Eurovision 2025: Zürich Municipal Council passes motions for the sumbition of hosting bid!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The Municipal Council of Zürich passed two motions in favour of the sumbition of a bid for the hosting of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest!

On Wednesday 12th of June, the Municipal Council of Zürich passed two motions sumbitted by the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz– SP) and the Green Liberal Party of Switzerland (Grünliberale Partei der Schweiz – GLP) in favour of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. In their proposals both parties pointed out the positive financial effect as well as the positive impact on the image and the promotion of the city due to Eurovision.

Marco Denoth, a member of the council representing SP, stated:

“We want to show that the Council is behind the event.”

On the other hand the Swiss People’s Party opposed the two motions as it considers Eurovision as a chauvinistic event.

These two motions are about to be submitted to the City Council of Zürich, which will decide if the two motions are adopted. The city mayor Corine Mauch and the council are said to be in favour of hosting Eurovision 2025. If the two motions are adopted, Zürich will be able to officialy submit an official hosting bid.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

Source: 20min.ch

Follow us on all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

Sanremo 2025: 24 participants and no consideration of Covers’ Night into the final result is the first planning!

/1 Comment/in , , /by

Carlo Conti is the new artistic director of the Sanremo Music Festival. He has already announced the shorter duration of the festival’s evenings, a reduced number of participating entries as well as an alternative competition for the Nuove Proposte category.

Carlo Conti and RAI unveiled the initial plan for the five nights of Sanremo 2025 in further detail. Two significant changes are highlighted.

  • the top five of each night will be announced at a random order and the precise ranking will not be disclosed
  • the classification from the Covers’ Night will not be take into consideration when it comes to the final result.

Carlo Conti believes that by doing so, the rating among journalists will be less biased, as they will not be able to massively vote for or against a song on the final night, in order to receive the desired outcome.

Furthermore, it was announced that 24 songs will compete for the prize, six fewer than the 30 that took part in this year’s Festival.

Sanremo 2025 – the initial schedule

First Evening: 24 artists perform their competing song (top five is revealed in a random order)

Second Evening: 12 artists perform their song (top five revealed in random order)

Third Evening: 12 artists perform their song (top five revealed in random order)

Fourth Evening: Covers’ Night, the artists will perform in a duet. The results for this semifinal will NOT be included in the main competition

Final: 24 artists perform their competing song. The top five in the combined rankings of all semifinals advances in the Superfinal and gets to perform again. Juries and televote will vote again to decide the winner.

When it comes to Eurovision 2025, Italy has yet to confirm its participation, so it is still unknown whether the winner of Festival Di Sanremo will represent Italy in Switzerland.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: X

Christina Kitsos: The Greek mayor of the city is ready to host Eurovision in Geneva!

/0 Comments/in , /by

She is the first Greek woman elected mayor in Switzerland and in fact in one of its largest cities, Geneva. Her name is Christina Kitsos who from June 1, 2024 is the mayor of the city and the one who will make every effort to bring the competition in May 2025 to Geneva.

Will a Greek woman welcome us in Switzerland in 2025?

Christina Kitsos is a child of Greeks and a second generation immigrant. She has been involved in politics since she was very young, in the Socialist Party of Switzerland, passing through all the offices of the local government. Christina’s rise to mayor comes in recognition of her dedication to public service and commitment to addressing key issues facing the city.

The office of mayor of Geneva (maire de Genève) rotates annually among the five members of the council, the city’s executive government. The term of Christina Kitsos started on June 1, 2024 and ends on May 31, 2025. In other words, she will be the one who will conduct the entire process for claiming the organization of Eurovision 2025 in Geneva, but she will also be the mayor of the city, when the 69th Eurovision Song Contest takes place next year.

I was lucky enough to know Christina since I was an elected municipal councilor and we participated together in a conference of young elected officials from all over Europe. I know how much she loves and is connected to Greece and her Greek origins (her father is from Thessaloniki) and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity to go to a city that hosts Eurovision and whose mayor is a young woman , who is also Greek.

Eurovision is a great opportunity to promote Geneva to the world, promoting music as a global language that brings countries together, changes mindsets and transforms perspectives.

Christina Kitsos

Geneva or Zurich?

The municipality, the canton of Geneva and the Board of Directors of Palexpo, the venue that will host the contest if the city wins the event, have joined forces in an effort to bring Eurovision 2025 to Geneva.

After St. Gallen‘s withdrawal from the title race, the only opponent is Zurich, who, according to the bookmakers, is the favorite. Zurich has not yet officially announced that it is going to submit a candidacy, since the city’s municipal council is going to decide on this very soon.

Interested cities have until June 30 to apply, while the decision on which city will host Eurovision 2025 is expected to be announced in August.

