On Sunday afternoon, the Eurovision Song Contest officially commenced in Basel, Switzerland, with an opening ceremony featuring the event’s longest-ever runner carpet.
The turquoise carpet stretches an impressive 1.3 kilometres from the town hall to the ‘Eurovision Village,’ where a celebration is set to take place later in the day.
Instead of walking the entire route, the 37 delegations will be introduced to the public at the town hall before boarding historical trams for a parade through the city. At the end of the procession, international journalists will be ready to ask them a myriad of questions.
Authorities are closely monitoring the festivities for any disruptions. Last week, a protest group called for the ceremony to be interrupted by people carrying Palestinian flags and banners, to protest against Israel’s participation in the contest.
Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael is present at the ceremony. Last year, Israel did not participate in the carpet event, reportedly due in part to tensions related to the Gaza conflict. Since the conflict began, Israel’s presence at the Eurovision Song Contest has been the subject of international criticism.
The organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), has previously promised a “broad discussion” about Israel’s participation but maintains that the contest is a “non-political music event.”
