United by Music
Original title
Eurovision Song Contest
Released
5/24/1956
Origin country
CH
Genre
Reality
Production companies
Eurovision Media Production, European Broadcasting Union
Status
Returning series
Number of seasons
70
Number of episodes
110
The Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition, organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and featuring participants representing primarily European countries. Each participating country submits an original song to be performed on live television and radio, transmitted to national broadcasters via the EBU's Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine the winner.
Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light honours all 41 songs that would have competed in the 2020 contest, but in a non-competitive format.
Sam became a viral TikTok star during the pandemic, reaching a huge fanbase of 12 million people. We follow his journey as he represents the UK at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest
Some of the biggest stars in the recent history of the Eurovision Song Contest take to the stage in Amsterdam to perform their best known Eurovision bangers and ballads. The party is presented by Eurovision legend Edsilia Rombley, with the UK’s very own Rylan taking viewers back-stage to chat with the stars. Acts performing include 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra, Subwoolfer, Greece’s 2021 entry Stefania, and TIX.
Graham Norton chats to Olly Alexander, the UK's act for Eurovision 2024. The two superfans talk candidly and reveal more details, including the music video for Olly’s song Dizzy.
Get ready for a spectacular show filled with some of the biggest names from the history of the Eurovision Song Contest. Straight from the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Eurovision legends come together to celebrate the rich musical legacy of the iconic event. The Big Eurovision Party is a celebration of music, energy and excitement as the artists take the stage to perform some of the most memorable songs from the past while Rylan catches up with some of them backstage. With performances by Conchita Wurst, Johnny Logan, Käärijä, Måns Zelmerlöw, Cornelia Jakobs, Gjon’s Tears, Alessandra, Rosa Linn and many more. You do not want to miss this party!
The first ever Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland, at the Teatro Kursaal, on 24th of May 1956.
This first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest included several procedures that were not repeated in any subsequent edition: Two songs for each country, secret voting, double voting of one country on behalf of another, optional inclusion of the jury members' own represented country in their voting, only "Grand Prix" title reception for the winner, and a single male presenter to host the show. The other Contests include: One song for each country, scoreboard display, jury panel from each country, disqualification of the juries' own country from their voting, material award, and a single or additional female presenter.
The 1957 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany after Switzerland declined to host the contest for a second time.
The Netherlands had the honour of hosting the third Eurovision Song Contest. The 1958 contest took place at the television studios in Hilversum, the 'media capital' of the Netherlands. For the occasion, the venue was decorated with thousands of tulips.
The glamorous Mediterranean resort of Cannes, France hosted the 4th Eurovision Song Contest in March 1959.
London was the host city of the fifth Eurovision Song Contest despite a Dutch victory in Cannes in 1959.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 returned to Cannes for the second time in two years. The number of participants began to rise as the Eurovision Song Contest became increasingly popular.
The 1962 Eurovision Song Contest was held in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for the first time. France scored another victory with Un premier amour performed by Isabelle Aubret.
The 8th Eurovision Song Contest took place in London, despite a French victory in the preceding year. Denmark's first victory would become controversial topic.
The 1964 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Italy scored its first victory with a song performed by 16-year-old Gigliola Cinquetti who had already won the Italian San Remo Festival with her entry Non Ho l’Età.
The 1965 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Naples and saw Luxembourg win again. The winning entry, performed by France Gall, Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son, is a milestone moment in the history of the show since it is the first time that a pop song won the Eurovision Song Contest.
Once again, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had the honour of staging Europe's most important musical contest and for the first time, a song in German managed to win the trophy.
After Udo Jürgens' victory in 1966, Vienna, Austria's capital, was chosen to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967.
The thirteenth Eurovision Song Contest which took place in the Royal Albert Hall in London was the first Eurovision Song Contest to be broadcast in colour. The bookmakers were sure of another British victory since Cliff Richard - who had dominated the European charts for several years already - decided to represent his native country.
The Spanish capital of Madrid hosted the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest after Massiel won the trophy in London the year before. Austria decided to stay home so the number of participants went down to 16 as no new countries entered.
The Netherlands hosted the Eurovision Song Contest once again in 1970. The contest took place in the capital, Amsterdam, however only 12 delegations made the trip to the Dutch capital due to what was referred to as "the voting scandal" of the year before.
After Dana's victory in 1970, the Eurovision Song Contest moved to the Emerald Isle, Ireland, and the number of participants rose again.
