The ever-sensational Eurovision song contest is taking place in Basel this year, with performers primed to dazzle audiences at the St. Jakobshalle arena next week.
The Swiss city will host the 69th edition of the competition, taking place between 13 and 17 May, where 37 countries will battle it out to be the best act.
Fans of the high-octane contest are now flocking to Basel and, if you are thinking of joining the musical extravaganza, accommodation is still available.
But be warned, prices are as eye-watering as many of the performances.
Basel braces for tens of thousands of Eurovision enthusiasts
Basel is anticipating that as many as 50,000 fans will descend on the city in the coming days as Eurovision excitement reaches fever pitch.
According to the song contest organisers, visitors from 80 countries around the globe will be in the audience for the live event.
Swiss fans have bought the most tickets as the competition returns to their country for the first time since 1989.
Germany has purchased the second-highest number of tickets, with fans from the UK, France and Spain rounding out the top five.
Basel accommodation prices soar for Eurovision
Accommodation prices in Basel are reportedly sky-high for the week during which the competition will unfold.
Sports news site Wettfreunde.net has analysed over 1,000 accommodation listings in the city on Booking and Airbnb.
The company compared the average prices of six-night stays for two people from 12 to 18 May (from a day before to a day after the contest) to the period in the weeks before and after Eurovision (5-11 May and 19-25 May)
For the week of the competition, accommodation on Booking costs on average €6,024, which is 139 per cent more than the week before Eurovision and 137 per cent more than the week after.
On Airbnb, a six-night stay between 12 and 18 May will set you back an average of €1,804, 130 per cent more than the week before the contest and 164 per cent more than the week after.
The most expensive option on Booking during Eurovision is a studio eight kilometres from St. Jakobshalle for a staggering €21,906.
Even so, that pales in comparison with the most expensive option on Airbnb: a loft 2.5 kilometres from the arena for €67,369 for the six days.
If that’s out of your budget, the cheapest option on Booking is a double room in a capsule hotel two kilometres from St. Jakobshalle for €1,178, while Airbnb’s cheapest offer is an apartment 30 kilometres from the arena for €252.
