17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Eurovision 2025 Live Updates: With Odes to Saunas and Coffee, Contest Tries to Focus on Fun
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Reporting from from the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel
To its millions of devoted fans, the Eurovision Song Contest is a cultural juggernaut, an exciting competition in which singers and rappers represent their countries and perform for votes. To more casual observers, it's simply a fun, campy — and often bewildering — night of TV, with extravagant songs and outrageous outfits.
The bookmakers' favorite to win this year's final in Basel, Switzerland, is Kaj, representing Sweden with 'Bara Bada Bastu,' an ode to the sauna. Other must-watch acts include Louane, of France, with 'Maman,' a ballad during which the singer is showered in more than 500 pounds of shredded cork; and Tommy Cash, representing Estonia with 'Espresso Macchiato,' a song about Italy's love of coffee, sung in a cheesy Italian accent.
All Eurovision viewers, no matter where they live, can vote to choose the winner, and you can read our guide on how to watch (in the U.S., via Peacock.)
Stay on this page for all the news from the contest as it happens. I'll be reporting from the arena, and we have fashion and music experts standing by to explain what on Earth is going on. Often, at Eurovision, the madcap performances need a little explanation!
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