Douze Points for Basel and a Confederation United by Music
21 May 2025
One musical event is not yet over when another is already on the horizon. The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel (May 10-17) gives way to the European Festival of Youth Choirs in Basel from May 28 to June 1.
The ESC slogan was “United by Music.” The media widely covered this contest. However, the slogan took on its true meaning outside the spotlight and on the street.
Firstly, the police forces of the cantons, Liechtenstein, Baden (Germany), and Alsace were ‘United by Music’. Police, Gendarmerie, Polizei and Polizia in the streets of Basel – who would have thought this in a country with the ‘Kantonli’ spirit?
It is also part of the militia system, which manifests itself, for example, during the ‘Federal Camp (Bundeslager) for Scouts’, Fête des Vignerons, Fasnacht, Schwingen, or the Basler Tattoo.
Hundreds of artists, children, adults, individuals, and groups were also ‘United by Music’ in the city on specially arranged stages or other locations.
Hundreds of volunteers were ‘United by Music’ and made this event accessible, friendly, and organised in an original musical way. They may be candidates for the Schappo 2026!
The ESC mainly showed the discreet way in which not only Basel but the whole country handles such events—no hysteria, media hype, or exaggerations. Not only do the police and security measures deserve positive attention, but also the attitude and conduct of the many visitors.
A performance of Les Festins du Vendredi on May 16 this year
Since 2020, for example. Every third Friday of the month at the Bachletten/Holbein community centre in Basel, events organised by Alain Moirandat have been taking place. He combines a short concert with a dinner based on the music performed: ‘Les Festins du Vendredi’.
The musicians are usually from the Schola Cantorum Basilienis, and the concerts and dinners focus on music and menus from before 1800, with a few forays into the 20th century.
Johann Sebastian Bach thus already met Susanne Eger’s 1745 ‘Leipzig Cookery Book’, Italian music from the early Baroque by Mealli was combined with dishes from a banquet for Queen Christine of Sweden, and Robert May’s 1685 ‘Accomplished Cook’ provided the recipes for music by Dowland, Gibbons and Simpson.
These events also confirm the centuries-old musical tradition at the local and cantonal levels. Besides various world-class concert buildings (for example, in Lucerne, La Chaux-de-Fonds, or Geneva) and many top musical events (for instance, in Gstaad, Montreux, Basel, or St. Moritz), it is mainly the musical base that stimulates the imagination.
Numerous small and large concerts and festivals occur daily throughout the country. The country is ‘United by Music’, which makes the ESC unforgettable.
Impressions of the ESC 2025 in Basel
Fanacht 2025, Lanterne about the ESC
