Eurovoix Made for Eurovision fans, by Eurovision fans. As rehearsals for the second half of Semi-Final 2 are scheduled for tomorrow, the final delegations are making their way to Basel, the host city of Eurovision 2025. All delegations participating in Semi-Final 1 concluded their first rehearsal yesterday, on May 4. Today and tomorrow, rehearsals for the acts competing in Semi-Final 2 will take place at St. Jakobshalle. The delegations traveling today are primarily those competing in the second half of Semi-Final 2 on May 15: Malta, Georgia, Denmark, Czechia, Luxembourg, Israel, Serbia, and Finland. As with the past two days, each delegation will have 30 minutes to rehearse, with sessions running from 10:30 CET to 16:40 CET. Miriana Conte and the Maltese delegation departed from Malta International Airport earlier this morning. The artist shared her excitement in an Instagram post. A post shared by Miriana Conte (@mirianaconte) Mariam Shengelia and the Georgian delegation began their journey to Basel this morning Yuval Rafael and Israeli team are on their way to Basel. Erika Vikman and the Finnish delegation are en route to Basel from Helsinki Vantaa International Airport, despite the threat of industrial action.  A post shared by UMK (@uudenmusiikinkilpailu) Princ and the Serbian delegation boarded a flight from Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade to Basel earlier today. Adonx shared on his Instagram that he and the Czech delegation are en route to Basel. A post shared by ADONXS (@ageofadonxs) Switzerland earned the honor of hosting Eurovision 2025 after Nemo triumphed at the 2024 contest with their song “The Code” with 365 from the jury and 226 from the televote securing Switzerland’s first victory since 1988 Tamara is originally from Slovenia but currently lives in The Netherlands She became a Eurovoix member in February 2025 She has been actively following the Eurovision Song Contest since 2007 and gained interest for national selections in 2018 She closely follows the Balkan music scene and enjoys covering the region in her work Albian Ajeti shone in Basel's 5:1 victory over Servette on Sunday Basel has come very close to the title of Swiss football champion The 28-year-old striker scored two goals and provided an assist He had to wait a full 183 days for his next goals in the championship but was often left on the bench when Kevin Carlos was transferred His last goal came on November 2 in a 5-0 win over Winterthur He now has seven goals and six assists in 27 appearances "I was present in some of the past matches and I knew that the goal would come sooner or later," Ajeti said He has no doubt that he will return to the goal He says that he is always at the service of the team Ajeti had a special celebration after scoring a goal while his teammate Dominik Schmid lay between his legs Ajeti has shown that the idea for such a celebration was the Basel photographer Basel has been waiting for the title since 2017 "Only when the time comes will I accept the congratulations "If we perform like we have in recent weeks nothing unusual can happen," Ajeti stressed And in that match the title could be secured Now we have another difficult match in Lugano This site is controlled and managed by KOHA are protected by KOHA's copyright and KOHA retains the reserved rights for them Materials on this site may not be used for commercial purposes without the prior permission of KOHA is prohibited The use of materials from any website or other medium without the permission of the KOHA Group on behalf of all the units that make it up (Koha Ditore is a violation of copyright and of intellectual property according to the legal provisions in force All violators of these rights will face the law The translation of contents into other languages ​​is done automatically and there may be errors Annex of the former Radio Prishtina (first floor) George Bush pn Thanks to the brilliance of two footballers with roots from Kosovo Basel is getting closer to the title of champion in Switzerland The Shaqiri – Ajeti duo led Basel to a deep 5:1 victory in the derby against Servette The playoff match between Basel and Servette took place on Sunday There are still four rounds left in the Swiss Super League Basel has taken a big step towards the title which has been waiting for the title since 2017 Shaqiri scored the first goal with an assist from Albian Ajeti in the 28th minute Then Shaqiri assisted Ajeti in the 34th minute Servette scored for 3:1 in the 55th minute Benie Traore scored with an assist from Shaqiri Nicolas Vouilloz scored the final goal for Basel's 5-1 victory Shaqiri and Leon Avdullahu completed the match while Ajeti was substituted in the 68th minute Basel has broken away from the top of the table with 64 points In second place is Servette with 55 points Basel could be declared champion in Switzerland next week Albanian footballers are leading Basel to the title He also scored the second goal with an assist from Shaqiri Xherdan Shaqiri scored with an assist from Ajeti for 1:0 '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/yuval-raphael-departs-for-basel-ahead-of-next-weeks-eurovision-song-contest\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=Em9XCPdhv8YEeXl.6bNWXjNSVpwfHyzACYcEUD3G0FI-1746493155-1.0.1.1-_ahcs5fQEB.4DEiQ1XCFWRpfxRTLSY3FW37b2zMSfu8" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Eurovision 2025 is right around the corner and Monday sees day 3 of rehearsals inside Basel’s St Eight artists will take to the stage for their first rehearsals They’re the countries competing in the first half of semi-final two — Australia through to Lithuania They’ll have 30 minutes on the the stage to see how their graphics and camera angles are coming together It also gives them time to start working out their jitters as they fill the arena with their voices for the very first time The EBU are sharing thoughts from inside the arena on Reddit We’ll try to update this post as things drop please share your thoughts in the comments section throughout the day Here’s the full Eurovision rehearsal schedule for Monday 5 May because we’re kicking off Day 3 with Go-Jo the creation of Australian artist Marty Zambotto He’s amassed over 1.4 million followers across TikTok and in 2023 was the 9th most streamed Australian artist in the world and shared the stage with some of the biggest artists in the world We came into today with no idea what to expect from this performance as Australia didn’t have a national final this year But we were hoping for a little of the retro party energy of the official video and since Australia are celebrating their 10th year Eurovision we’re delighted to report we’ve received our second set of staging notes “The performance opens with a retro infomercial featuring Go-Jo as an enthusiastic salesman Go-Jo’s boundless energy and knack for the element of surprise also come through in the staging – it takes inspiration from the Milkshake Man video clip with bold neon tones The era leans heavily into the 70s and 80s which also serves as a fun nod to fellow WA artist Voyager and their 80’s staging from two years ago there’s an explosion of colour that captures the same wild this is a LOT of fun and a feast for the eyeballs with some very cute graphics that support the retro whole infomercial vibe Clearly these are only visible to the TV audience but there’s still plenty for the arena audience to enjoy – Go-Jo in a very 70s-style white suit with a red-striped collar and a red cravat two dancers in red and white striped dresses and a big finish after the sweet sweet/yum yums where the graphics flood every corner of the stage and the whole thing goes pink neon laser disco party There’s also a central prop that…isn’t the ice cream truck Did we join in with the call-and-response ‘sweet sweet/yum yum’ section It definitely lacks impact when you’re the only one in the arena but we’re fully expecting next week’s audience to make up for our feeble yum yums Also just realised that Croatia have yum yums too What are the chances of two lots of yum yums in one year Time for Montenegro to rehearse now – we’re delighted to see them back at Eurovision in 2025 Nina Žižić is a singer and songwriter with a career spanning two decades and this is her second appearance on the Eurovision stage – she provided those incredible vocals for Montenegrin dubstep spacemen Who See in Malmö in 2013 We’re still listening to Igranka 12 years on Dobrodošli has a VERY different vibe from that – it’s a Bond theme-esque Balkan power ballad with a soaring orchestral arrangement At Montesong Nina sang this in a very structured white dress with an eye mask but in the official video she wore a black dress with no mask We can confirm that her costume for this first rehearsal is…similar to Montesong The mask remains until the first bridge into the chorus but the white dress now has a huge white train and a built-in panel of structured fabric that creates a circular frame from above her head to below her knees So imagine the circle that Vladana wore in 2022 but make it bigger and an integral part of a pure white dress with Nina’s red lipstick being the only colour There are some camera shots taken from the side where she almost looks like a swan – it’s VERY dramatic The LED wall features white light particles that come together to form swirling shapes on the LED wall and there’s some very clever use of blue and white lighting that builds through the song This performance is also less static than we saw at Montesong helped by a much bigger stage – Nina starts in the centre then walks to the frame stage for the big vocal finish Next up it’s Ireland – this year they’re represented by Norwegian singer Emmy who is bringing a slice of 00s-style Europop about Soviet dog Laika the first dog to orbit the earth back in 1957 It’s an upbeat journey through time and space bringing a message of hope and positivity to the Eurofandom This performance has definitely had a glow-up since Emmy’s winning performance on the Late Late Show Eurosong Special Emmy’s silver playsuit has been replaced by a silver metallic dress with a pleated skirt She starts the performance spotlit on a shiny metal platform in the centre of the stage that looks like a lunar module with her brother Erlend on keyboards at stage level in front wearing a metallic silver shirt and his trademark star-shaped shades all in silver trousers and black/silver