Host Broadcaster BBC arranged the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest outside London for the first time. The honour of hosting went to the Scottish capital Edinburgh after Monaco, which won the year before, was unable to provide a suitable venue. The contest resulted in two big hits all over the continent: Après Toi by winner Vicky Leandros and Beg, Steal Or Borrow by The New Seekers who ended up in second place.
After hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 and 1966, it was Luxembourg's third occasion to show the best of Europe's music to millions of viewers. The big favourite to win was yet again Cliff Richard representing the United Kingdom, but the host nation Luxembourg took the trophy.
For the second time in three years the United Kingdom staged the Eurovision Song Contest without having won the contest in the preceding year. Due to the fact that the broadcaster in Luxembourg, RTL, did not wish to host the event again for financial reasons, the BBC embraced the possibility once more. The 1974 Eurovision Song Contest was held at The Dome, in the seaside resort of Brighton.
The Eurovision Song Contest moved northwards for its 20th anniversary. The 1975 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Stockholm, Sweden on 22nd March.
For the third time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, the Netherlands organised the musical highlight of the year. After having hosted the event in Hilversum and Amsterdam, The Hague was chosen as host city for the 1976 event.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1977 was the first contest which was troubled by a strike and was only organised five weeks after the planned date.
After having won in London in 1977, French Television organised the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest in Paris on 22nd April.
The 24th Eurovision Song Contest was held outside the geographical area of Europe for the first time. Jerusalem played the proud host of the annual event in 1979.
Israeli TV declined the opportunity to host the 1980 Song Contest again after Israel won in Jerusalem in 1979. After much discussion, it was decided that the contest would be arranged by Dutch TV NOS in The Hague.
Ireland's capital Dublin hosted the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest after Johnny Logan won the contest in the preceding year with What's Another Year. Bucks Fizz won the 1981 contest for the United Kingdom with the song Making Your Mind Up.
The BBC surprised everyone when they decided that the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest would be held in the northern city of Harrogate.
After trying to win for many years, German broadcaster ARD finally hosted the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest in Munich.
Luxembourg hosted the contest for the 4th last time after Corinne Hermès' victory the year before.
Swedish national broadcaster SVT decided to stage the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest in Gothenburg's Scandinavium, the biggest venue to have hosted the show to date.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1985 was the 30th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. The presenter was entertainer Lill Lindfors, whose jokey dress rip after the interval act (seemingly revealing her knickers before unfolding another dress) was said to have not amused the wife of EBU scrutineer Frank Naef. Norwegian duo Bobbysocks! were the winners with the song "La det swinge".
The Norwegian city of Bergen had the honour of hosting the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest which saw Belgium score its first and to date, only victory with Sandra Kim's J'Aime La Vie.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest. The presenter was Åse Kleveland, a well-known folk guitarist who was President of the Norwegian Association of Musicians (and a former Eurovision entrant, in 1966).
The 1987 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Brussels, Belgium. Viktor Laszlo was the host of the 32nd edution of the competition which was won by Ireland.
The 1988 Eurovision Song Contest is best remembered for one of the most thrilling voting moments in the history of the competition and for launching a legend; Céline Dion.
Following Céline Dion's victory the preceding year in Dublin, Switzerland staged the Eurovision Song Contest in Lausanne. 22 countries participated in the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The program was presented by Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva, representing Yugoslavia, won with the song "Rock Me". This was the only victory for Yugoslavia as a unified state.
The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Zagreb following Yugoslavia's win the previous year. As communism fell in Europe, many of the songs reflected the wider political context.
The 1991 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Rome, Italy and saw France and Sweden tie for first place at the end of the voting.
After having hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm and Gothenburg before, Swedish broadcaster SVT opted to host the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden's third largest city, Malmö.
The tiny town of Millstreet in Ireland was the centre of Europe when it hosted the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest.
After winning the contest on home ground in Millstreet in 1993, the contest was staged at the Point Theatre in Dublin. Ireland set two new records for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994; they won the contest for a 6th time and won for the third time in a row.
For a record third year in a row Ireland hosted the 40th Eurovision Song Contest which was held again in the Point Theatre in Dublin.
The 1996 Eurovision Song Contest moved to a new destination, after it had been in Ireland for the three preceding years. Norway's capital Oslo had the honour of hosting the contest for the first time.
Dublin's Point Theatre was - yet again - the venue for the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest. To date it is the last contest that has been held in Ireland. For the first ever the public had a say in the outcome of the competition.
