The official opening ceremony took place on Sunday, 11 May. All 37 Eurovision delegations were welcomed in front of the town hall by President of the Government of the Canton Basel-Stadt Conradin Cramer and then walked across the turquoise carpet that stretched across the market square. To the applause of the large crowd and accompanied by the sound of their respective competition songs, they boarded vintage trams and buses, which took them at walking pace on an impressive parade through the city centre to the exhibition grounds.
 

The trams were accompanied by Basel drummers and pipers, dance ensembles, school classes, volunteers, Guggen musicians, alphorn players and the Zurich Pride Parade. The hour-and-a-half-long parade, in which around 2,000 people took part, was a celebration of diversity – carried by sound, creativity and joie de vivre.
 

After the parade, which was watched by tens of thousands of spectators, the delegations arrived on stage at the Eurovision Village, where they were given a ceremonial welcome. According to the security authorities, the opening ceremony went off without any notable incidents. The opening ceremony thus marked not only the official start of Eurovision week, but also a successful start to a celebration of music in the heart of Basel.

Exciting start to the supporting programme on Saturday

The Eurovision Village on Messeplatz was officially opened on Saturday, 10 May. President of the Government Conradin Cramer cut the ribbon together with Beat Läuchli, Project Manager for Host City, Christoph Bosshardt, Head of External Relations and Marketing for the Canton Basel-Stadt, Simone Weiss, Head of Eurovision Village Host City, and mascot Lumo. The entertainment programme began at 1.30 p.m. on the main stage with various concerts, including performances by Remo Forrer and Anna Rossinelli. The Village will offer a free programme of music and entertainment throughout the Eurovison week.

Shortly afterwards, Eurovision Square also opened on Barfüsserplatz. The large open-air stage attracted over 12,000 people during the course of the day and delighted young and old alike. From Superar Suisse Choir to Schwellheim and Nicole Bernegger, there was something for every musical taste.