Eurovision Song Contest (1956)

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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.

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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!

Inspired by the Italian Sanremo Festival, the idea to organise a pan-European musicial competition was born at a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union in Monaco in 1955. It was decided that the first ever Eurovision Song Contest would be hosted the following year in the Swiss resort of Lugano. The 1956 Eurovision Song Contest was primarily a radio show, although some cameras were taping the contest for the few Europeans who had a television set at that time. Lohengrin Filipello hosted the programme, which lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. The seven participating countries each submitted two entries. The songs of the contest were not to exceed three and a half minutes, and the performers were accompanied by an orchestra of 24 musicians, led by Fernando Paggi.

The 1957 Eurovision Song Contest was hosted by the Hessischer Rundfunk on behalf of Deutsches Fernsehen ARD. Austria, Denmark and the United Kingdom entered the contest for the first time, joining the other seven participating countries from the previous year. Despite the fact that an increasing number of Europeans had access to television, the contest was still mainly a radio programme at this time. In a change to the contest the year before, duos were allowed into the competition. Danish duo Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler shocked the audience with their passionate on-screen kiss, the longest in the history of the contest. Germany's entry, performed by Margot Hielscher featured a telephone during the performance, the first gimmick to appear at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Dutch entry Net Als Toen by Corry Brokken had brought the first victory to the Netherlands in Frankfurt am Main the previous year and Dutch TV was the proud host in 1958. It was the first time that the winning country from the previous year had hosted the contest. Despite ending third, the Italian entry Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu, better known under the title Volare, performed by Domenico Modugno, became a worldwide hit and to date. It is one of the most successful songs in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest. Domenico even managed to reach the No.1 spot in the US-American Billboard Charts with his song and was also awarded three Grammies.

The Eurovision Song Contest of 1959 welcomed the small principality of Monaco. Moreover, the United Kingdom re-entered the contest after one year of absence, and Luxembourg decided not to participate. A new rule was introduced to this fourth Eurovision Song Contest; musical experts were no longer allowed in the national juries, but other than that, the same voting system as in 1957 and 1958 was used.

The capital of the United Kingdom, London, provided the setting for the fifth Eurovision Song Contest. This was despite the fact that the Netherlands actually won the Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes the year before with Een Beetje, performed by Teddy Scholten. Following the victory the Dutch national broadcaster did not want to host the contest again so the honour went to the UK which had finished second the year before.

Just like in 1959, the Palais des Festivals was the venue of this year's contest. The presenter of the show was Jacqueline Joubert, who already did this task in 1959. The stage used for the show was much bigger than in previous years, and it was magnificently decorated with flowers. The number of participants of this year’s song contest rose to 16 as Spain, Yugoslavia and Finland all made their respective debuts. For the first time, the contest took place on a Saturday night which would come to be the contest's home.

After the victory in Cannes in 1961, Luxembourg was the host of the seventh Eurovision Song Contest. The stage was decorated with twinkling stars, but unfortunately they could not be seen for parts of the evening because there were some problems with the lights in the big auditorium of the Villa Louvigny. The number of participants of this year's contest remained stable at 16 with no new countries entering. However, there was a change in the voting system: the national juries - which still consisted of 10 people - had to attribute 3, 2 and 1 points to their three favourite songs.

The UK hosted the song contest after France declined, having recently hosted twice (1959 & 1961). The competition featured international stars like Esther Ofarim (Switzerland), Nana Mouskouri (Luxembourg), and Francoise Hardy (Monaco). Host broadcaster BBC used an innovative approach: songs were performed in one studio while the audience watched from another. Each performance had unique, rapidly changed staging, sparking untrue rumours that the songs were pre-recorded. A voting controversy erupted when the Norwegian jury spokesperson, caught unprepared by presenter Katie Boyle, gave a rushed, incorrect set of points. Following the rules, Boyle returned to the Norwegian jury after all other countries had voted. Their corrected final results were decisively different from the interim ones, handing victory to their Nordic neighbour, Denmark, in a close race with Switzerland.

The 1964 Eurovision Song Contest took place in the famous Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen. The event became highly politicised with demands that right-wing dictatorships in Spain and Portugal should be excluded from the contest. There was even some trouble during the contest as just before the Belgian entry, a man entered the stage holding a banner saying "Boycott Franco and Salazar". He was quickly removed from the stage. As in the three previous contests, 16 countries participated in the competition. Portugal made its debut whilst Sweden chose not to enter. Germany, Portugal and Switzerland each scored zero points for the first time. In the case of Portugal, it was the first time in the history of the contest that a newcomer did not receive any points at all.

