Glamour and gaffes on Basel’s Turquoise Carpet

The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 festivities kicked off in Basel with a Turquoise Carpet parade that had fans buzzing – for better or worse. Stretching over 1.3 km through Basel’s historic centre (even laid out on an actual tram route), the carpet event promised the longest, grandest opening ever.

Thousands of onlookers and media lined the route as 37 delegations strutted their stuff amid vintage trams, drum troops, carnival pipers and alphorn players – a real-life Eurovision street pageant. But as always with Eurovision, the online reaction was a mix of awe, amusement, and eye-rolling snark.

A spectacle in the streets

Even before the first act set foot on the carpet, fans on social media were primed. Organisers literally rolled out the turquoise carpet along a Basel tram line on Sunday morning, prompting one Twitter fansite account to note: “They are literally rolling out the turquoise ‘carpet’ on the tram route right now. Hopefully it lasts!”. This tongue-in-cheek concern turned out to be warranted – it held up fine – but the live broadcast itself had its bumps. While Basel’s opening ceremony was bigger-budget than last year’s much-maligned Malmö edition, the execution still left some fans underwhelmed.

On Reddit’s live thread, viewers did not hold back. “Is this train wreck finally over?” one user sighed as the event dragged on. Others complained about “choppy” camera transitions and endless filler segments, joking that it felt like a “student-run production” in need of an apology reel. By the time the last delegation posed for photographers, Eurovision diehards were equal parts exhilarated and exhausted. As one commenter declared with palpable relief: “Thank god, no more interviews.”

Fashion hits, misses and meme-able looks

Of course, the Eurovision Turquoise Carpet is all about the looks, and 2025’s cohort delivered a carnival of fashion – from genuinely stunning to delightfully bizarre. On the classy end of the spectrum, Switzerland’s own Zoë Më (the host country’s entrant) proved that sometimes less is more. She glided down the carpet with minimal makeup and a natural glow, sporting just a simple elegant gown and a disarming smile. In a sea of sequins and body paint, the home representative’s understated grace stood out.

On the opposite end, Malta’s diva Miriana Conte showed she could laugh last and loudest. After enduring a storm of domestic criticism (some disgruntled Maltese fans had dubbed her “trash” on social media), Miriana arrived in a full Met Ball Gone Rogue ensemble – sporting scrunched newspaper headlines, oozing campy villain chic – essentially telling haters: “If I’m trash, I’m going to serve trash!”

The Eurovision Malta fan page gleefully captioned shots from the livestream: “You called her ‘Trash’ and she’s Serving it!” as Miriana vamped for the cameras. Love or hate the over-the-top outfit, it was a talked-about moment that perfectly matched her song title “Serving.” (Nobody can accuse her of not understanding the assignment.)

Several acts paid homage or gave wink-wink nods to pop culture. One delegation turned up looking like they’d raided the space age Blues Brothers’ closet – silver suits, and shades – prompting Reddit comparisons to “Jack and Elwood” themselves. (If there were an award for Best Group Cosplay, we have a winner.).

And in true Eurovision fashion, some artists literally made the carpet their stage: Spain’s entrant Melody, dressed by Rafael Urquizar,  lived up to her song “Esa Diva” by belting out its chorus a cappella with the crowd. Video clips show Melody leading fans in a sing-along of “¡Esa diva, esa diva!” right there on the turquoise carpet, earning huge cheers. Trust the Spaniards to turn a red (or turquoise) carpet into a fiesta.

Anticipation was also sky-high for infamously eccentric artists. Estonia’s representative, avant-garde rapper Tommy Cash, had fans on edge before he even arrived – purely to see what insanity he might be wearing. “I need to know what he’s got planned for [the] turquoise carpet,” one Redditor confessed days ago. He did not disappoint: Tommy strode in with a Trump-inspired blue suit and oversized long red tie. The look spawned memes and confused stares on the ground. Love him or loathe him, everyone was gawking – which, one suspects, is exactly what he was going for. Truth be told, he’s still coming over a tad sour and humourless.

Awkward interviews, yawns and “whole shablam” energy

It wouldn’t be an Opening Ceremony without a few cringe-worthy moments, and Basel gave us plenty to laugh and cringe at. The hosting and interviewing team – comprising local Swiss TV personalities and Eurovision alumni – tried their best to fill time, but sometimes to unintentionally comic effect.

At one point an interviewer lobbed a truly baffling question at a performer (Finland’s glam pop star Erika Vikman, in her golden glory): “Your song is about coming to Basel, right?”. This earned an audible groan from online viewers, given the song had nothing to do with Basel (and Erika’s polite smile barely hid her confusion). On the stream chat, fans facepalmed in unison – one joked that even Lumo the mascot could’ve done a better job with the questions.

Speaking of Lumo… Basel’s newly introduced Eurovision mascot – a human-sized, rainbow-colored heart creature with wild orange hair – made a cameo, toddling around as delegations arrived. Lumo may be officially meant to represent “the beating heart of Eurovision,” but he’s quickly become the beating heart of Eurovision jokes.

The Guardian had already dubbed Lumo “the love child of Mick Hucknall and Crazy Frog,” a “sentient heart with a bizarrely sexy mouth” that looks like a cursed cartoon. Redditors took one look and agreed, half-joking that they’d rather watch “Lumo and the clowns” host the whole show than endure more stilted banter. (To be fair, Lumo’s goofy dance moves on the carpet were oddly endearing – terrifying mascot or not, he’s got rhythm.)

Perhaps the most relatable moment of the afternoon was a blink-and-you-miss-it shot of Swiss presenter Odette, who appeared to stifle a yawn on camera during yet another lengthy interview segment. “Did Odette just stifle a yawn?!” a viewer exclaimed in disbelief on the live thread, capturing what we were all feeling by hour two of the broadcast.

Praise, critiques and the inevitable Eurovision snark

In true Eurovision tradition, the Turquoise Carpet ceremony generated a wild spectrum of reactions – from genuine adoration to razor-tongued sarcasm. Many viewers honestly enjoyed seeing their favourites loosen up and mingle.

Social media lit up with compliments for those who exceeded expectations: France’s pop sweetheart Louane was widely praised for channeling old Hollywood glamour in a sleek black outfit (a big “oui” from fashionistas), and Italy’s dapper crooner Lucio Corsi earned style points for his suit that screamed Gucci-meets-rockstar. “Class of 2025 indeed – they all look fabulous,” tweeted one fan, posting a collage of the best-dressed.

The overall sentiment among casual viewers was that the Basel opening ceremony was colourful and fun, if a bit chaotic.

Protests (again)

During Israel’s turn on the carpet, protesters in the crowd waved Palestinian flags and held banners (“You can’t cheer for apartheid” read one) in light of the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel’s singer Yuval Raphael walked flanked by a personal bodyguard, an unprecedented sight at Eurovision, underscoring the tension. Online, fans were divided – some expressed dismay that political conflicts had cast a shadow on the event, while others supported the right to protest. It was a sobering reminder that even at this celebration of music and unity, real-world issues aren’t checked at the door. Still, many noted how Raphael handled the situation with grace, smiling and waving through the jeers, proving the show must go on.

In the end, the Turquoise Carpet 2025 gave Eurovision fans exactly what they craved: drama, fashion, laughter, and buzz to fuel the week ahead. It was at once an elegant international welcome party and a messy, meme-generating circus – which is, in its own way, perfectly Eurovision.

The show has only just begun.