With Eurovision just around the corner, we here at Aussievision decided to take a look back at the ten best Eurovision stages of all time. But how did we decide on them?
Well, each member voted for their three favourite stages, giving three points to their favourite, two points to their second favourite, and one point to their third favourite.
Here are the results:
Winner: Vienna 2015 – 10 points
The Vienna 2015 stage was designed to be 100% recyclable, as the 60th edition of the contest was organized to be a green event and reduce carbon emissions. The stage was surrounded by 1,288 freestanding cylindrical pillars with LED lights in the shape of a giant eye, and featured a large LED wall that could be pushed aside.
3 points from Emma and Kyriakos
2 points from Steven and Hugo
“I love the colour scheme and how the rows of LED’s wrap themselves around the stage as if to almost embrace the performer. The giant eye at the back of the stage with waves of LED’s across it also draws attention. A truly beautiful stage” – Emma
“I love the swirl of lighting it really went well with staging from several acts including ‘Heroes’ from Måns Zelmerlöw, it elevated his performance and he utilized the stage” – Kyriakos
Runner-up: Stockholm 2016 – 9 points
The Stockholm 2016 stage was designed consisting of two gigantic LED arches, an LED stage floor, and an LED back wall, which was made innovative by allowing artists to moved around inside it. Stage designers Frida Arvidsson and Viktor Brattström described the stage as “powerful and brave . . . something that makes people wonder if it’s even possible”.
3 points from Cooper and Steven
2 points from Emma
1 point from Hugo
“The stage is simple yet memorable, which allows the artists to create on a blank canvas and ensures that the stage design isn’t sticking out like some other years” – Cooper
“I have a slight bias as this was the first stage I got to experience live, but I adore the Art Deco styling and the really effective use of light. Plus, I love the mini circular platform in the middle of the Golden Circle, which some performers (Laura Tesoro in particular) put to great use” – Steven
3rd: Tel Aviv 2019 – 6 points
The Tel Aviv 2019 stage was designed with a 250 square meter diamond shaped center stage, two 25 meter long runways and two 12 meter steel bridges, as well as having twelve moveable screens that could open and revolve 360 degrees. The stage was designed by famed Eurovision creative designer Florian Wieder.
3 points from Hugo
2 points from Cooper
1 point from Steven
“The triangle fits well with Israel as a country, and it just brought something different. The wide pan shots looked great going across the point, and there was room to move” – Hugo
4th: Bergen 1986 – 3 points
The Bergen 1986 stage was designed to look like an ice palace from the times of the Vikings, featuring white and pastel neon lights to complete the look. As it was the first time that Norway had ever hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, they gave the contest one of its biggest ever budgets at the time, which was reflected in the look of the stage.
3 points from Ford
“NRK’s first hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest brought along with it a lavish budget for a beautiful stage that was different and more exciting than any stage held before, and, in my opinion, since – turning Grieghallen into a beautiful Viking-esque ice palace” – Ford
5th: Cannes 1959 – 2 points
The Cannes 1959 stage featured three large rotating carousels which were used to introduce the singers as well as being used as the backdrops for the entries featuring a scene from each country (the Netherlands’ Teddy Scholten performed in front of a picture of a windmill, while Denmark’s Birth Wilke performed in front of a picture of Danish cottages).
2 points from Ford
5th: Athens 2006 – 2 points
The Athens 2006 stage was designed to act as a replica of an ancient Greek amphitheatre, and was designed by famed Greek stage designer Elias Ledakis, who would go on to design the stage for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Kyiv.
2 points from Kyriakos
7th: Hilversum 1958 – 1 point
The Hilversum 1958 stage was designed as a small stage to function as a slightly higher stand for the singers, with the television footage shot from the stage floor up. The stage design helped to keep the microphones and other technical devices out of frame, and featured interchangeable backgrounds for each of the entries.
1 point from Ford
7th: Copenhagen 2014 – 1 point
The Copenhagen 2014 stage was designed in the shape of a diamond, designed around a glowing cube, following a theme of sea and water which alluded to the Danish history with water from the Viking era, and showcasing the industrial heritage of the B&W Hallern venue.
1 point from Cooper
7th: Malmö 2013 – 1 point
The Malmö 2013 stage was designed to put the space in the arena to good use, highlighting the performances and increasing the audience’s visibility. The stage featured a main stage and a smaller stage, with higher and lower shifted floors.
1 point from Emma
7th: Rotterdam 2021 – 1 point
The Rotterdam 2021 stage uses the original stage design of the cancelled 2020 contest. The design was inspired by the slogan “Open Up”, and the typical Dutch flat landscape, and was also designed by Florian Wieder.
1 point from Kyriakos
This is what the Aussievision team thought, what do you think? Feel free to follow us on all our socials and let us know if we missed out on your favourite Eurovision stage!