The 1998 Eurovision Song Contest from Birmingham culminated in one of the most thrilling voting sequences for years and reminded us that Europe is a more open-minded place than we might have thought.
The 1999 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Jerusalem for the first time since 1979. Free language rules were introduced meaning that participating countries could choose which language they performed in.
In May 2000 the Eurovision Song Contest returned to Stockholm for the first time since 1975. The spectacular show took place in the Globen Arena with a record-breaking 13,000 in attendance.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The contest was the second to be held in Stockholm, and the fourth held in Sweden. The presenters were Kattis Ahlström and Anders Lundin. The Globe Arena was, at the time, the largest venue chosen to host the contest with a capacity of 16,000 spectators. The postcards used to introduce each country participating involved Swedish themes that incorporated each nation in some respect.The logo for the contest, a pair of open mouth lips, was chosen by SVT, and was described by its designers as "a sensual, yet stylistically pure mouth representing song, dialogue and speech", and was later one of the possible choices for the generic logo introduced at the 2004 Contest.
A record-breaking 35,000 spectators attended the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, the largest venue to date.
The 2002 Eurovision Song Contest was hosted in the Estonian capital Tallinn. It was the first time that one of the new-entrant countries staged the Eurovision Song Contest.
Latvia hosted the competition in 2003 following Marie N's victory in Tallinn the previous year.
After having successfully hosted the first ever Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final, Istanbul held its breath for the 2004 Final.
In 2003, it was decided that a Semi-Final would be held in 2004 with only the so-called 'Big Four' (Germany, UK, France and Spain) plus the ten most successful countries from the 2003 ranking having a place in the Final. Ten remaining countries would qualify from the Semi-Final, which was held on the Wednesday prior to the Eurovision Song Contest Final night on Saturday. 22 countries decided to took part in the 2004 Semi-Final, all countries used telephone and SMS voting. Several new countries entered in 2004; Andorra, Albania and Belarus along with Serbia & Montenegro. Monaco returned to the contest after a 25-year absence.
After having successfully hosted the first ever Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final, Istanbul held its breath for the 2004 Final. Ten countries qualified from the Semi-Final: Serbia & Montenegro, Ukraine, Greece, Albania, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Malta, Croatia and FYR Macedonia. Greece sent one of its biggest stars to Istanbul, Sakis Rouvas, who gave an energetic performance of his song Shake It. Similarly Serbia & Montenegro was represented by a singer who was big in the Balkans, Željko Joksimović.
The 50th Eurovision Song Contest took place on 21st May 2005 in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. 24 countries participated in the Grand Final.
With the Eurovision Song Contest already enjoying enormous popularity in Greece, Helena Paparizou's victory in 2005 created the perfect circumstances to organise the show. Under the Greek sun, the 2006 contest took place in Athens!
The Final of the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest took place in Helsinki, Finland, at the Hartwall Arena. For the occasion, the venue was referred to as the Helsinki Arena. Czech Republic and Georgia debuted in the Semi-Final, so did Serbia and Montenegro as independent states. Of those countries, only Georgia and Serbia managed to qualify for the Final, together with returning country Hungary.
For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, two Semi-Finals were held to decide which 25 countries would be represented in the Final. The Final of the contest took place on the 24th of May, just like the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.
This is the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, live from Belgrade the capital of Serbia! For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, two Semi-Finals were held to decide which 25 countries would be represented in the Final. The Final of the contest took place on the 24th of May, just like the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.
For the second time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, two Semi-Finals were held to decide which 25 countries will be represented in the Final. The Final of the contest took place on the 16th of May in the Russian capital of Moscow.
The 2010 Eurovision Song Contest was held in the capital of Norway, Oslo. 39 countries took part in the contest, which had two Semi-Finals and a Grand Final.
For the first time since 1983, Germany hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. The 2011 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Düsseldorf following an open selection process.
After Lena Meyer-Landrut's victory in Oslo, the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 travelled to Düsseldorf in Germany. It was the first time since 1983 that Germany hosted the contest. A total of forty-three countries took part in the 2011 contest held in Düsseldorf. The city emerged as the winner of an open selection process which saw several cities compete for the right to host the Eurovision Song Contest. The biggest news of this contest was the return of Italy, after more than ten years. Italy joined France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom to form the so-called Big Five countries that have automatic qualification to the Grand Final. One of the most famous German comediennes, Anke Engelke, TV anchor Judith Rakers and all-round showman Stefan Raab hosted the event. Raab had also been part of Lena’s winning team in 2010.
