As host city in 2025, Basel handed over the baton for the organisation of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) to Vienna on Monday. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox To mark the occasion, Basel mayor Conradin Cramer presented a carnival lantern to the Austrian capital. This will be Basel's last appearance as host city before its role officially comes to an end, the Basel authorities said in a press release on Monday. And just as at the opening ceremony last May on the banks of the Rhine, the carnival will once again be taking part on the banks of the Danube. To mark the handover, a costumed fife-and-drum band carried a carnival lantern specially designed for the new host city through Vienna. Conradin Cramer will present the lantern to the Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, at the draw ceremony for the ESC 2026 semi-finals at Vienna City Hall. The carnival lantern features the Austrian singer JJ, who brought the ESC 2026 to Vienna with his victory in Basel ...
