The Eurovision 2026 Host City Handover Ceremony was held in Vienna yesterday in the best of ways.
The President of the Basel Government, Mr. Conradin Cramer, gifted a special carnival lamp with a Eurovision theme, to the Mayor of Vienna, Mr. Michael Ludwig. The event was held at the Vienna City Hall and attended by EBU and ORF officials. A special delegation from Basel travelled to Vienna specially for the event presided by the President of Basel’s Government.
Basel has now officially handed over the Eurovision baton to Vienna!
The City of Basel’s official press release reads:
As a gift, Basel presented Vienna’s mayor, Michael Ludwig, with a carnival lantern specially made for Vienna. Before the presentation, a costumed carnival group carried the lantern across the city. Two drummers and five female fifers played traditional carnival marches as well as new interpretations, such as the Eurovision theme.
Basel and Vienna are connected not only by their role as host cities of the Eurovision Song Contest: both are renowned as cultural and musical centers. This carnival-themed lantern brings a piece of Basel’s cultural heritage to Vienna, forging a connection to the ESC in typical Basel fashion. The lantern features ESC winner JJ, whose victory in Basel brought the 2026 ESC to Vienna. On the reverse side, Ueli – a typical figure of the Basel Carnival – is prominently displayed. Behind him are two iconic landmarks of the two cities: the Vienna State Opera and Basel Minster.
ORF’s official press release reads:
To kick off the semi-final draw for the mega-musical event, which will take place in Vienna’s Stadthalle in May, the two mayors first performed a handover ceremony. The carnival-loving Rhine city of Basel didn’t hold back, presenting not only its President of the Government, Cramer, but also a whole carnival troupe, including drummers and pipers, before the actual television broadcast. They played not only carnival marches but also the Eurovision theme song, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Te Deum.”
Besides the music, the Basel contingent brought along the aforementioned traditional lantern, which features the Austrian Eurovision Song Contest luminary JJ. The reverse side is adorned with Basel’s carnival jester Ueli, standing in front of the harmonious duo of the Vienna State Opera and Basel Minster, accompanied by the Eurovision slogan “United by Music.” Mayor Ludwig announced that the lantern will find its new home in the Vienna Stadthalle, the Eurovision venue.
With the passing of the Eurovision Song Contest torch, Vienna now officially holds not only the lantern but also the scepter of the contest. “It’s a wonderful sign of our connection,” Ludwig said, delighted by the distinguished visit from Basel, and presented his counterpart with a golden saucer as a token of appreciation. The latter, in turn, emphasized the commonalities between Basel and Vienna, not least thanks to their cooperation during the 2008 European Football Championship. Since then, at the very latest, it has been clear: “We are outstanding host cities.
