This is a big event with a huge impact
Candidate Geneva: Geneva is the first Swiss city an application dossier has been submitted for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. Palexpo and the Geneva authorities have been working for several weeks to host the event in Geneva. Palexpo Geneva offers space for almost 15,000 spectators with 32,000 square meters. In addition, the International Radio Union was founded in Geneva in 1925, the predecessor of the European Broadcasting Union founded in 1950, writes the applicant.
Candidate Basel: “Basel is ready”: The canton of Basel-Stadt announced this at the request of Keystone-SDA. The whole of Basel was rooting for Nemo on Saturday and was incredibly happy about his victory. “It would be great and honorable if Basel could host the next edition of this globally popular singing competition for Switzerland,” said government spokesman Marco Greiner when asked. District President Conradin Cramer weighs in on three other arguments for Basel: the infrastructure, accessibility and hospitality.
Candidate St. Gallen: Christine Bolt, head of the Olma agricultural exhibition in eastern Switzerland, wants to bring the ESC to St. Gallen. “Now we are in demand,” she wrote on the Linkedin platform on Sunday. In her opinion, a perfect venue would be the new Olma Hall, which was inaugurated at the beginning of March. It offers space for up to 12,000 people.
Desired location Biel: Hours after his victory, winner Nemo campaigned for the ESC to be brought to his hometown of Biel. At the same time, he admitted that there probably weren’t enough hotel beds for participants and visitors. But Biel can practice celebrating festivals. As cultural director Glenda Gonzales told Keystone-SDA, they wanted to give the exceptional artist a big reception.