Stage construction ESC 2025 "The audience will be very close - it's going to be a great show"
The construction of the ESC mega stage is in full swing in the St. Jakobshalle. Around 300 specialists are working almost around the clock: blue News was on site - and gives you the first glimpse of the Giga stage.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A monumental stage for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is currently being built in the St. Jakobshalle Basel, with around 250 people working in shifts to construct it.
- The stage technology is gigantic: 22 cameras, 4,500 light sources, 750 m² of LED surfaces and a 100-tonne girder system will ensure a spectacular show experience.
- According to production expert Tobias Åberg, the audience will be particularly close to the action - the proximity should create an impressive live atmosphere.
- blue News was there when the stage was being set up.
Anyone wanting to enter the St. Jakobshalle at the moment has to obtain accreditation in advance and then go through an airport-style security check.
The reason? The monumental stage for the world's biggest singing competition - the Eurovision Song Contest - is being built in Basel. A sacred place for fans and artists - there will be 37 participating countries in 2025.
Hundreds of crew members are involved in setting up the ESC stage in the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. They work in two shifts - almost around the clock. This year, everything will be even bigger, more gigantic and more spectacular. In less than ten days, the stage will be ready to receive the country delegations.
In order to install all the technology in the hall, 200 tons of material were used.
Damaris Reist from the ESC production team explains: "We are already relatively far along with the construction. LED elements are still being added to the stage."
"One problem was the weight of all the equipment and technology." Reist explains how the deficit was remedied: "We suspended 100 tons directly and another 100 tons in the ground support. This opens up a wide range of show options for the individual acts."
Tobias Åberg is also on the tour. The Swede is an ESC pro: he was Executive in Charge of Production in Malmö and was also part of the core team at the 2013 and 2016 ESC finals. He has been Head of Production or technical expert in each of the last eight years.
Tobias Åberg promises a gigantic ESC experience from the St. Jakobshalle in Basel: "The audience will be very close - it will be a great show".
ESC in Basel: even bigger - even more gigantic
Around 250 crew members will be deployed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, including 40 camera operators, 7 lighting technicians and 4 video technicians - all working almost non-stop for 45 days to realize the world-class TV event.
The show relies on spectacular technology with 22 broadcast cameras, 4500 light sources, over 750 m² of LED walls and 150 loudspeakers, supported by 8 km of fiber optics and 330,000 light channels. The stage measures 2000 m², is spanned by a 100-ton girder system and even the prop changes are meticulously planned: 30 stagehands have exactly 42 seconds to set up and dismantle scenery with precision.
You can take a look at the construction site in the video above.