The 2012 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the furthest East that the contest had ever been held.
Thirteen years after Stockholm hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, the 2013 contest took place in the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden. Two Semi-Finals determined which twenty countries — ten from each Semi-Final — would join the 'Big Five' (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK) and host coumntry Sweden in the Grand Final.
The 2014 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Copenhagen, Denmark and was won by Austria's Conchita Wurst. The victory was headline news around the world.
The 2015 Eurovision Song Contest took place in the Wiener Stadhalle. The the official Eurovision Song Contest logo was refreshed, for the first time since it was launched in 2004.
Stockholm was announced as the host city in July 2015, with the Globe Arena taking the honour of being the venue for the 2016 contest. The arena previously staged the contest in 2000.
Following Jamala's victory in Stockholm with her song '1944', the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv. Kyiv had previously hosted the main competition in 2005, as well as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and 2013.
The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Portugal's capital city, Lisbon. It was the first time Portugal hosted the competition. The right to host the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest came after Salvador Sobral won the 2017 edition in Kyiv with his song Amar Pelos Dois.
After Netta's grand victory in Lisbon in Lisbon, the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Tel Aviv, Israel.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 takes place in Rotterdam. The Dutch city was due to host the Contest in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 66th Eurovision Song Contest was held at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, after Måneskin’s success for Italy the previous year.
The 67th Eurovision Song Contest took place in in Liverpool on the banks of the River Mersey, where a crowd of thousands witnessed Loreen become the first woman to lift the trophy twice, having secured victory with her song 'Tattoo'.
Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina host the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, live from Liverpool. The interval features an emotive performance of Ordinary World by Liverpool's Rebecca Ferguson and Ukrainian singer Alyosha, plus a showstopping medley by British pop sensation Rita Ora.
Mariya Yaremchuk, who represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, leads a contemporary montage of some of the most well-known pieces of music from the country. As we travel through time, the piece ends with a stunning collaborative performance from rapper OTOY, 14-year-old Ukrainian Junior Eurovision representative Zlata Dziunka, and Mariya. Together, they show that for generations of Ukrainians, music is the light that overcomes darkness. Also in the interval, a performance called Be Who You Wanna Be celebrates how Eurovision is a place for everyone – no matter who you are. Three extraordinary drag performers lead into a jaw-dropping routine of high-end pop performances along with a troupe of eclectic dancers. They represent the huge spectrum of fans – regardless of age, nationality or background – who revel in being a part of the Eurovision Song Contest every year. With a medley of fabulous songs and incredible staging, it’ll be a performance that viewers remember.
Live from Liverpool, Graham Norton, Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest grand final, which is being held in the UK for the first time since 1998. Last year's winners from Ukraine, Kalush Orchestra, open the show, Sam Ryder returns with an unforgettable interval performance, and Eurovision favourites Mahmood, Netta, Daði Freyr, Cornelia Jakobs, Duncan Laurence and Sonia take to the stage for a special interval act, celebrating the iconic songs of Liverpool.
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place in the Malmö Arena on Saturday 11 May with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 May.
Fifteen acts will perform at the first semi-final of Eurovision 2024 - but only 10 will qualify.
The audience will have the opportunity to participate in the world's biggest sing along, together with three iconic Eurovision queens – Helena Paparizou, Sertab Erener and Charlotte Perrelli.
The final features twenty-six competing countries, composed of the host country Sweden, the "Big Five", and the ten best-ranked entries of each of the two semi-finals. All thirty-seven participating countries with jury and televote, as well as non-participating countries, will vote in the final. The interval acts during the final will include a tribute performance of the 1974 Swedish winning song "Waterloo" by ABBA, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, by three past Eurovision winners – Carola (Sweden 1991), Perrelli and Conchita Wurst (Austria 2014) – as well as performances by 2012 and 2023 winner for Sweden, Loreen, and Swedish band Alcazar, reunited for the occasion. Despite qualifying for the final where it was set to perform in position 5, the Netherlands was disqualified from the competition. However, the country retained the right to vote in the final.
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 took place in St. Jakobshalle, Basel, on Saturday 17 May with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 13 and Thursday 15 May, after it was selected by Host Broadcaster SRG SSR and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to host the 69th edition of the Contest.
An homage to the Eurovision Song Contest's birthplace, Switzerland.
A big party for anyone who's ever enjoyed the Eurovision Song Contest.
26 countries will compete for the coveted glass trophy and the whole of Europe and beyond will be joining in on the excitement and celebrations.
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