Basel, August 30, 2024, The Europe Today: The Swiss city of Basel, located at the borders of Germany and France, has been selected to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, public broadcaster SSR-SRG announced on Friday.
The grand finale of the event, which garnered 163 million viewers globally this year, is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, 2024.
“Congratulations to Basel,” stated Reto Peritz and Moritz Stader, co-executive producers of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), in an official statement. “We are excited to collaborate with you to make the ESC an unforgettable experience for everyone.”
The event will be held at the St. Jakobshalle, a venue renowned for hosting tennis tournaments and other sporting events, with a seating capacity of 12,000 people.
Additionally, the show will be broadcast at the nearby St. Jakob-Park football stadium, which can accommodate 20,000 spectators.
Why Basel Was Chosen
The predominantly German-speaking city of Basel on the Rhine was chosen over Geneva to host the Eurovision Song Contest.
SSR-SRG highlighted that the decision to select Basel and the St. Jakobshalle was based on several criteria, including the venue’s suitability for hosting the event, sustainability and security considerations, available funding, and “creative ideas for side events.”
Switzerland earned the right to host the prestigious annual song contest, which attracts hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide, after Swiss singer Nemo triumphed at the 68th edition of the event in Malmo, Sweden.
Nemo became the first Swiss winner since 1988 when Canada’s Celine Dion competed under the Swiss flag.
Switzerland previously hosted and won the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 in the southern city of Lugano.