Watch Christina Kitsos’s last interview two months ago:

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Italy: Sanremo 2025 will be held with fewer songs and without the Nuove Proposte winner!

/0 Comments/in , /by

Important announcements were made by Carlo Conti, the new artistic director and host of Sanremo. It is now a given that we will have fewer songs competing, while the winner of Nuove Proposte will not participate in the main category of the festival.

In his new interview, Carlo Conti confirmed a lot of what had been circulated recently as rumours. The new artistic director of the festival is already working on the regulations of Sanremo 2025, while he will then deal with the search for songs for Nuove Proposte and then for the big category of the festival.

The Nuove Proposte will be a separate contest, but unlike previous years, its winner will not have the right to participate in the big category of Sanremo 2025.

Carlo Conti indeed aims to reduce the duration of Sanremo 2025 and for this purpose the competition process will include fewer songs. Despite rumors that the evenings of Sanremo 2025 will end at 12 midnight, Conti says that this is not possible, but he aims to keep it no longer than 1 midnight. Finally, what has also been confirmed is the return of Dopo Festival.

The new presenter and artistic director of the next two editions of Sanremo, notes that his desire is for the songs to be at the center and all the rest to be secondary elements that frame a TV show. The people who will surround him is an issue that will concern him after finding the songs in September.

This will be the 75th edition of the Sanremo Festival, through which Italy will once again choose the artist that will represent it at Eurovision 2025.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: quatidiano

Kosovo: RTK officially asks EBU for an invitation to Eurovision 2025!

/1 Comment/in , , /by

Kosovo’s intention to be a part of the Eurovision family is no secret. RTK has tried for years to secure the nation’s spots to EBU’s shows, since the nation’s independence declaration.

Moreover and as we have previously informed you, RTK has announced that they will make an official application in order to participate in the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025, which will be held in Switzerland.

The application has now been sent on behalf of RTK. Via a formal letter, RTK asks Kosovo to be invited to participate in Eurovision 2025, in a similar way Australia also participates. Specifically, the letter sent to the EBU mentions that:

Dear Mr. Osterdahl,

As Director General of Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) I am writing to you on behalf of RTK to ask for an invitation to participate in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Participation in this high-level cultural event in Europe is our strong ambition and of great importance for our European Union integration.

RTK has been actively fostering musical talent and promoting cultural exchange within Kosovo. We have successfully organized our own national song contest, which has garnered significant popularity among Kosovans. This year, we will proudly host the second edition of our contest, with the hope that the winning song will represent Kosovo in the next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Although Kosovo currently has a special Agreement and a status with the EBU, we are inspired by the example of countries like Australia, which have been invited to participate in Eurovision. We firmly believe that the Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political event that celebrates music, diversity, and unity, values that resonate deeply with our nation.

We respectfully requést your consideration in extending an invitation to RTK to participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest. Our participation would not only showcase the vibrant talent of Kosovo but also reinforce the spirit of inclusion and cultural exchange that Eurovision embodies.

Last but not least, the EBU has played a crucial role in establishing RTK back in 1999, thus we hope that you will look into helping us to achieve this goal, enshrined in our mission as public broadcaster.

Thank you for considering our request. We look forward to the possibility of contributing to and enriching this prestigious event.

Warm regards,

Shkumbin Ahmetxhekaj

Director General of Radio Television of Kosova

What has been holding RTK from its Eurovision participation?

In order for Kosovo to become a member of the EBU, and thus be able to participate in Eurovision, it must first join the International Telecommunication Union  (ITU) or the Council of Europe. Kosovo has yet to achieve any of these, due to its partial recognition.

Considering the political implications that occurred during Eurovision 2024, the inclusion of a country that is not recognized by all the participating states will be a harder decision than it may seem.

Festivali i Këngës në RTK the selection process!

Kosovo’s ambition to participate in Eurovision is that high that they have already prepared a festival via which a potential future Eurovision entry will be selected. Festivali i Këngës në RTK, which was first organized in 2023, will probably serve as the nation’s selection format in case their permitted a Eurovision participation.

In fact, La Fazani with his song “Oj Kosova” was the first winner of FiK në RTK and would represent Kosovo in Malmö in case he was allowed to.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: RTK

Albania: Elhaida Dani will be the artistic director of Festivali i Këngës 63!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

One of Albania’s most famous and successful singers, Elhaida Dani, is going to return to the country’s greatest music festival, Festivali i Këngës, but this time, not as a contestant! Read more

Greece: Government proposal to ERT for a national final in Eurovision 2025

/0 Comments/in , /by

According to one of the oldest and most valid journalistic columns in Greece, BIMAtodotis in the Vima newspaper, the goverment, disturbed by what happened again this year at the Eurovision contest, have suggested to ERT that the selection of the next Greek representative be made through public voting, i.e. national final.

