As national final season comes to a close, SRG SSR has revealed more details about how Eurovision 2025 will impact Basel.
Mascot announced for Eurovision 2025
On February 26th, SRG SSR announced the winner of the mascot contest held ahead of Eurovision 2025. Over 1,000 students from Basel Academy of Art and Design FHNW and the Basel School of Design were invited to submit designs; the winning artist, Lynn Brunner, is a student at the former. Her mascot, Lumo, is an eager, smiling, fiery heart that takes its name from the word “luminous”. SRG SSR writes of Lumo:
Lumo embodies the unstoppable power of music. Its untamed curly hair blazes like flames, dancing wildly to the beat and reflecting the electrifying euphoria of Eurovision. With its bright colours, it illustrates the heat of emotions – from fervent enthusiasm to the warming comfort of shared experiences. Its big bright eyes, mouth poised to burst into song, and its expressive hands make Lumo a joyous ambassador of musical diversity and togetherness.
As a gender-neutral and universal figure, Lumo represents unity and openness by bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together through the power of music. From the beginning of May, Lumo will walk the streets of Basel spreading the Eurovision spirit, like a living heartbeat showing that music knows no boundaries.
Euro-Airport announced as a sponsor
Euro-Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg shared on February 21st that it would be sponsoring the 2025 contest. “As the official point of entry at the intersection of Switzerland, France, and Germany”, reported Isabelle Thommen for Basler Zeitung, they are ready to “greet thousands of visitors” who will travel to the area for the contest.
Other Swiss sponsors include Helvetia, Swisscom, Basler Kantonalbank, and Novartis.
Photo-op statues to be built
Ahead of both Eurovision and the UEFA Women’s in July, statue-benches bearing the city’s name will appear around Basel. These statues, which will be temporary, will serve not only to stir up festive feelings within the city, but also to incentivize photography and social media activity that advertises the city.
All About Eurovision 2025
Switzerland will be hosting the 69th edition of the competition following Nemo’s historic win at Eurovision 2024 in Malmö. A few weeks after their win, Reto Peritz and Moritz Stadler were announced as the Executive Producers, with other roles revealed in July 2024. The contest returns to Switzerland after their third win; Switzerland most notably hosted the inaugural competition in 1956.
Basel, Bern & Biel/Bienne, Geneva, and Zurich submitted bids to host next year’s competition, with Basel and Geneva being shortlisted as the final two cities. After the shortlist, it was decided that Basel will host Eurovision 2025, at St. Jakobshalle with the shows taking place on May 13, 15 and 17.
The visual identity for this year’s contest is “Unity Shapes Love”, which was developed by Art Director Artur Deyneuve, and was inspired by the Swiss tradition of direct democracy, with the message conveyed visually through the iconic Eurovision heart symbol.
Will you be in Basel for Eurovision 2025? What do you think of these promotional activities? As always, let us know by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Threads, Tumblr and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: SRG SSR, Isabelle Thommen/Basler Zeitung
Photo Credit: SRG SSR
Rory Gannon