vests who dance in front of Erlend during each chorus So it has the same vibe and energy we saw at the Irish national final but the routine is much more precise and polished The biggest difference is the impact of the neon lighting and LED walls – the floating bones are gone instead replaced by neon planets and animated marching space cats for each set of bam bams During the chorus the main LED wall features a constellation that forms the shape of Laika the dog out of stars PYRO UPDATE: big firework jets in the final chorus Our final rehearsal before lunch is Latvia’s Tautumeitas a 6-piece ethno-pop group who combine Latvian folk melodies with contemporary beats This is the first time we’ve seen a song fully in Latvian for some years and from the first note the harmonies sound glorious in the empty space of this arena Bur Man Laimi translates as ‘a chant for happiness’ – the whole thing has a feel of mystical spell-casting We’ve been wondering if Tautumeitas would retain the ethereal curtain we saw at Supernova or whether they would lean more into the fairy forest vibe from the official video with a different staging concept We’re not surprised to see that they’ve retained the curtain – it’s such a simple way to create atmosphere and intimacy and the way this performance uses light on sections of the curtain to create pools of shadow is really immersive and hypnotic the whole routine is more or less exactly the same as Supernova – during the second run-through we simultaneously played the Supernova version on our laptop to see if we could spot any differences The lighting is definitely more dramatic and powerful and at one point the LED wall gives them tails to make them look like animals which requires them to be in exactly the right place on the stage Their costumes are also different – instead of the floaty dresses we saw at Supernova Tautumeitas are all wearing matching gold catsuits with detailing that looks like branches and fins and stunning gold headdresses that light up and change colour through the song Hopefully you’ll be able to see some of the detailing on the TikTok video later but you’ll definitely get a better look on the photos tomorrow PYRO update – low fog for added magic and mysticism PARG from Armenia is up next – aka Pargev Vardanian known for blending traditional Armenian culture with modern elements He’s considered a trailblazer in Armenian music and he’s now blazed that trail all the way to Basel He’s also brought an entirely different staging concept for Survivor from the one we saw at Depi Evratesil – as dramatic a change as we saw from Croatia yesterday The first thing to note is the use of the lego lights – half of them have been lowered to barely above head height with the other half maybe eight feet above They strobe and flash in sync with the bassline and also create a structural effect on the stage that feels very dark and industrial – completely different from the rock/pillar structure we saw at Depi Evratesil PARG starts his performance in the gap between the two halves of the lighting rig Most of the performance then takes place on a treadmill in the middle of the frame stage where he sprints during the chanting sections of the chorus then slows down for the low tempo middle eight but PARG has clearly been very busy in the rehearsal studio and the whole concept aligns really well with the pace and energy of the song The other big change is PARG’s costume – the one-shouldered armour has gone replaced by a black vest and studded black leather trousers (loose cargo fit rather than tight the lego lights rise up to open up the stage for PARG’s dramatic final chorus when it feels like every light in the arena is in flash mode the stage crew call the lego lights ‘the automation’ PYRO UPDATE: big flame jets in the chorus before the middle eight then the treadmill starts smoking like it’s on fire He’s taken time off as a countertenor at the Vienna State Opera to bring Wasted Love to the Eurovision Song Contest – it’s another song that was chosen without a national final so all we have to go on is the atmospheric spooky forest vibe we saw in the official video This is another staging concept from artistic direction Sergio Jaen who was responsible for Bambie Thug’s staging last year First thing to note is that the staging is designed to be broadcast entirely in black and white which we can only imagine was a huge technical challenge It means the lighting is all about creating pockets of light and shadow ramping up the light levels in sync with the tempo and drama of the song what drama – both from JJ’s operatic vocals and the staging concept The central prop is a simple boat that looks like it’s been made from packing crates with a wooden mast and a white sail – JJ performs in the boat for the whole of the performance clinging onto the mast as a storm begins in the second chorus through a combination of some very clever camerawork and a wind machine cranked up to the max JJ performs some wind-battered choreography that feels almost like contemporary dance and as the tempo builds through the drum ‘n’ bass section at the end with waves and stormclouds building on the LED screen flashing strobe lights and JJ barely hanging on to the boat as an overhead camera shot makes it look like the boat is being sucked into a vortex on the LED floor a huge lighthouse appears on the main LED wall like a beacon of hope in the darkness There is probably loads of detail we missed mostly through not having nearly enough eyes for that performance JJ’s costume – a long black leather coat with metal accents In Thursday’s running order it will be the UK next but as one of the Big 5 they don’t rehearse until Thursday a 22-year-old singer and songwriter who is a well-known performer and TikTok star in Greece Asteromáta is a traditional Greek expression that describes women with bright starry eyes – the closest English translation would be ‘little starry-eyed one’ This staging for this soaring ballad is entirely different from the performance we saw at Ethnikós Telikós so we’re very grateful to the Greek delegation for giving us some staging notes “Klavdia begins her appearance on the Eurovision stage standing on a pier Her movement toward a rock symbolizes the fiery journey each person undertakes to the Light reflects the theme of separation – the central message of the song “Asteromata” So we have our first rock of the season as a central prop – you always ask us how big rocks are so this one is little smaller than TEYA DORA’s rock last year and once Klavdia has walked along the pier in the quiet opening verse she performs the rest of the song on top of it She’s joined by one female dancer for the second verse fitted gown that sparkles with tiny jewels In different lights it looks either black or a very dark navy blue – it’s hard to tell but hopefully that will be clearer on the photos tomorrow There’s some lovely camerawork in this performance with overhead shots making it look like the pier is in water which then morph into dramatic burning trees and volcanic landscapes that spread up the LED wall as the song builds The lighting and graphic effects are stunning – at one point Klavdia lifts her arm with the lego lights descending at the end to create the same tiered effect we saw for Albania yesterday but we can still feel the love and loss and pain in every line We’re wrapping up the day with some alt-rock from Lithuania’s Katarsis – they’re a 4-piece Lithuanian band known for their unique blend of dark alternative and post-punk music Those of you who loved their winning performance from Eurovizija will be very happy to hear that the staging remains largely unchanged – the blue outfits the exploding house and the flying rocks in the final TAVOS are all much the same albeit the graphics are delivered on a much bigger scale The performers are a little more spread out than they were at the national final and in the second verse Lukas moves down to the frame stage with guitarists Alanas and Emilija we mapped the second run-through against the video from Eurovizija and whilst there are many different camera angles and wide shots the flow of the performance has remained generally the same What‘s changed is the atmosphere added by the lighting and extra effects – on the Basel stage they‘re able to add more light and shade so there’s a really nice close-up shot where Lukas’s face is half in shadow he battles against a wind machine in sequence of different camera shots – the whole thing feels lighter in parts and darker and more atmospheric in others At the end the lego lights descend to create an effect that looks like a pair of wings as the strobes kick in for the TAVOs and the song ends in a flash of white light It was already a great performance at Eurovizija but this definitely feels like it’s been elevated Jonathan is a Eurovision fan from the United Kingdom and first watched the contest in 2005 After coming across the national selections and junior contest ten years later he's now fully immersed himself into the Eurovision lifestyle You can follow Jonathan on Twitter: @JonathanVautrey and Instagram: @jonathanvautrey Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Portugal 2021….The Black Mamba did it too This is a regular broadcast made to LOOK like black and white by actually BEING black and white Or maybe it’s me who’s mistaken Austria getting Sergio Jaen for staging makes me thinks they can win EBU really erased all the vibe by removing videos from the first rehearsals I do not feel like we are 1 week before Eurovision Hoping the best for my favourites Montenegro and Austria here Will Go-Jo ejaculate on the camera for the climax of the song Overview Meet the team Press Write for us Input your search keywords and press Enter Eurosong winner EMMY and Team Ireland have arrived in Basel Switzerland ahead of their first Eurovision Song Contest rehearsal on Monday who will represent Ireland at the Eurovision with the song Laika Party posted photos from Oslo Airport on social media before her Sunday afternoon flight We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences and the dancers who will share the stage with the siblings in Basel's St Jakobshalle: Vilde Skorstad EMMY revealed that she had been unsure whether she would make the flight "because I was one hour delayed because of a storm in Norway and blocked roads" to see the big stage and to see our new friends