Robe helps epic Eurovision glow up

Robe lighting was proud to be a technical partner for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), staged at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. A stunning production lighting design, featuring nearly 550 Robe luminaires, was created by Tim Routledge and his team, working on their third ESC event, and collaborating closely with set, video and production designer Florian Wieder to present a vibrant, flexible and visually impactful environment.

Prominent on the lighting rig were 190 of Robe’s just‐launched GigaPointe laser‐source multifunctional moving light, 98 x WTF!s – IP rated LED strobewash‐ blinder fixtures – and 25 x Robe HolyPATT vintage‐style LED ‘scenic’ luminaires. In addition to these, Tim’s general ligh􀆟ng rig included 182 x Robe SVB1 multisource LED wash beams, which he also used on last year’s event in Switzerland, and have since become a firm favourite. He also chose 64 x Robe iFORTES and iFORTE LTXs – fitted with the HCF (High Colour Fidelity) engines – for all the key lighting and specials on the main stage and in the Green Room, this year located in the arena opposite the stage along the other ‘short‐end’ side of the venue.

A large, sweeping ‘signature’ passerelle feature with video floor started at ground level stage left and looped around the middle of the room in front of the stage, curving upwards at stage right in a giant rollercoaster‐style loop, snaking around to finish high up in the roof stage left. A portrait‐oriented central LED screen curved seamlessly from above into the stage floor below and extended into a central thrust that traversed the arena floor, splitting into a double staircase at the other side, ascending to the Green Room. All of this brought a beautiful flow and harmony to the scene for lighting and playback video, which seamlessly combined with the other technical disciplines and worked brilliantly as a piece of televisual art. The central screen was framed either side by 7 columns of moving lights, bringing an epic and breathtaking cinematic feel to the entire space and giving clear sight lines from all around the arena.

Tim’s highly talented team included his associate lighting designers Morgan Evans and James Scott; moving light programmers Alex Mildenhall and Martin Higgins; key light programmer Marc Nicholson; overnight programmers Olly Martin and Manfred Nikitzer; follow spot caller Louisa Smurthwaite and playback video producer Sam Lisher and team. His gaffer and crew chief was Keith Duncan. All lighting equipment for the event was supplied by rental company Neg Earth out of the UK, with whom Tim also worked on last year’s event and on his first ESC as lighting designer in Liverpool, UK, in 2023.

Tim was delighted to be able to use GigaPointes and they became “headline fixtures” of the show. The product was just launched at ISE in February and powered by a 350W white phosphor laser source engine, it is a hugely anticipated multifunctional effects fixture, and it was a real moment to have so many of them used on such a high‐profile event. In Vienna, they were positioned all around the space. Morgan Evans commented, “They were excellent workhorses – we all loved them! Nice and bright, they worked hard, reliably and extremely well throughout the event in these multiple different positions. A highly versatile multi‐use product.” Tim echoed these comments, adding, “GigaPointes provided us with an aesthetic backbone,” revealing that he was so pleased with their performance that he’s specified them for Take That’s summer 2026 “Circus” stadium tour.

The 98 x Robe WTF!s were the main strobe unit on the lighting design, deployed on the roof trusses running the length of the room either side, and on the large central ‘crown’ semicircular trusses – the innermost ring – above the stage, alternated with GigaPointes and other fixtures.

“I love their directionality, and we fully used all the sets of LED chips and the zoning for various effects,” he explained, adding that they appreciated being able to pan and tilt the fixtures, which, together with the zoom, proved extremely handy at times for reducing glare into the cameras.

iFORTES were positioned all around the arena on the periphery trusses and the two outer ring trusses above the stage – their power was ideal for the long throws from these positions. Twelve of the 64 x iFORTES were paired with different remote follow systems, including three Robe RoboSpots. Robe’s SVB1 fixture were included on the main rig for this year – and in the meantime, Neg Earth had also made a substantial investment in SVB1 luminaires that was delivered by Robe UK. The fixtures were spread out around three of the four large circular roof trusses and helped emphasise the structure. They created the base looks for a host of versa􀆟le twinkling kinetic.

The Green Room design stood out this year for its retro, cosy, classic Viennesestyle coffee house concept, and the 25 x HolyPATTS were beyond the perfect movie prop for framing this, providing a highly stylised spherical ‘tungsten’ glow, visible in every wide and medium‐wide shot. The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra was positioned in the Green Room for the grand finale, and they were also dressed with HolyPATTS behind their risers. Tim and the team applied the highly accurate tungsten emulation with style and panache to bring a highly theatrical feel to the space.

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