37.5 million euro.  That’s how much money host city Basel will spend on the 69^th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. 37.5 million euro for an event that will take place for only three evenings in the year. For that amount of money, the city of Basel can buy all their 173 thousand inhabitants twenty Big Mac menus from McDonalds. Of course, there are better ways to spend 37.5 million euro, but I don’t think the Eurovision Song Contest is one of them.

 I’m a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, don’t get me wrong. At eleven years old my grandparents introduced me to the biggest event of the year. The songs, the dances but most of all the concept made me obsessed from the first minute I watched it. A show where over 40 countries of Europe feast in unity by singing songs about the most ridicule subjects? Sounds like a dream for an eleven-year-old who fears war, right? It’s safe to say (and maybe a little embarrassing) that the Eurovision Song Contest became my personality trait for a few years. Therefore, this opinion piece might come as a surprise for anyone who knew me between the ages eleven and fourteen.

A business of many euros
Each year the Eurovision Song Contest is held in the country who won the previous year. In 2025, we head to the beautiful Basel in Switzerland. This means that apart from the contribution of the other countries, which varies from country to country, Basel is in charge of opening their wallet. And they do. The city will lay down the huge amount of 37,5 million euros. This amount of money isn’t the exception when it comes to organizing the contest. According to an article of CNBC, Malmo (Sweden) spend around 18 million euro in 2013, while Copenhagen (Denmark) dished out 50 million euro in 2014. Azerbaijan’s capital Baku takes the crown by spending between 60 and 72 million euro. This amount of money, just for a few songs who no one will remember a month later.

For eleven-year-old me it had never been enough in terms of the Eurovision Song Contest. The more money, the better. Luckily (or sadly) enough, I’m twenty now and I understand the value of money, and 37.5 million euros is just a lot. I get paid fourteen euro per hour; this means I would have to work for 305 years nonstop to be able to finance this year’s Eurovision. By the time I’ve collected that amount, I’ve died four times.

Better spend
A much as I love the yearly contest that unites Europe, it’s just a fact that in this economy the money could be spend on better things. Switzerland can help the 2,200 homeless people in their country. The money could go to research for cancer or other diseases. Or the city of Basel could invest in cheaper help for people with mental health problems. Every city and every country has their problems. Is the best way to spend 37.5 million euro a huge singing competition or should we first handle the actual problems?

All bitterness aside, I still love the Eurovision Song Contest, and I wouldn’t want to see it disappear. But maybe we should think about the huge amount of money we’re willing to spend on it and make it a cheaper version this year. No Celine Dion or big fireworks this year. Just a local artist and 3.5 million Big Mac menus.

Text: Nohr Pardon
Image: © Nohr Pardon