The first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final is on Tuesday 13 May EMMY will perform third in the second semi-final on Thursday 15 May Click here for more music news. RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites EMMY (holding the Tricolour at Oslo Airport) will perform third in the second Eurovision Song Contest semi\u002Dfinal on Thursday 15 May The site owner may have set restrictions that prevent you from accessing the site I got an error when visiting eurovision.tv/video/can-basel-handle-sauna-heat-eurovision-sweden-eurovision2025 first rehearsals continue for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel First rehearsals for the countries competing in the first half of Semi-Final Two will take place in Basel First rehearsals see each country given a 40-minute slot on stage to rehearse their entry allowing for multiple runs through of their performance Delegations first submitted their staging plans to the contest organisers in March with stand-in rehearsals taking place during the past week to enable some pre-first rehearsal changes there will be no video footage released of the rehearsals only three approved images of each performance will be released the following day The following countries are expected to take to the stage today: To get the most out of our coverage of this year’s contest in Basel make sure to follow us on all of our social media platforms it has been a pleasure to find out more about this amazing continent through the Eurovision Family of Events it's been brilliant to see the site grow and flourish and continue to bring our readers everything from the world of Eurovision The House of Helvetia — our Eurovision fan event in Basel — is about to open its doors Join us on the campus of Swiss insurer Helvetia as we welcome the stars of Eurovision 2025 between Saturday 10 May and Saturday 17 May at St Artists will generally attend for one hour They’ll sit on our sofa for a live interview in front of an audience Then some acts will choose to perform a short set — or maybe just their Eurovision song Artists then have the option to pose for pics with fans We will be updating the schedule below continuously in the week ahead We are only including the publicly confirmed artists for now Most of the TBA spots are already filled and we will reveal them soon Our scheduling for the Friday and Saturday leading into the grand final will be announced closer to the day Eliminated acts and stars from Eurovisions past are on the horizon And we’ll also have special panel discussions about this year’s competition Because of the Eurovision red carpet and Opening Ceremony We’re pleased to be part of the offerings on the Helvetia campus during Eurovision They’ll be staging a number of events in the evenings after our fan event.  Monday May 12: Swiss evening with regional bands Tuesday May 13: Public viewing of the First Semi-Final Wednesday May 14: Eurovision Party with Flugmodus Thursday May 15: Public viewing of the Second Semi-Final Friday May 16: The Final Countdown with Les Touristes Saturday May 17: Public viewing of the grand final Helvetia have created a WhatsApp channel where they will post program highlights from their campus You can join Helvetia’s Eurovision WhatsApp channel at this link.  Helvetia’s Basel campus is very well located: It’s just a 10-minute walk from the main station and a 10-minute walk from the city centre It sits exactly between the Eurovision Village (12 minutes away by tram) and the Eurovision 2025 arena St Alban area is an upscale residential district where you’ll walk past gorgeous villas and Gothic and baroque merchant’s houses winding streets and historical buildings online It was part of the fortifications of the old walled city and is now a gateway to the city’s medieval history lively atmosphere and the iconic “Botta building.” Once you see it The gorgeous auditorium where we’ll be hosting performances who do you want to see at the House of Helvetia William Lee Adams is the founder and editor-in-chief of wiwibloggs. His memoir “Wild Dances: My Queer and Curious Journey to Eurovision” is available now. You can follow him on Instagram @williamleeadams and Twitter @willyleeadams With the second set of rehearsals for Eurovision 2025 due to start today, more delegations are making their way to the host city of Basel. All the delegations of Semi Final 1 had previously arrived in Basel, with first rehearsals for the second half commencing today. The delegations travelling today are mainly those that will be competing in the first half of Semi-Final 2 on May 15; Australia, Montenegro, Ireland, Latvia, Armenia, Austria, Greece and Lithuania. The Australian and Lithuanian delegations have already arrived in Basel yesterday. They will have their first rehearsals tomorrow in the St. Jakobshalle. Each delegation will have 40 minutes to rehearse, with sessions running from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM. JJ and the Austrian team departed for Basel via train earlier this morning, with JJ having an emotional goodbye at Vienna Central Station with his family before leaving. A post shared by JJ (@johannesjjpietsch) Parg shared on his Instagram story that he and the Armenian delegation are en route to Basel. Nina Žižić and the Montenegrin delegation have safely arrived in Basel this morning. Both Klavdia and the Greek delegation are en route to Basel, flying from Athens International Airport. A post shared by 🇬🇷 OGAE GREECE (@ogaegreece) Laura Thorn and the Luxembourgish delegation are en route to Basel today. A post shared by Eric ESCLUX (@ericesclux) Tautumeitas and the Latvian delegation left for Basel today from Riga International Airport. A post shared by Latvijas Televīzija (@latvijastelevizija) Emmy and part of the Irish delegation are travelling from Oslo Airport in Norway, while the rest of the delegation will travel from Ireland. A post shared by RTÉ One (@rteone) The 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel on May 13 The first photographs from the rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 have been released. After the first set of countries rehearsed in the St. Jabokshalle yesterday, the EBU has released photos of those first rehearsals. Unlike previous years, there will be no video footage released of the rehearsals. Instead, only three approved images will be released of each performance. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) The warrior look remains for Kyle for his Basel performance, with the first photos showing similar staging to that seen in Melodi Grand Prix. Not featured in the images are Sondrey (2020 and 2025) and Frode Vassel (2022) who have joined as backing singers. Daniel Grindeland, a Norwegian breakdance star and winner of Norwegian championships, will also perform on stage. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) The “Strobe Lights” staging has been elevated for Eurovision from the Eurosong performance. His outfit was designed by Bert De Coninck. Red Sebastian is joined on stage by backing dancers Bruno De Rouck, Goran Tourenne and Hugo Gebbia. Lani Pellegrini joins the Belgian performance as a backing singer. The whole performance is staged by Yves Ruth with support from Hans Pannecoucke, Ignace D’Haese and Alessandro Leën. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Mamagama has been joined by three dancers for their Eurovision performance. Mamagama are dressed all in black with gold highlights. They have two props on stage a circle hanging from the ceiling which is then mirrored as a floor prop. Ace Bowerman has staged the performance for Azerbaijan. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) San Marino are bringing a party to the Eurovision stage with the use of pyrotechnics and smoke as part of their performance. The two masked singers who were seen in the San Marino Song Contest also remain. There are no dancers on stage. Next to Gabry on the stage are Next to him the masked singers and co-writers of the song, Andrea Bonomo and Edwyn Roberts, the backing singer Gianluigi Fazio, Gioele Nuzzo on the tambourine and Donato Vizzino on the accordion. Flasing lights and digital graffiti can be seen on the LED screens behind Gabry. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Claude is dressed in an all-burgundy suit for what looks to be a very atmospheric performance. He is joined by three violinists: Nadine Dekker, Nigel Menting and Patricia Kuijk. The performance, which has been choreographed by Emma Evelin also features two dancers; Emma and Lungssu Yen. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Theo is wearing a black tank top, black trousers and a harness. He is joined by four dancers on stage and two scaffolding towers, which are moved around throughout the song. The “mysterious figure” that the Cypriot delegation were hinting at before is the Vitruvian Man an ink drawing by Leonardo da Vinci which represents da Vinci’s conception of ideal body proportions. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Marko’s staging and styling from Dora is now completely gone. Marko is now wearing a fur and silk cloak, with a lace embroidered top and maroon trousers with jeweled accents. Marko is joined on stage by four dancers, all of whom are wearing black and red tops and white lace trousers. Marko’s outfit was designed by Valentina Pliško, who also designed Baby Lasagna’s outfit for last year’s contest. