With the 70th Eurovision Song Contest coming up this week in Vienna, here’s a second round of connections to Eurovision I’ve seen in museums. I’m happy to make this a series - take a look at the first edition here.

We’re moving back in time through the last few decades with these examples, from 2025, 2021 and 2001.

Last year, Basel hosted the Eurovision Song Contest after Switzerland’s win in 2024. In the Basel Historical Museum, there is a small display of memorabilia from the show: a pair of sparkly Union Jack boots, the sheet music for The Code (the song that won in 2024) and a bucket hat belonging to a volunteer.

These were brought to life with short videos recorded in a 'Memory Box' which was located in a city square during the Contest. People from Basel and visitors speak about what Eurovision means to them.

We see people who’ve travelled from Australia, a young man from Latin America who has become an Irish citizen, Italians living in Basel during an Erasmus year - it’s a rich, vivid portrait of Eurovision fans, which made me feel emotional watching it. My favourite was the volunteer whose hat is displayed. She said: ‘Volunteering at Eurovision in 2025, I became the most extroverted and most curious version of myself.’ ❤️

In 2001, Estonia won Eurovision for the first time. This is marked as a national highlight in a display at the Vabamu Museum of Occupations and Freedom.

Their victory came just seven years after their debut in the Contest in 1994, which was only three years after Estonia regained independence. As the display notes: for a small nation, each victory in the international arena is a source of confidence.

Surinamese singer Jeangu Macrooy represented the Netherlands in Eurovision in 2021, held in Rotterdam. Some months later, the costume he wore during his performance was featured in the Maison Amsterdam exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) venue in Amsterdam.

The exhibition looked different eras of Amsterdam fashion, and was the first major fashion exhibition to focus on the city.

The outfits were designed by Lissa Brandon and Silvy ten Broeke and feature elements of Surinamese heritage. The exhibition was an excellent opportunity to see these up close in a way you would not at Eurovision.

Incidentally, the presenters’ costumes from 2021 were also displayed later that year in the Textile Museum in Tilburg.

Thank you for reading + until next time,