The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 delivered a spectacular fusion of design, technology and performance at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland. Hosted by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR and co-ordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Eurovision is one of the world’s largest live music broadcast events.
As one of the official technical suppliers, ACME Lighting proudly powered the event with over 1,300 fixtures, helping shape the breathtaking, immersive stage world by set designer Florian Wieder and brought to life in collaboration with lighting designer Tim Routledge.
When Florian and his team developed the stage concept, they built the creative foundation on three elements: the Swiss Grid for clean, structured layout; the letterbox to reflect Switzerland’s linguistic and cultural diversity; and the two layers of mountains to add theatrical presence and visual depth.
To enhance spatial depth and create a layered visual experience, the lighting design team constructed a multilayered 3D grid structure behind the transparent 750m² LED wall—creating the illusion of an open backstage. Recognizing the potential of this unique setup, Tim chose the ACME PIXEL LINE IP attached to the grid, delivering clean looks, bold graphical effects and powerful strobe effects.
The massive frame was embedded with the same PIXEL LINE IP fixtures used in the 3D grid. These vertical pixel lights lit up the frame with vibrant colour transitions & cool dynamic effects, adding the visual flair to the entire setup. Designed to do more than just frame the stage, the structure was also intended to let the TV audience experience the show through it. For Tim, having the scenic video panels in the frame wasn’t enough — he wanted the structure to emit light itself.
When Tim drew the perspective trusses and the frame, the ACME TORNADO fixtures stood out as perfect addition to provide clean looks with strong visual presence. Tim said, “I had used them on a few recent shows and knew what they could do, but I wanted to try more tricks with them in huge quantity.”
Tim used the TORNADO to visually dress the entire light tunnel — positioning them along the front and back edges to create a stunning “Portal of Light.” Beyond the frame, the TORNADO fixtures were also mounted on three backward-running trusses on each side above the main stage. Each unit features five individually controlled heads, delivering sharp beams, wave-like motion and dynamic effects.
Tim praised, “we were all blown away by the brightness of the TORNADO and it really did work against the huge video screen.”
In addition to the PIXEL LINE IP and TORNADO fixtures, ACME Lighting also provided 40 x SUPER DOTLINE fixtures, positioned above all the arena entrances. These served as simple audience-facing eye candy, creating visual effects that extended the show’s energy deep into the crowd.
ACME’s participation at the Eurovision 2025 marks a significant milestone for the brand’s international journey. With over 1,300 ACME fixtures powering the spectacle, the event isn’t just a celebration of music and culture — it’s a dazzling showcase of cutting-edge stage technology!
ACME Gear List:
1022 x PIXEL LINE IP/PIXEL LINE IP 500
269 x TORNADO
40 x SUPER DOTLINE
Special Thanks To:
Lighting Designer: Tim Routledge
Associate LD: James Scott
Associate LD & Previs: Morgan Evan
Programming Team: Alex Mildenhall, Tom Young, Marc Nicholson
Overnight Programmers: Martin Higgins, Alex Passmore
Lighting Supplier: Neg Earth Lights