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Shkodra Elektronike have a new staging and new costumes The staging is based on the legend of Rozafa a woman who sacrificed to build Shkodra Castle Rozafa was walled into the castle to keep it from collapsing represents Rozafa and her dedication to her baby Kolë Laca is wearing in a solemn black cloak representing the structure of the castle and the silent weight of history embodying the role of the man in the legend as a witness to the sacrifice The staging was done by Ombra World Studio in London with artistic direction by Lorenzo De Pasqualis while the visual designs were created by Emanuele Kabu Lighting  was done by Giorgio de Cassan with the support of the Ministry of Economy Neil is from Ireland but has lived in several countries around Europe He has has been an editor for Eurovoix since May 2017 He has been following the Eurovision Song Contest since 2005 and attended every contest as press since 2019 such as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest which he has watched since the very first edition in 2003 the first rehearsals for the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest commence in Basel The Eurovision Song Contest is officially back in Switzerland for the first time since 1989 as first rehearsals commence in Basel this morning only three approved images will be released of each performance While the exact list of countries performing today has not been announced it is expected that the first seven countries in Semi-Final One will rehearse: and Saturday marks the start of first rehearsals inside Basel’s St Seven artists take to the stage for their first rehearsals They’re the countries competing in the first half of semi-final one — Iceland through to Portugal The EBU are sharing thoughts from inside the arena on Reddit Here’s the full Eurovision rehearsal schedule for Saturday 3 May Let’s kick things off with an Icelandic party banger VÆB (pronounced ‘vibe’) are brothers Matthías Davíð Matthíasson and Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson They are the first TikTok-born act of this Semi-Final The routine is fundamentally the same as the one we saw at Söngvakeppnin but with a little Basel polish – the two-part wooden boat is painted white with some waves at stage level and the three backing dancers have upgraded outfits – silver dungarees with cute Icelandic jumpers and silver bucket hats But the two VÆB boys are in the same outfits with hoods we’ve seen previously and of course their trademark silver shades Two interesting things that we’re going to see used to great effect this year – the LED wall at the back of the stage is full width and height so it allows the artists to create hugely impactful graphic backdrops VÆB use it for very cool geometric landscapes and seascapes in neon red and blue that feel very Icelandic along with VÆB in giant letters that we saw at the national final Also the front of the stage has an enormous rectangular frame that supports the roof – this is also entirely clad in LED pillars on all three sides so they can use front and back graphics to create depth of field and looks amazing both on screen and in the audience A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Time for a supreme goddess to emerge from (Icelandic) Chaos – Poland is up next Justyna Steczkowska first represented Poland at Eurovision in 1995 with the song Sama – she’s an established artist in Poland recorded over 200 songs and performed more than 3,000 concerts Every year there are a few songs that have a bassline so deep you can feel it in your chest GAJA is definitely one of those – the reverb pounds through the floor of the arena and for at least a minute we forgot to breathe Justyna descends on two ropes from the roof at the beginning of the song in this version in a black catsuit that’s very similar to the one she wore at Polskie Kwalifikacje with gladiator-like fringed skirts and VERY high heels – the choreography is complex The LED wall starts with spinning planets and water and lightning and lava like it’s the birth of the universe Then at the end Justyna is lifted back up into the heavens against a backdrop of fire-breathing dragons It’s giving Game of Thrones meetings Eurovision and it’s an absolute spectacle from start to finish Low smoke on the main stage from the start and flame jets during each chorus and for the final big note A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) It’s an absolute heartbreaker from Slovenia’s Klemen – he’s an actor but this year it’s his turn to represent his country at Eurovision How Much Time Do We Have Left is a song about the fragility of life and the staging really captures that haunting theme with both the LED wall and the front arch both sparkling with thousands of stars that change from red to blue through the song It’s also a different outfit from the one Klemen wore at EMA – in this rehearsal he’s wearing a black suit with a white t-shirt Klemen sings the middle section upside down this feels it will create a moment of beautiful hypnotic quiet – Klemen’s huge vocals fill the hall with heart and soul A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) One last rehearsal before we take a break for lunch with a huge social media following across Europe – he’s even played Glastonbury and now he’s bringing his unique style to Basel Espresso Macchiato is the first of three songs featuring the Italian language this year and one of two songs about Italy that aren’t sung by…Italy Welcome to the joyful unpredictability of Eurovision – it’s one of the many Tommy is wearing the same blue suit/long red tie we saw at Eesti Laul with two burly security guards who are joined by two others for Tommy’s trademark spaghetti-legged dance routine The LED backdrop creates an alpine landscape that matches the mountains that flank the stage with similar animated graphics to those we saw at Eesti Laul There’s a real fun energy to this song – you can’t help but sing along A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) In the first Semi-Final it will be time for Spain to perform now but as one of the Big 5 they won’t rehearse until Thursday Instead it’s time for our first band of 2025 – Ukrainian 3-piece Ziferblat where (FUN FACT) they were mentored by none other than Andriy Danylko Ziferblat define themselves as being part of the new generation of Ukrainian music The staging has definitely undergone some changes since the performance that won them Vidbir – the suits are a similar wide-legged/puff shoulders 1970s cut but they’re now each in a different solid bright colour with lots of sparkle and the three backing singers have glittery gold pantsuits The on-stage garden of grass and flowers has also gone – instead the LED wall has pink and green neon graphics that pulse and swirl with the music The lighting and close camerawork really drive this performance – even the way Daniel walks around the stage is perfectly choreographed to each beat The whole thing is VERY stylish and polished but that’s very much the Ziferblat signature There’s low smoke on the main stage from the start then some fireworks during the guitar middle eight A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) So last year Sweden were represented by Norwegian twins But despite being the first Finnish act to represent Sweden they’re from the Swedish-speaking part of Finland and are singing in Swedish It’s also the first time Sweden have sung in their own language since 1998 your local TV commentator will almost certainly explain this all again next week and have already clocked up six different languages Bara Bada Bastu means ‘just sauna’ – this song is an invitation for the Eurovision fandom to steam it up let go of stress and turn up the heat like a Swede/Finn we can confirm the changes from Melfest that KAJ have already spoken about – the same brown suits a firepit that’s more like the wooden heat rock box you get in a sauna and a log store that is easier for the (now three) dancers to tilt into sauna mode However: a few additional things to note: the opening sausage is SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER than the one we saw in Melfest The LED backdrop provides an entire forest complete with deer until the key change when the entire arena goes full neon laser party for an epic finish We’re too far away to tell if they’re real or fake Will try to sneak into the prop store later – we did it last year to check if the Windows95man denim egg had pockets and flame jets in the middle eight just before the key change Then smoke jets to accompany the laser party ending A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) a 5-piece band from the Portuguese island of Madeira who released their first album back in 2019 Sung in Portuguese (our seventh language of the day!) Deslocado translates as ‘displaced’ – it’s a song about feeling out of place in the city but also the peace of knowing you can always go home The emotion is very much in the tradition of Portuguese Fado but the sweeping musical arrangement of Deslocado also adds a contemporary summer vibe They describe their influences as bands like The Beatles and you can definitely hear a touch of all three in this performance The set-up of the band on stage is the same as we saw at Festival da Canção but a few things have been added for the Basel stage the band’s outfits have changed – now they all have long-sleeved jackets or shirts in different muted colours that elevate the whole thing to a new level of style The LED wall adds some lovely floating clouds and animated skyscapes that change colour in sync with the LED arch all of which adds to the dreamlike quality of this performance The harmonies are stunning in this big space – even if you don’t understand Portuguese you can feel the emotion and those gentle final notes gave us goosebumps A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) I think is time to start boycotting Eurovision and EBU It’s good that the rehearsals are kept under wraps this year It keeps the suspense going and the suprises and also not becoming overwhelming for the artists My only criticism is that the written piece issued by reddit for each song sounds like someone put the writing through Chat GPT because it lessens the chance for new acts to gain momentum in rehearsal fortnight So you might get your suspense but overall it’s not so interesting I agree with you about the yawn-inducing text A majority of people wil only watch the final They don’t care about rehersal or odds or OGAE or anything It’s a pity Ukraine changed from purple to gold glitter but the vidbir staging was so static it fell out of my top 5 for that contest Having outfits the light will play off of and movement in the LED (possibly psychedelic to go with the syling?) could compensate since it isn’t really a run around and headbang kind of song Is it just my impression or the overall excitment for this year’s Eurovision is a bit underwhelming Strip the fancy staging and gimmicks away and there there really little else left to get excited about I think a lot of artists were put off with everything that went down last year and the mishandling of the Joost Klein situation – not to mention the lack of responsibility the EBU took for the situation resulting in somewhat tepid reforms that remain untested – I wouldn’t be surprised if some artists who might have been interested in representing their countries decided to wait and see if the EBU managed to actually fix any of the issues before putting themselves forward I think it’s because of all the drama last year that made a deal breaker with the community While some people politicising last year’s contest certainly didn’t help I think the lack of excitement is primarily caused by the EBU keeping rehearsals “private” combined with pushing the little content that exists to partner media (e.g Hope she qualifies tho from the dreaded 2nd spot… a final without her wild performance would be a shame but will we get pictures from the rehearsals but I also like a snippet of what we get in the live shows They will release 3 pictures for all the 1st rehearsals It was said they will publish pictures of today’s rehearsals tomorrow No one really cares about this year’s slopvision lol No amount of shilling will make the polish song good you’ve said it like 100 times already Polish audience remember her position and lack of support to LGBT community durig anti-gay rules…so do not use this language in this context I thought Iceland had called to boyc0tt or something First rehearsals for the countries competing in the second half of Semi-Final One will take place in Basel Eight artists take to the stage for their first rehearsals They’re the countries competing in the second half of semi-final one — Norway through to Cyprus It also gives them time to start working out their jitters as they fill the arena with their voices for the very first time.  