The issue with Marina Satti’s behavior at Eurovision with her fake yawns while the Israeli singer was speaking, seems not to have ended.

As BIMAtodotis writes, the matter now moves to another level and becomes political. It is impressive that the opposition parties were not involved, but only the goverment.

So the Prime Minister’s office (as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is deeply disturbed by Marina Satti who wanted to make her own foreign policy, with the government representative Pavlos Marinakis returning to the issue and stating directly among other things: “what I want to say as a personal comment, when someone – and this has nothing to do with political positions – represents a country, even in a music competition, travels at the expense of the Greek taxpayer, she must watch her behavior. Her public image and her behavior in general.”

According to sources, the goverment does not let the matter be forgotten. In addition to transferring their discomfort to the management of ERT, they intends to suggest that the institution of approving the song should now be done by public voting and not by… direct assignment which ERT does now (that is, it does whatever it wants).

BIMAtodotis

As we also mentioned here through Eurovisionfun in 2025, ERT has the ideal opportunity to organize a national final. With the popularity of Eurovision soaring, the commercial success of the contest in recent years, and the launch of Marina Satti’s career with her participation in Malmö, the Greek representation in Switzerland is expected to be contested by many important artists.

Everything will of course depend on the new management of ERT, since both the position of the ceo and that of the president will be announced through.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: Vima

Eurovision 2025: Bern and Biel/Bienne Considering Joint Bid to Host!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Bern and Biel/Bienne Municipal Councils are considering a joint bid to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. The de facto capital of Switzerland Bern as well as the birthplace of this year’s Eurovision winner Nemo, Biel/Bienne are examining the possibility of hosting the Eurovision song contest at the Bernexpo Groupe Exhibition Center.

In a statement by the Biel Council, they said:

“Hosting the major event in Nemo’s home region is therefore a logical step and would be a great opportunity from the point of view of the cities of Bern and Biel. The ESC offers the venue enormous exposure and would fit in well with the diverse, open and bilingual capital region of Bern and Biel.”

The potential venue for the contest is Bern Festhalle, while Tissot Arena in Biel/Bienne will host other competition -related events.

The same statement also mentioned the following:

“The three partners will now jointly examine the detailed requirements dossier from the SRG in detail. In particular, it must be clarified whether the very high requirements for the venue can be met as part of an application. This involves issues such as security, logistics and the high costs that the venue will incur. The new festival hall meets the requirements of a modern event infrastructure and will be ready in time for the ESC to take place. 

A final decision as to whether an application will be submitted has not yet been made. This will be made within the application period until the end of June. The municipal councils of Bern and Biel as well as those responsible for the Bernexpo Groupe are convinced that the ESC would be a great celebration and a unique opportunity. They therefore hope that a joint application will be possible. At the same time, it is important to all those involved to only submit an application dossier if there is a real chance of being awarded the contract.”

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2025!

Source: Biel

Follow us on all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

Italy: Carlo Conti plans to end the shows of Sanremo 2025 at midnight!

/0 Comments/in , /by

The new artistic director and host of the Sanremo festival Carlo Conti, has already started preparations for its upcoming edition. According to what the Italian media reports, Carlo Conti intends to drastically reduce the duration of Sanremo’s nights, while his intentions include the reinstatement of the Dopo Festival, a live show immediately after the end of Sanemo’s broadcast each night.

His role has been taken seriously by Carlo Conti, who returns to the position of artistic director and host, after eight years. Carlo Conti is one of the favorite faces of RAI, since all these years he presented favorite shows of the Italian public television, with great success and viewership.

So, according to what Dagospia reports, Carlo Conti is already working on the regulations for Sanremo 2025. Once they are ready, he will of course start the search for songs, both through a public call and direct discussions with artists and record labels.

Carlo Conti will attempt to drastically reduce the duration of the Sanremo 2025 broadcast, as he aims for it to finish at midnight. We say that he will attempt, since we have heard this several times in the past, but no one has ever been able to achieve it.

Another of his intentions for Sanremo 2025 is to bring back the Dopo Festival, a live show that was broadcast immediately after the end of each race night and essentially included interviews, reports and everything that the cameras did not show. The rumored presenter of the Dope Festival is Alessandro Cattelan, who was also one of the presenters of Eurovision 2022.

The winner of Sanremo in recent years has the option, if he wishes, to represent Italy in the Eurovision contest. Angelina Mango represented Italy at Eurovision 2024, with the song La Noia, which was also the winning song of Sanremo 2024. In Malmö, she finished seventh, with 268 points.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: Dagospia

Germany: NDR will remain the responsible broadcaster for Eurovision!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

It is now official that despite the discussions that took place during the season, NDR will remain the responsible broadcaster of Germany’s participation in Eurovision, within the ARD network. Read more