Break out your most extravagant costume and tighten up your dance moves; it’s Eurovision time again.
The final round of the song contest watched by millions around the world gets underway in Malmö, Sweden, on Saturday. Sweden’s win last year gave it the chance to host — 50 years after national heroes ABBA won with “Waterloo.”
Viewers can expect lots of kitsch, eye-popping visuals and a parade of tunes that will keep your toes tapping. Some people are also calling this the most politically charged edition of the contest in its 68-year history. Here’s what to know.
What is Eurovision?
Eurovision is an annual contest run by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each participating country enters a song, and all the entries are performed and voted on. Although a winner is chosen, Eurovision is more a celebration of music than a cutthroat competition.
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Among the few rules are that songs must be three minutes long, original, politically neutral and sung live with no more than six performers onstage. Singers are not required to be from the country they’re representing. (A 20-year-old Canadian diva in training named Celine Dion won it for Switzerland in 1988, but we’ll get back to that later.) Songs run the gamut of genres, and the performances can be artsy, high-concept or sometimes absurd. Petra Mede and Måns Zelmerlöw, the hosts of the 2016 event, lovingly parodied some of Eurovision’s most memorable quirks in the cameo-packed satire song “Love Love Peace Peace.”
What time is the Eurovision 2024 final?
The final starts at 3 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, May 11. The broadcast ends at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
How to watch Eurovision 2024?
In the United States, people can watch only on Peacock. Participating countries are airing the show on their public broadcasting networks.
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More than 160 million people watched the contest in 2023, according to the organizers. Iceland, Finland, Norway and victor Sweden all had more than 80 percent of their TV viewing populations tuned in, and several other nations gave Eurovision a viewer share of more than 50 percent.
How many countries are in Eurovision? What are the results so far?
This year’s contest featured 37 countries, most of them in Europe. Israel is eligible because its national broadcaster is an active member of the EBU. And Australia was invited as a one-off guest in 2015 and remained a contestant in subsequent years.
The top 10 performers in each of two semifinals earned a place in Saturday’s final, along with six other nations that automatically qualify: host Sweden and the “big five” of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, which make the biggest financial contributions.
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Only 25 countries will perform Saturday night after the EBU disqualified Dutch entrant Joost Klein, just hours before the Grand Final, due to a backstage “incident” currently under investigation. The EBU said a complaint was made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following Thursday night’s semifinal.
The running order for the final is now set as: Sweden, Ukraine, Germany, Luxembourg, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Greece, United Kingdom, Norway, Italy, Serbia, Finland, Portugal, Armenia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia, Georgia, France and Austria.
The countries that didn’t make the cut after performing in the semifinals were Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Iceland, Malta, Moldova, Poland and San Marino.
How does Eurovision voting work?
Eurovision winners are determined based on a combination of votes cast by fans and rankings determined by juries of musical professionals in each participating country.
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In a recent change, people in the rest of the world can cast votes via app or website in the 24 hours before each semifinal and the final. But their collective vote has the weight of only one additional country.
Who is the favorite to win Eurovision 2024?
One of the most hyped entries is Switzerland’s “The Code,” in which singer Nemo describes their gender-identity journey as a dance-pop song. Also among the favorites is Baby Lasagna (yes, really) representing Croatia with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim,” an electro-glam-metal number with an explosive stage show and ruffled sleeves.
Other songs generating buzz among fans include Ukraine’s “Teresa and Maria” by Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil, Italy’s entry “La Noia” by Angelina Mango. Joost Klein’s “Europapa” for the Netherlands was also considered a favorite, before his disqualification.
What is the controversy over Israel’s participation?
Thousands of protesters waving Palestinian flags have descended on Malmö this week to call for a cease-fire in Gaza and protest Israel’s participation in Eurovision. The contest organizers have stood by their decision to allow Israel to compete — and have said that any Palestinian flags or pro-Palestinian signs would be removed from the event venue.
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Security in Malmö is tight. Death threats against Israeli entrant Eden Golan prompted the EBU to issue a statement last month condemning “abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest.”
Israel’s 2024 entry “Hurricane” had to be rewritten to get approval. Originally titled “October Rain,” it contained lyrics thought to reference the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and was rejected by organizers for breaking political neutrality rules. Israeli officials initially threatened to withdraw their entry rather than change it, but eventually they submitted a version with altered lyrics.
Israel has competed in Eurovision 45 times since 1973 and won four times.
How did Eurovision handle Russia’s war on Ukraine?
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the EBU banned Russia from that spring’s Eurovision, saying that inclusion of a Russian entry would “bring the competition into disrepute.” Russian national broadcasters have since severed ties with the EBU, meaning Russian entries are no longer eligible to compete. The 2022 event featured artists showing support for Ukraine, and the nation’s entry, “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra, was voted the winner.
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The winning nation typically hosts the following year’s event, but due to the ongoing war, Britain, the runner-up, instead hosted the 2023 edition, which also featured tributes to Ukraine.
Who are the most famous Eurovision winners and contestants?
It’s fitting that Eurovision takes place in Sweden this year. Abba’s winning performance of “Waterloo” 50 years ago propelled the group to decades of global fame. Dion won for Switzerland in 1988 with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” years before becoming a mainstay on the pop charts. Olivia Newton-John finished fourth in 1974, a few years before hitting it big with “Grease.” More recently, hard rockers Måneskin, who were already chart-toppers in their native Italy, rode the momentum of their 2021 Eurovision victory with “Zitti e Buoni” to global success.
Several already famous singers have competed as well. England has sent Bonnie Tyler, Engelbert Humperdinck and rock band Katrina and the Waves, which won the 1997 contest with “Love Shine a Light.” Julio Iglesias competed for Spain, and controversial pop duo T.a.t.u. competed for Russia.
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