Here’s the full Eurovision rehearsal schedule for Sunday 4 May First up today it’s 19-year-old Kyle Alessandro from Norway songwriter and producer from Steinkjer in Trøndelag so he also spends a lot of time visiting family in Malaga Lots of elements of this staging have travelled directly from MGP including the prop with the two stone pillars and the steps But Kyle has a much bigger LED backdrop for a series of post-apocalyptic mountain graphics (mountains definitely a theme this year) with a very polished dance routine that uses both the walkway and the wide front section (which the crew call the ‘frame stage’ What elevates this performance to ‘off the scale’ is the lighting – there’s a moving lighting rig on the roof that lowers in the second half creating a stunning moment in the quiet middle eight after the dance break when Kyle is caught in hundreds of spotlights in the middle of the stage there’s been lots of discussion about whether he might change the armour because of similarity to Armenia’s Parg then he confirmed he was keeping the armour we really can’t tell – to our (admittedly untrained) eyes Also one other small point – Kyle has three dancers rather than the four we saw at MGP and one of them delivers some impressive breakdancing at the end there’s a channel of flames along the front of the frame stage Anyone in the standing area should bring marshmallows A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Time to crank up the tempo and break out the glo-sticks because Red Sebastian from Belgium is rehearsing his rave anthem Strobe Lights Red Sebastian is the alter ego of 25-year-old Seppe Herreman who was a finalist on Belgium’s Got Talent way back in 2014 He went on to study music at the Conservatory of Ghent where he had singing lessons from none other than 2023’s Gustaph Red Sebastian won Eurosong for Belgium in a haze of pulsing red and black lighting – that’s definitely made the journey to Basel but now it takes in the full LED wall and the frame at the front of the stage The precision choreography of the lighting and graphics is spectacular – in the final section the Lego lights descend to add some intensity for the final section when the whole thing goes off and the arena dances like the whole world is watching The moving platform hasn’t made the journey from Eurosong – Red Sebastian stays grounded for this performance and now has three dancers rather than the previous four His costume is very similar to the red PVC suit with triangular shoulders he wore in the official video Being floor based also allows Red Sebastian to include some precision choreography including a section where he interacts with his own reflection on the LED floor A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) In the first Semi-Final Italy will perform at this point but as they’re part of the Big 5 they don’t rehearse until Thursday So instead we skip straight to Azerbaijan’s Mamagama This is our first performance of the season where we have no national final as a frame of reference for this staging – Mamagama were chosen through an internal selection So we have no idea what to expect – how terrifying for the liveblogger exciting is that There’s so much joy in this performance – it’s giving Daft Punk/Nile Rodgers funk-pop vibes but with a nod to Azerbaijan tradition in the sections after the chorus when lead singer Asef plays the saz The performance plays out in the middle of the stage inside a lit halo on the floor that’s mirrored by a smaller one suspended from the roof The LED wall adds scores of animated shadow dancers mirroring the moves of Mamagama’s three backing dancers creating a very cool crowd effect that’s got us all chair dancing – this is such a summery bop the band are in very stylish black leather suits with red accents but Asef and Hasan are wearing different styles of jacket which presumably makes it easier to play the drums They also have three dancers in sparkly black and red catsuits – we’re told that the male dancer isn’t wearing the final outfit today The style levels have been outstanding so far this year A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) and legendary DJ Gabry Ponte with Tutta L’Italia It’s our second song of the season that’s about Italy but not BY Italy – to confuse next week’s commentators even further this track took us in and out of the ad breaks at Italy’s Sanremo Festival back in February but then joined the lineup for Una Voce Per San Marino by popular demand Those of you old enough to remember 1999 (*waves*) may remember the global dance megahit Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 but he’s got Eurovision credentials too – in 2022 he was a credited songwriter on the Austrian entry Halo by LUM!X feat So Gabry is no stranger to an audience of millions and a big stage is mainly on Gabry himself in a silver jacket against a backdrop of pulsing lights and graffiti on the LED wall Gabry’s decks are huge and look like they’re made from mirrored panels that reflect even more pulsing lights but the dancers we saw at Una Voce Per San Marino are gone replaced by two instrumentalists who play the accordion and the tambourine This is such an interesting and unusual staging concept for Eurovision – a performance where the masked vocalists are not the main focus The only other example we can think of is Norway’s Nocturne in 1995 where the fiddler was the main focus rather than the singer – add any other suggestions in the comments this feels like a rousing football chant of a song and it’s easy to imagine the crowd being caught up in the infectious energy of it next week Part of the lyrics translate as “Let us dance with a glass in our hands/Then tomorrow we’ll regret saying I love you.” Very much feels like a night at Euroclub with added smoke jets in the final chorus and a firework finish A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Time for Albania’s Shkodra Elektronike to rehearse – they’re made up of songwriter and producer Kolë Laca and singer and songwriter Beatriçe Gjergji – they won Festivali i Këngës just before Christmas with Zjerm and there’s been a lot of chat in this sub about what they will be bringing to the Basel stage with the ones at the back of the stage lowest and getting progressively higher towards the front of the stage It creates a more intimate space for Shkroda Elektronike to perform Very little of the Festivali i Këngës staging has made the trip from Albania There’s still the red and black colour scheme that plays out with geometric shapes on the LED backdrop The animation really drives the performance and provides a striking contrast to their main performance area which is a structure of black and white light boxes in the centre of the stage where Kolë stands in this middle with his drum Beatriçe uses much more of the space for her unique dance routine and armography and in the final chorus dances down the walkway for the big finale but it’s different dress from the one we saw at Festivali i Këngës – she’s wearing a dress of red crepe satin with sparkle on the bodice and lots of draping – we’re just been introduced to her mum but not on the left – the whole look is VERY glamorous and that includes Kolë – he’s wearing a double breasted military jacket Sorry if pea coats aren’t a universal thing – if you google it you’ll see exactly what it looks like There are several songs at Eurovision this year that feature orchestral strings – this one also has a huge drum bassline that reverberates through the floor It’s a full body experience from start to finish 🔥 PYRO UPDATE: Flame jets during each chorus on the frame stage A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Singer-songwriter Claude has over a hundred million streams to his name and countless sold-out shows in the Netherlands and Belgium He’s got a busy summer too – he’s also performing at the Pinkpop festival in June This is another performance where we don’t have a national final to help us predict the staging – instead we have to find clues from the official video It’s also another song sung in French – in 2022 we didn’t have any songs featuring French The start of this starts with a handful of piano notes that made us hold our breath through the first English verse into the chorus where the bassline drops and the party starts Claude has a natural connection with the camera that makes this feel like a powerful bit of visual storytelling and he infuses the whole performance with pure joy from start to finish with two contemporary dancers who dance around him and in and out of shot like they’re just passing through his party Many of you will have seen Claude’s outfit on Insta earlier – a purple suit with pearl detail So far this year has been an excellent advertisement for effortlessly cool male tailoring This is one of the first performances we’ve seen so far that features less of the LED wall