Lighting design for the ESC Arena Plus

A premiere at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel: for the first time in ESC history, the live audience was expanded to include an entire stadium. Under the banner “Arena Plus,” the sold-out St. Jakob Park stadium—packed with 36,000 spectators—offered an experience that went far beyond a mere live broadcast of the final show.

In addition to a live pre-show and interval acts during the voting period, fans had multiple opportunities to become part of the live broadcast itself. Another highlight was the attempt to set a world record for karaoke by singing ABBA’s legendary global hit “Waterloo” live with the fans during the global broadcast.

The focal point was the hybrid main stage. Featuring massive 20m x 10m LED walls, it served not only as a performance area for show acts and presenters but also as a giant screen for the live broadcast of the ESC final. Over 600 additional lighting fixtures installed in the stadium transformed the arena into a massive party zone while ensuring camera-ready integration with the live broadcast originating from the St. Jakobshalle.

Commissioned by the Canton of Basel-Stadt, COLD handled the lighting design for the ESC “Arena Plus.”, delivered preliminary renderings and animations of camera positions and was responsible on-site as DoP, LX-operating, and pre-programming.

Show acts: Baby Lasagna, Luca Hänni, Kate Ryan, Anna Rossinelli, DJ Antoine, Marc Sway