EUROVISION 2025

Eurovision 2025: A Stage Between Technological Innovation and Visual Poetry 

The 2025 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, hosted at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, marked a new milestone in stage design for televised events. Behind the visual magic that captivated millions of viewers across Europe was the collaborative work of two key figures: Florian Wieder, a world-renowned set designer, and Tim Routledge, one of the most respected lighting designers in the live and broadcast scene. 

A Structural Challenge Turned into a Creative Opportunity 

One of the major technical challenges faced during the stage design process was the venue’s inability to support weight from the ceiling. This constraint forced the team to develop a ground-supported structure, solved through four massive truss legs—two of which were cleverly integrated into the visual design. Instead of disguising the structural supports, the team turned them into a defining element of the stage, creating a majestic 3D frame that dominates the arena. 

An Iconic Design Serving the Performance 

The entire project was conceived from the outset with a theatrical and immersive approach. The overall structure remained almost unchanged from the initial sketch, with only minor adjustments along the way. The main stage, approximately 15 meters wide and 14 meters deep, was designed with forced perspective to appear larger on television. Next to it was a secondary stage, built into the LED-lit frame, measuring 24 meters in width and 3.5 meters in depth, connected by a runway that crosses through the audience. To enhance the show's energy and intimacy, the design included two audience pits on either side of the stage, allowing fans to get closer to the artists and creating a more dynamic visual for the cameras. 

Swiss Mountains Between Reality and Illusion 

Drawing inspiration from Swiss natural landscapes, the stage featured two layers of physical mountain structures, further enhanced through video projection. These created a seamless blend of real and digital elements. Behind the mountains, a massive 3D lighting grid housed fixtures and LED elements, capable of completely transforming the stage’s look from one performance to the next. 

A Lighting System  

Lighting was designed not only as an illumination tool but as an architectural and performative element. Routledge integrated more than 4,500 lights using a control system of 850 DMX universes—making it the largest lighting control system ever used at Eurovision. The setup included 24 kinetic “ribs”—motorized trusses with robotic lights—that could descend, rotate, and shift to match the mood of each song. 

Each fixture had pan, tilt, zoom, and color-change capabilities, offering nearly infinite configurations. Some lights were hidden in the floor’s movable panels, while others were embedded in the frame to form a “Portal of Light”—a tunnel-like effect used to stunning impact throughout the show. 

Light, Pixels, and Video Content in Harmony 

The scenography included a semi-transparent Roe Vanish 8 LED screen that allowed backlighting to shine through, creating an immersive three-dimensional visual. The content displayed on the screens was tightly synced with lighting effects via pixel mapping, creating waves of light and video that adapted uniquely to each performance. This approach enabled both intimate, theatrical moments using just a handful of lights, and full-blown visual explosions suited for upbeat songs. 

A Stage as a Playground 

Another key goal for Wieder and Routledge was to offer each country’s delegation a flexible and inspiring playground, where each act could fully express its identity. While the stage maintained a recognizable “generic look,” it was built to be transformed endlessly through lighting, projections, and kinetic movement. 

Credits 

Florian Wieder - Set Designer 

Tim Routledge - Lighting Designer 

Damaris Reist - Deputy Director of Production 

Keara Gutzwiller - Production assistant 

Peter Aellig - Technical Director of TV Broadcasting 

Markus Brockmann - Director of Sound  

Photographers - Corinne Cumming, Alma Bengtsson