and now we know why – in the final chorus there’s an explosion of pink and blue flowers that take up every square inch of the wall the floor and the frame – you almost expect them to flow into the arena A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) rehearsing his genre-defying song Poison Cake He promised us a staging overhaul after Dora so will be interesting to see how he brings this to the big stage in Basel and is quickly establishing himself as part of a new trend-setting generation of Croatian musicians so it’s a great time for him to be taking part in Eurovision and growing his fanbase across the world OK – forget everything you saw at Dora criss-crossing each other to create a more intimate stage space that has the added bonus of providing dramatic lighting backed by red and green storm clouds and flames Marko’s black outfit with the pointy shoulders has been replaced with something completely unexpected – a full-length cape with fur around the shoulders that’s giving evil Tudor prince In the middle of the stage is a grey cauldron which Marko and his four dancers cast their spells into for the first verse and chorus The dancers all wear matching blue and white outfits with frills and ribbons and for the second half they head to the frame stage – at the end Marko sheds his cape to reveal a matching blue and white shirt but it feels like there’s deeper bass on this live arrangement – the whole performance feels darker and more deliciously atmospheric Also 🔥 PYRO UPDATE: lots of low fog that adds to the witchy opening and flame and jets on the front stage through the final two choruses the smoke jets mirror more smoke on the LED wall and the lego lights go full techno A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) but as host nation they rehearse on Thursday with the Big 5 So instead our final rehearsal of the day will be Theo Evan from Cyprus who will be closing out the show with his up-tempo dance track Shh and he’s been a singer and dancer since he was 7 He studied music and performance in the US He’s promised us something special in Basel but since there was no national final for Cyprus all we have to go on for staging clues is the official video which had a post-apocalyptic Hunger Games vibe with men in black morph suits and geometric chess and welcome them from any of the delegations who are yet to perform *hopeful face* So the Cyprus delegation describes Theo’s performance as follows: “Two scaffolding towers are placed on stage and the performance opens with Theo Evan and the two dancers forming the shape of a mysterious figure referenced in the lyrics – a silhouette that will be immediately recognisable the towers shift positions to create different formations Theo and his four dancers incorporate them seamlessly into the choreography Stunning visuals and dynamic lighting enhance each movement adding depth and intensity to the staging.” high energy three minute workout which does things with scaffold towers and very gymnastic men that we didn’t know were even possible The lighting shifts from black and white at the start and there’s a moment at the end before the final drop when everything stops and Theo just…breathes with a clever camera effect that make it looks like he’s dissolving into the ether it’s black trousers and black vests all round and as for the recognisable figure mentioned in the notes above we regret to inform you that we’re not to tell you what it is because that would be a big spoiler of some very clever staging and some things are worth waiting for so please don’t shout at us in the comments They promise to reveal all tomorrow when the photos are published A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) and they’re much better than Sweden and Ukraine I suppose people here are angry Zjerm won Wiwibloggs “Who should win ESC 2025” poll saying Albania will be NQ is rich (laughing emoji) This would be on Horehronie/Je t’adore scale but even more shocking I can’t wait to see what Croatia has prepared for us Are there a bunch of Croatian bots in the chat So anyone who says something positive about Croatian entry is a bot or fake I happen to like Marko and his song and I am cheering for him This is happening in the comments: Croatia hate comments get dislikes and every other entry with hate commrnts get likes Other entries being praosed have far lower like ratios than Croatia It just seems like Croatians are botting the comments to make it seem like they are the favorite Never said liking Poison Cake is a bad thing Today I finally had time to listen to all songs at once with my headphones and now I feel like it’s not a bad year after all It just misses a masterpiece but there is plenty of good and ok stuff The only song I was dying to skip was Ukraine Honestly if Zjerm is all red/black staging like that county always has it can NQ for real jealous much or is it frustration that the song is so good your favorite doesn’t stand a chance Netherlands and Croatia have all had re-vamps It’s hard to say anything without pics and a report that’s not critical but only a brief summary It’s absolutely clear that the EBU has abandoned any sense of moral responsibility They turn a blind eye to the world around them The organization has become a relic of the past; it is outdated We’re trying to enjoy the rehearsal notes I am sure I cannot ruin such a special moment Not that I had any doubts before but with this performance You all better start betting on it because Croatia is definitely ending on the left side of the scoreboard this year Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Ziferblat have new outfits for their performance, which were designed by Ivan Frolov. The flower staging used in Vidbir is now gone. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) As per Eurovision rules, only three dancers now feature on stage. The sauna has been redesigned to make it easier to move, as KAJ cannot use stage technicians to do this like they did in Melodifestivalen. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) VÆB and their backing dancers now have different costumes. VÆB’s costumes are mostly the same as what they wore in Söngvakeppnin. The backing dancers now have different costumes, which includes silver bucket hats, silver dungaress and white shirts with sailing motifs. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Tommy Cash’s staging now has some new graphics. Apart from this, the staging is mostly the same as it was in Eesti Laul. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Justyna and her four dancers are wearing modified versions of what they wore during the Polish national selection. Justyna enters the stage from the roof by hanging on to two ropes. The dancers now have flag props to use during their routine. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Napa have new outfits for their Eurovision performance. Lead singer João Guilherme Gomes now also has a headset mic, which he uses alongside a standing microphone. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Klemen has made slight changes to his outfit for his Eurovision performance now sporting a cardigan and a white t-shirt With the first set of rehearsals for Eurovision 2025 due to start today, more delegations are making their way to the host city of Basel. Marko Bošnjak and the Croatian team departed to Basel from Franjo Tuđman International Airport Zagreb earlier this morning. A post shared by Marko Bosnjak (@markobosnjaak) Katarsis departed from Vilnius International Airport this morning. Before they left, they appeared on Labas rytas, Lietuva on LRT and did a live interview from the airport. You can watch the interview here. Red Sebastian and the Belgian delegation will travel to Brussels Zaventem International Airport on their specially designed tour bus and will fly to Basel from there. A post shared by Peter Van de Veire (@petervandeveire) Mamagama shared on their Instagram story that they have safely arrived in Basel Theo Evan and the Cypriot delegation are making their way to Basel now Claude and the Dutch delegation flew from Schipol Airport this morning. In an interview with press before the flight Claude said that he could not reveal details about his outfit or staging just yet but he did reveal that he would not do the dance break from the “C’est la vie” music video The Norwegian delegation set off from Oslo today, as reported yesterday, the delegation includes new backing singers and a breakdance star. A post shared by @kyleslighter Having spent the past month in Europe preparing for the contest in Basel, Go-Jo’s trip to Eurovision is slightly shorter than other past Australian Eurovision participants. The singer left Finland earlier today on his way to Switzerland. A post shared by ✰ Go-Jo ✰ (@heyimgojo) Access to a range of accounts to suit your savings needs Provided by award-winning mortgage broker Tembo insight and guidance into helping your money work as hard – and stretch as far – as possible The UK's bestselling subscription magazine All eyes will be on Basel this month as it hosts the Eurovision Song Contest But we discover it’s a great destination at any time Visitors and residents of Basel are going to enjoy one ‘massive party’ when the Eurovision circus rolls into town from 10 to 17 May The city won the bid to host the event after Switzerland’s act Nemo was victorious last year – triggering a contest between destinations in the country.  Basel played up its location – positioned close to the German and French borders it’s a truly cosmopolitan destination – and its desire to create a city-wide party Tickets are sold out for the St Jakobshalle venue and nearby viewing area at the St Jakob-Park football stadium but there are lots of other ways to get involved “Across the city there will be concerts, Eurovision fan club nights and hopefully the biggest 60-plus disco party ever!” according to Maja Hartmann, head of media relations for the Eurovision Song Contest Eurovision celebrations aside, the truth is that the Swiss city makes a great destination all year round, as well as being the departure point for many Saga river cruises There was not a cruise ship in town when I visited but I still managed to make it on to the Rhine There is a traditional way to travel from Grossbasel (the main part of the medieval old city) to Kleinbasel and that’s by ferry From the boat, you can see the twin towers of the pink sandstone cathedral and the thin five- or six-storey houses that drop dramatically to the walls of the riverbank.  