Eurovision 2025: Rehearsals Day 2 recap

The first rehearsals of Eurovision 2025 in Basel have begun.

In total, eight acts took to the stage for their first run through of 30 minutes each.

Photo galleries are provided by Eurovision and we've taken some of their team's description of the performance.

Eurovision provided details of the rehearsals on a live Reddit thread.

All images courtesy of the EBU.

Norway

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

Lots of elements of this staging have travelled directly from MGP, including the prop with the two stone pillars and the steps. But Kyle has a much bigger LED backdrop for a series of post-apocalyptic mountain graphics (mountains definitely a theme this year), and also a much bigger stage to work with. He takes full advantage of this, with a very polished dance routine that uses both the walkway and the wide front section (which the crew call the ‘frame stage’, by the way, so we will too).

What elevates this performance to ‘off the scale’ is the lighting – there’s a moving lighting rig on the roof that lowers in the second half, creating a stunning moment in the quiet middle eight after the dance break, when Kyle is caught in hundreds of spotlights in the middle of the stage.

Belgium

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

Red Sebastian won Eurosong for Belgium in a haze of pulsing red and black lighting – that’s definitely made the journey to Basel, but now it takes in the full LED wall and the frame at the front of the stage. The precision choreography of the lighting and graphics is spectacular – in the final section the Lego lights descend to add some intensity for the final section when the whole thing goes off and the arena dances like the whole world is watching.

The moving platform hasn’t made the journey from Eurosong – Red Sebastian stays grounded for this performance, and now has three dancers rather than the previous four. His costume is very similar to the red PVC suit with triangular shoulders he wore in the official video, and his dancers are in matching outfits, but with black accents. Being floor based also allows Red Sebastian to include some precision choreography, including a section where he interacts with his own reflection on the LED floor.

Azerbaijan

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

There’s so much joy in this performance – it’s giving Daft Punk/Nile Rodgers funk-pop vibes, but with a nod to Azerbaijan tradition in the sections after the chorus when lead singer Asef plays the saz, which is a traditional long-necked lute. The performance plays out in the middle of the stage, inside a lit halo on the floor that’s mirrored by a smaller one suspended from the roof. The LED wall adds scores of animated shadow dancers mirroring the moves of Mamagama’s three backing dancers, creating a very cool crowd effect that’s got us all chair dancing – this is such a summery bop.

As for costumers, the band are in very stylish black leather suits with red accents, but Asef and Hasan are wearing different styles of jacket, and Arif’s top is sleeveless, which presumably makes it easier to play the drums. They also have three dancers in sparkly black and red catsuits – we’re told that the male dancer isn’t wearing the final outfit today, so we’ll see that in the second rehearsal.

San Marino

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

The focus, as we saw at Una Voce Per San Marino, is mainly on Gabry himself in a silver jacket, against a backdrop of pulsing lights and graffiti on the LED wall. Gabry’s decks are huge and look like they’re made from mirrored panels that reflect even more pulsing lights, but the dancers we saw at Una Voce Per San Marino are gone, replaced by two instrumentalists who play the accordion and the tambourine.

This is such an interesting and unusual staging concept for Eurovision – a performance where the masked vocalists are not the main focus. The only other example we can think of is Norway’s Nocturne in 1995, where the fiddler was the main focus rather than the singer – add any other suggestions in the comments!

Albania

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

Very little of the Festival ii Këngës staging has made the trip from Albania, it’s had a complete revamp. There’s still the red and black colour scheme that plays out with geometric shapes on the LED backdrop, the lego lights, the LED floor and the frame.

The animation really drives the performance, and provides a striking contrast to their main performance area, which is a structure of black and white light boxes in the centre of the stage, where Kolë stands in this middle with his drum. Beatriçe uses much more of the space for her unique dance routine and armography, which has stayed much the same, and in the final chorus dances down the walkway for the big finale.

Netherlands

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

The start of this starts with a handful of piano notes that made us hold our breath, then it builds and builds, through the first English verse into the chorus, where the bassline drops and the party starts. Aside from his vocal talents, Claude has a natural connection with the camera that makes this feel like a powerful bit of visual storytelling, and he infuses the whole performance with pure joy from start to finish, with two contemporary dancers who dance around him and in and out of shot like they’re just passing through his party.

This is one of the first performances we’ve seen so far that features less of the LED wall, and now we know why – in the final chorus there’s an explosion of pink and blue flowers that take up every square inch of the wall, the floor and the frame – you almost expect them to flow into the arena. WHAT a finale.

Croatia

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

OK - forget everything you saw at Dora, this is now full Shakespearean drama. The lego lights are in full effect here, criss-crossing each other to create a more intimate stage space that has the added bonus of providing dramatic lighting, backed by red and green storm clouds and flames.

Costume-wise, Marko’s black outfit with the pointy shoulders has been replaced with something completely unexpected – a full-length cape with fur around the shoulders that’s giving evil Tudor prince. In the middle of the stage is a grey cauldron, which Marko and his four dancers cast their spells into for the first verse and chorus. The dancers all wear matching blue and white outfits with frills and ribbons, and for the second half they head to the frame stage – at the end Marko sheds his cape to reveal a matching blue and white shirt.

Cyprus

Eurovision live bloggers said of the performance:

The Cyprus delegation describes Theo’s performance as follows: “Two scaffolding towers are placed on stage, and the performance opens with Theo Evan and the two dancers forming the shape of a mysterious figure referenced in the lyrics - a silhouette that will be immediately recognisable.

As the performance unfolds, the towers shift positions to create different formations. Theo and his four dancers incorporate them seamlessly into the choreography. Stunning visuals and dynamic lighting enhance each movement, adding depth and intensity to the staging.”

Sounds exciting, no? We’d back that up, watching it live – it’s a super-slick, high energy three minute workout which does things with scaffold towers and very gymnastic men that we didn’t know were even possible. The lighting shifts from black and white at the start, to black and red in the middle, then back to black and white, and there’s a moment at the end before the final drop when everything stops and Theo just…breathes, with a clever camera effect that make it looks like he's dissolving into the ether.

Full rehearsal schedule available here

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