Tonight: Semi-final 1 of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

The 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest begins tonight!

15 songs will be performed, but only 10 will qualify for Saturday's Grand Final. The show starts at 21:00 CEST, broadcast live from St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. The hosts are Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer. Michelle Hunziker will join them on Saturday. The running order was decided by Swiss broadcaster and producer SRG SSR based on an allocation draw.

On Thursday, Semi-final 2 will find the last 10 qualifiers from 16 songs.

Lineup Semi-final 1

Opening: Welcome home

Switzerland is back to hosting the Eurovision Song Contest after 36 years and welcomes everyone around the globe with imagery of its beautiful nature and natural landscapes.

The spirit of connection and openness of the country is immediately reflected on the stage design, and also in its first images. We see flowers, mountains, water and more. Already in the arena, the dancers kick off the show with contemporary choreography, and are soon joined by so many more individuals that bring more cultural aspects to the stage from clothing to yodeling to the alphorn.

All of this culminates with an homage to Nemo's winning song, "The Code."

Comedian Hazel Brugger and former Eurovision star Sandra Studer take the stage and welcome the viewers "back home"... back to where it all started, making a reference to the first ever Eurovision Song Contest (1956) held in Switzerland.

A few jokes are thrown and the rules explained in both English and French.

It's time...

LET THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2025 BEGIN!

After approximately 10 minutes, the first country on stage is Iceland.

Postcards

Before each of the 15 songs we'll see a small "postcard" while the stage is being prepared for the song. Each of the 15 postcards feature the same idea: "Experience Switzerland through the eyes of the artists."

Each artist opens what seems to be a mailbox to retrieve a postcard that becomes reality and takes them somewhere in the country. We see chocolate making, immersive experiences, wine tasting, and even Schwingen.

The artists' name concludes the postcard.

Commercial Breaks

After Estonia, the evening's first commercial break takes place:

For the viewers without commercials, Hazel and Sandra highlight some Swiss hits, first from DJ Bobo and a bit of "Chihuahua," then Yello's "The Race," and finally: "The Chicken Dance" – who knew it also originates from Switzerland?

After Italy, the second commercial break takes place. The focus is now on Eurovision props that run from a horse head (Azerbaijan 2017) to an hamster wheel (Ukraine 2014).

Interval Act: "Made in Switzerland" and Petra Mede

After all 15 songs have been performed it's time to start the voting. All countries in Semi-final 1, along with the three pre-qualified countries (Spain, Italy and Switzerland) can vote in this Semi-final.

The presenters explain the rules and are quick to open the voting:

START VOTING NOW!

A first recap takes place and it's time for the interval act.

It all starts with the hosts reminding the viewers that the very first Eurovision Song Contest took place in Switzerland with Lys Assia taking the win for the country. As soon as we notice, a musical moment "Made in Switzerland" is starting.

Throughout the act Swiss stereotypes are mentioned, as well as the things that were invented in the country. It all culminates in the "Swiss version of Robin Hood," William Tell. To impersonate him, last year's host Petra Mede takes the stage and joins the act that eventually concludes with Switzerland's invention of Eurovision.

A recap of the turquoise carpet takes place, as well as the inauguration of the green room.

STOP VOTING NOW!

The voting is now closed, but we still have to hang on for a few moments.

Eurovision records are discussed. While Ireland's Jedward take the highest hair, Moldova's Natalia Gordienko takes the longest note. In 2013, a man part of Switzerland's Takasa broke the record as the oldest ever performer in the contest. He was 95.

In a more relevant picture, a recap of some of Eurovision's most streamed songs is played. Eleni Foureira's "Fuego," Go_A's "SHUM," Alessandra's "Queen of Kings," and Rosa Linn's "Snap" are some of the chosen songs.

Céline Dion is on your screen with a message. The video is pre-recorded and the singer recalls the moment she won the contest 37 years ago. She sends love to the entire world, and ensures that a message is also sent in French.

Iolanda (Portugal 2024), Jerry Heil (Ukraine 2024), Marina Satti (Greece 2024) and Silvester Belt (Lithuania 2024) pay a tribute to the singer by covering Céline's "Ne partez pas sans moi."

The moment is followed by the hosts interacting with the green room and offering chocolates and slippers. A promo of next Thursday's acts is played.

We're ready to find out who the 10 qualifiers are, and Martin Österdahl, the boss who oversees everything related to Eurovision, gives his thumbs up that all is set for the qualifiers' announcement.

Just before they do so, a big "good to go" is displayed on the screen.

THE 10 SONGS QUALIFIED FOR THE GRAND FINAL...

A new way of announcing the 10 qualifiers for the Grand Final is introduced this year. For the first nine qualifiers, three acts will be displayed split-screen, of which one of the acts will be announced as the qualifier. The two other acts are not eliminated, but remain in limbo. It can happen that the same act appears twice or three times on the split screen.

For the tenth spot in the Final, no split screen will be used.

GOOD NIGHT EUROPE!

While the credits are running, Jørgen Olsen says goodbye with a rewrite of his and his brother's "Fly On The Wings Of Love" from 2000: "United By Music".

Voting

The voting procedure follows the same recipe as last year. In the Semi-finals there will be no juries. Viewers in some of the non-participating countries ("the rest of the world") will now be able to vote online. These online votes will have the same weight as one participating country in both of the Semi-Finals, as well as the Grand Final. Each country and "the rest of the world" will have one set of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points to give.

• Voting will open after the last song has been performed, and will stay open for approximately 20 minutes.
• The 10 songs with most points will qualify for the Grand Final.
• Each of the 15 countries participating in Semi-final 1 will vote.
• The pre-qualified countries Spain, Italy and Switzerland will broadcast and vote in Semi-final 1.
• Each country will have televoting, which results in a set of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
• "The rest of the world" can vote online, which results in a set of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points.
• The voting results will not be revealed before the Grand Final has finished on Saturday.
• Only the 10 qualified songs will be revealed, and in random order.

Eurovision Song Contest 2025

The 69th Eurovision Song Contest takes place on 13, 15 and 17 May 2025. The contest will be held in Basel, Switzerland.

• Location: Basel, Switzerland
• Participants: 37
• Semi-final 1: 13 May 2025: 15 participants. The 10 best songs qualify for the Grand Final.
• Semi-final 2: 15 May 2025: 16 participants. The 10 best songs qualify for the Grand Final.
• Grand Final: 17 May 2025: 26 participants: Switzerland, Big-5 (Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom), 10 best from Semi-final 1, 10 best from Semi-final 2.