The heart of Grossbasel is well preserved, with streets of medieval white houses decorated with red or dark green shutters There are narrow alleys and hidden staircases leading up from the Marktplatz where the 16th-century red sandstone Rathaus Steinenvorstadt, the hub for tourist nightlife is lined with bars, but used to be lined with cinemas – giving it the nickname ‘Cinema Street’ It will be renamed Eurovision Street during the contest and will transform into a huge fan zone leading to the Barfüsserplatz where there will be a stage and local acts performing In the Eurovision Village, in the Messe Basel (aka the ‘donut’) the exhibition centre designed by Herzog & de Meuron this year’s acts will do meet and greets.  Close to the square is the Kunstmuseum Europe’s oldest public art collection with the modern art housed in a striking 2016 building. It is filled with treasures – works by Picasso, Monet it is a short walk to the St Alban Tal a small district with a notable pink church and river running between houses There was a tradition of paper production here but now it’s a place for a stroll and quiet reflection if the partying gets too much!  there is no shortage of museums to visit in Basel I kept finding beautiful murals painted on buildings the most well-known being a wall of portraits of famous musicians It’s worth taking the tram to the outskirts and Fondation Beyeler. Exhibitions change but I was lucky enough to be there for Nordic Light featuring works by Munch and other Scandinavian artists From there, you can follow 24 Stops, a 5km trail to the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. Artworks along the way encourage you to rest and take stock as do interviews you can listen to on the accompanying app You are even encouraged to hug a tree.  Everyone I talked to sucked in their breath when I said I was walking it but it’s really not far and not too challenging albeit easy to lose the path early on it remains a thrill to be able to stroll across a border Once you have visited the exhibitions (the mid-century modern chair display is impressive) a short walk takes you into Weil am Rhein where Tram 8 whizzes you back to Basel. The transport here is so good After all that walking, I was in the mood for refreshments. Restaurants in the city can be expensive, but portions are large. Because of its location, there’s a choice of Swiss, French and Italian food as well as modern food halls, like Klara in Kleinbasel For more on Basel, see myswitzerland.com. The BaselCard is free to hotel guests and provides free travel and discounted museum entry which gave a modern twist to more established dishes. Beer but I also enjoyed a glass of Riesling or two Visitors who tire of Swiss food can try the Volkshaus in Kleinbasel a beautiful French brassiere with a large internal window overlooking a courtyard – again designed by Herzog & de Meuron I was lucky enough to bag a seat on the banquette by said window to eat my moules frites There are plenty of more modern bars too, like the Blaupause or Alchemist cocktail bars. During Eurovision pubs in the centre have strict closing times due to residents but these have been lifted for the event It promises to be epic – and I am very envious of anyone who makes it there Explore Basel as part of one of Saga's Rhine river cruises.  Every issue of Saga Magazine is packed with inspirational real-life stories brain-teasing puzzles and travel inspiration expert advice on everything from health and finance to home improvements Whether your perfect beach holiday is just sun one of these might be your ideal destination Jetting off to Italy’s ‘Eternal City’ We reveal the best places to visit in Rome from ancient temples to al fresco dining with a view.  A different destination every day - why a river cruise could be your perfect summer holiday Miriana Conte was heading for Basel on Monday "grateful and ready" to take the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest.  the 23-year-old singer left Malta feeling "fully prepared" to perform her song “Serving” as Malta's representative in the contest Conte took to social media a few hours earlier to share a heartfelt message reflecting on her journey “As I write this message with tears in my eyes I feel fully prepared and grateful to be living the dream I dreamt of since I was young,” she wrote “Maybe all the countless times where I felt like I did not fit were for one sole purpose – I was never meant to fit.” Her road to Eurovision has not been without controversy Conte was subject to public criticism and body shaming and the international festival organisers banned her original song Serving Kant after complaints that the Maltese word “kant” (meaning singing) sounded too similar to an English vulgarity The song has now been retitled Serving and the banned word will be replaced with the sound of a raspy “aahh” every personal attack I encountered about my music weirdly enough feels like an achievement,” she wrote on social media and I want to be the voice for every soul that feels like they do not belong.” She also expressed gratitude to her supporters “I wouldn’t be here without you,” she said Conte posted a photo of her draped in the Maltese flag outside the Malta International Airport adding that she will always be proud to be Maltese The Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Basel with semi-finals scheduled for May 13 and 15 and the grand final on May 17 Conte is set to perform in the second semi-final While her chances of reaching the finals are considered strong bookmakers currently rank her 12th out of the 37 competing acts leaving her an outside contender for the win on the night Over 5,300 new citizens and €1.6 billion later - Malta’s ‘golden passports’ Motor vehicles increasing at a net average rate of 19 per day please register for free or log in to your account propelled by Shaqiri's masterclass (1 goal extending their league lead to nine points with four games left and putting them on the verge of winning the Swiss Super League title FC Basel took a giant leap towards securing their first Swiss Super League title since 2017 with a resounding 5-1 victory over Servette at St showcased Basel's electrifying form and the brilliance of their star players a performance that highlighted his exceptional playmaking abilities stemming from a defensive error by Servette's Kasim Adams added a brace in the 34th and 38th minutes capitalizing on sublime assists from Shaqiri and Otele respectively This stunning display of attacking prowess put Basel firmly in control before halftime Servette's offensive efforts were largely stifled further hampered by Alexis Antunes' red card early in the second half While Kasim Adams managed a consolation goal for Servette Bénie Traoré and Nicolas Vouilloz added late goals Shaqiri's contribution now stands at an impressive 17 goals and 21 assists for the season This win extends Basel's lead at the top of the table to nine points with only four games remaining Their next match against FC Lugano is crucial; a victory would practically secure the championship While Servette and other contenders still have a mathematical chance Basel's current form makes them overwhelming favorites The game highlighted not only individual brilliance but also the team's collective strength and unwavering determination Coach Fabio Celestini praised his team's mentality and the fantastic atmosphere created by the passionate fans The match showcased Basel's remarkable turnaround after narrowly avoiding relegation last season a testament to their hard work and strategic improvements FC Basel are poised to end their championship drought The upcoming match against Lugano promises to be a high-stakes encounter one that could seal Basel's triumphant return to the pinnacle of Swiss football Xherdan Shaqiri played a significant role scoring one goal and providing three assists FC Basel now holds a nine-point lead in the Swiss Super League standings with only four games remaining in the season He scored one goal and contributed three assists playing a crucial role in Basel's dominant victory There are four games remaining in the Swiss Super League season FC Basel's commanding lead significantly increases their chances of winning the title While FC Basel's nine-point lead with four games to go is substantial their chances of winning the title are very high All trademarks are the property of their respective owners All rights reserved @ 2025 Nishtya Infotech (India) Ltd This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page YB and GC play for the championship title in the Women's Super League The surprising Zurich team secured their place in the final with a 4:1 win in the second leg against Basel Outsiders GC went into the second leg against qualifying runners-up Basel trailing 2-1 the away team proved ready to fight from the outset Kayla McKenna scored in the 5th and 55th minute with Andela Krstic equalizing for Basel in the meantime Luna Lempérière scored the winner in the 82nd minute with a header from a free kick The 4:1 was scored in stoppage time after a counter-attack the Zurich side were lucky that a hand was not called in a penalty area It was the next big disappointment for Basel this season They had already lost the cup final against FC Zurich in an unfortunate 1-0 draw Few had expected the Grasshoppers to reach the final before the play-offs faced defending champions Servette Chênois in the quarter-finals and were already on the brink of elimination A goal in the 95th minute saved GC from going into extra time and ultimately into the penalty shoot-out The Zurich team can now hope for a major coup The first leg will take place on May 10/11 Goodbye, Austria - Hello Switzerland: The red-white-red ESC hopeful JJ, along with the Austrian delegation, departed from Vienna's main train station with ÖBB on Sunday heading towards Basel. There, the months of preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest are entering the final stretch with the first rehearsal on the big Song Contest stage scheduled for Monday afternoon and won the hearts of the fans," praised ORF Program Director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz everything is definitely going according to plan: The stage show is set and I am very excited for the first rehearsal tomorrow My feelings are hard to put into words - I would say it's a mix of anticipation This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here I got an error when visiting eurovision.tv/video/klavdia-constellation-has-descended-basel-eurovision-greece-eurovision2025 another brilliant performance for Xherdan Shaqiri.  the 33-year-old scored a goal and made three assists Basel already has the championship title in hand But the title would have been impossible without Shaqiri's contribution The former Swiss star has 30 goals and 15 assists in 20 championship appearances He is the top scorer in the Swiss championship and also the best assister "Xherdani is extremely qualitative and I think he is happy He is a happy player on the pitch," Basel coach Fabio Celestini told "bluewin.ch".  And this is being rewarded with high-level performances he knows there are ten other players running for him We have a great rapport between the players and I think we're a team." Celestini says that Shaqiri is the clear leader of the team Shaqiri has scored six goals and made eight assists Swiss media have reported that Shaqiri was involved in 46 percent of Basel's 77 goals in this season's Super League This is considered a very high percentage.  When he was introduced to the Basel fans in August last year He made this promise in front of 3.000 spectators Shaqiri as a player has developed at Basel He left this team in 2012 to join the German giant The Basel Area in Switzerland is home to one of Europe’s brightest biotech ecosystems it has proven to be the favored location for many of the world’s biggest and newest innovators in the life sciences industry and is the leading European hub for pharma giants This is primarily thanks to factors such as a rich network of scientists cutting-edge research and development (R&D) we delve deeper into what makes Basel’s biotech and overall life sciences hub so successful.  It goes without saying that you cannot have a leading biotech ecosystem without the ability to attract the right kind of companies And the Basel Area has managed to do just that with the vast majority of companies that settle in the region being actively involved in life sciences.  According to a recent press release from Basel Area Business & Innovation an investment and innovation promotion agency out of the 36 companies that settled in the region last year 26 of those – around three-quarters – were in some way involved in the life sciences industry.  It also helps that the region has a large big pharma presence It is already home to major corporations like Roche and Novartis which have their global headquarters in Basel and has long been an attractive place for foreign big pharma companies chief executive officer (CEO) of Basel Area Business & Innovation the Basel Area has developed from a cluster of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry to a biopharma innovation ecosystem most companies were active in both the chemical and pharmaceutical industries This changed fundamentally in the 1990s: chemicals and pharmaceuticals went their separate ways new players such as Actelion and Basilea emerged from the large pharmaceutical companies.” there are around 800 other life sciences companies in total that are active in the Basel Area.  But what exactly is attracting all of these companies to the region “They have around 33,000 well-trained talents at their disposal making the Basel Area the largest and deepest talent pool for life sciences in Europe,” explained Klöpper and diversity of experience of Basel Area’s talent pool is unmatched anywhere else on the continent.”  The Basel Area’s world-class biomedical research institutions Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research are major contributing factors to the area’s talent pool and overall life sciences ecosystem.  the expansion of innovation spaces is increasingly attracting companies to the region A good example of this is the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area which is successfully bringing in companies from biotech and healthcare at its three sites in Allschwil investment is also key to the success of Basel’s biotech hub.  In fact, when looking at Switzerland as a whole, no other industry in Switzerland receives as much venture capital as the biotech sector. The latest edition of the Swiss Venture Capital Report showed that Swiss biotech startups received around 739 million Swiss francs ($910 million) from investors representing an increase of 50% compared to the previous year Companies in the Basel Area are the primary recipients of this investment With 328 million Swiss francs ($403 million) in venture capital biotechs in the region received around 44% of the funds invested in the biotech sector in Switzerland which was significantly more than in any other Swiss region.  which is a major European biotech incubator and accelerator and has played an important role in the success of Basel’s biotech hub also based at the innovation park in Allschwil secured the third-largest financing round of last year with 80 million Swiss francs ($98 million) the Swiss Venture Capital Report listed a total of 20 companies in the Basel Area that received financing from investors last year “The year 2025 also started promisingly with a series A financing of $200 million for Windward Bio and a series A financing of $86 million for RhyGaze Both companies are based in Basel,” added Klöpper While Switzerland is home to other regions with biotech companies based there these regions simply “do not have the same importance as density and dynamics of life sciences companies are lower and the talent pool is not as strong.” In December 2024, EY-Parthenon released a report that reinforces the Basel Area’s reputation as a leading hub for life sciences innovation The study essentially validates the Basel Area’s remarkable efficiency and productivity relative to its size It also demonstrates that the region excels in clinical trial activity and per capita output in patents and pipeline assets.  When we asked Klöpper whether he believes that Basel’s biotech and life sciences hub will continue its growth trajectory in the future the dynamic ecosystem is now so attractive that we can see a ‘pull-factor’ attracting other life sciences companies to come to the Basel Area I believe that we are on the right track for the future by the fact that the Basel Area has prevailed against global competition as the location for the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering The research institute is financed by a donation of more than 1 billion US dollars across a period of 15 years – you usually only hear about such sums in the USA.” Klopper also pointed out the other important aspects of the Basel Area that can act as a pull factor for companies which is an important factor that helps to bring in talents from all around the world “It’s an area where the life sciences support the arts The city’s small scale allows for easy access and good mobility.”  he said that the Basel Area has an ideal geographical location with direct access to Europe’s biggest markets and has open borders with its immediate neighbors it also has political and economic stability which are big factors for any company deciding to move to a specific region “The density of the entire life sciences ecosystem is unmatched,” stressed Klöpper.  “Basically The transformative power of this ecosystem is impressive The many new drugs that are in development and the many successful startups which do succeed in our region show that this ecosystem has everything to be successful.”  As Europe’s top biotech website for over a decade Labiotech.eu offers trusted insights and updates for the global life sciences community Global Lead Partner EN • EnglishDE • DeutschES • EspañolFR • FrançaisZH • 繁Welcome Art Basel Launches Its First Annual Awards for Visionaries Shaping the Future of Art Unlike conventional awards which focus on singular achievements the Art Basel Awards recognize practices and contributions of significant and broad impact the Art Basel Awards emphasize celebration over competition —reinforcing the idea that the future of art is not built by individuals alone In keeping with Art Basel's mission to support the greater art ecosystem and expand avenues for creation and collaboration across the cultural landscape Medalists gain access to Art Basel's global network and bespoke support designed to amplify their work on an international scale the Art Basel Awards will provide those in the Emerging category the opportunity to showcase their work at a leading global institution; those in the Established category a major commission for Art Basel; and those in the Icons category a mentoring program to nurture the next generation of rising talents a Medal is a call to artists and professionals across the industry to shape what comes next Art Basel's Director of Fairs and Exhibition Platforms: 'The Art Basel Awards are a love letter to the artists who illuminate the future with their vision and the unsung champions who bring world-altering art experiences to life They connect the world's trailblazing artists and their collaborators to realize opportunities that redefine creation This initiative is an invitation to our community to dream bigger It reaffirms our commitment to nurturing bold artistry and empowering a world where transformative art can flourish and inspire generations to come.' the International Jury of the Art Basel Awards comprises nine members and demonstrated commitment to shaping the future of art Director, Kunstmuseum Basel; Koyo Kouoh Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) La Biennale di Venezia; Jessica Morgan New York; Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP); Suhanya Raffel Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); and Philip Tinari said: 'The Art Basel Awards tap the global power of our brand in new and truly significant ways underlining our absolute commitment to industry leadership through innovation and impact Art Basel stands to deliver ever more opportunities for the art world's key players forge new paths for exchange and collaboration across industries and create new touchpoints with our core and rapidly expanding audience a brand with a proud history of supporting the arts to celebrate the cutting-edge work driving the future of art and culture.' Read the full press release here. Learn more.