Italy and its national broadcaster RAI hosted this year's contest for the first time. 18 countries took part, at that point, the number of participants ever. After a year of absence, Sweden returned to the competition and Ireland debuted. Belgium, Germany, Finland and Spain all scored nul points while Luxembourg won for the second time with the highly controversial Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son sung by teenager France Gall. The song went on to become a massive hit in almost all European countries and had a major impact on the type of songs entered into the contest in the following years. Swedish participant Ingvar Wixell performed his song -originally called Annorstädes Vals - in English instead of Swedish while all the other participants sang in their native languages. This incident led to a rule change meaning that all participants would have to perform their songs in their respective national languages.

The capital city of Luxembourg was the home of the 11th Eurovision Song Contest. The rules for the contest were changed and national juries could include music experts again. The major change was that a rule was introduced stipulating that songs had to be performed in one of the official languages of the participating country. During the dress rehearsal, the Italian participant Domenico Modugno was not satisfied with the orchestra and left the stage in anger. It was uncertain if he was going to perform during the live show, but he sang his song Dio Come Ti Amo after all. The song later became a huge success in South America for Gigliola Cinquetti, the winner of the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest.

The 1967 Eurovision Song Contest took place at the Großer Festsaal der Wiener Hofburg in Vienna. The number of participants went down from 18 to 17 because Denmark chose to withdraw from the contest and would not come back to the contest until 1978. The contest had a very glamorous setting: the stage included three revolving mirrors and a staircase entrance in the middle. The juries had undergone a change as well, as half of the jurors in every national jury had to be less than 30 years old. During the voting the presenter of the show, Erika Vaal, declare the United Kingdom winner of the song contest before the last jury's votes were cast. However, the confusion about the voting would not make any difference: the United Kingdom clearly won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, nine years after participating for the first time. The winning entrant Sandy Shaw performed her song, Puppet on a String, barefoot.

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom broadcast the 1968 contest in colour despite the fact that very few TV-viewers at home owned a colour TV set. However, colour was here to stay and all song contests since then have been broadcast primarily in colour. Some countries hired foreign singers to sing for them: Germany was represented by Norwegian Wenche Myhre and Austria's entry was performed by Karel Gott from Prague.

For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, the outcome of the voting resulted in a tie for first place. Four countries gained 18 points each: France, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. Since there was no solution for this situation, all four countries were declared winners. Luckily, there were four medals available to the four winning singers - the four medals were originally intended for the winning singer and three winning songwriters.

There were plenty of host countries to choose from as a result of the four-way tie in 1969; the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and Spain. Eventually, Amsterdam was chosen to host the fifteenth Eurovision Song Contest by the drawing of lots. For the second year in a row, the number of participants went down. Finland, Norway, Sweden and Portugal were all dissatisfied about the voting in the 1969 contest when 4 countries were declared winners and withdrew from the contest. To ensure that a similar incident did not happen again a tie rule was created. The rule stated that if two or more songs gained the same number of points, each song had to be performed once more. After these performances, the juries (with the exception of the countries that had tied) had to select their favourite song. This had to be done by the showing of hands. If entries still were to tie, both of them would share the first position.

For the first time in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest, Ireland hosted the event at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Compared to 1970, the number of participants rose to 18 as Finland, Norway, Sweden and Portugal all returned to the contest after a year of absence. Malta also made its debut. The contest was broadcast in 29 countries. The rule of performing either as single or duet was abolished: now groups of up to six people were allowed to perform. In this year's Eurovision Song Contest, a new voting system was created: two jury members - one of them had to be younger than 25 - had to award between 1 and 5 points to each song. This created some problems because some juries gave fewer points than others. For example, Luxembourg awarded 43 points altogether compared to France's 107! In theory this meant that jury members could vote tactically, awarding few points and hoping to gain many.

The BBC stepped in to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 and chose a venue outside of London for the first time. The contest was broadcast live to Asia for the first time with viewers in Japan, Taiwan, The Philippines, Hong Kong and Thailand, all able to watch the show. It also was the first year that a video wall was used to present song titles and artists.

For the third time in the 18-year-old history of the Eurovision Song Contest, Luxembourg had the honour of hosting the event with 17 nations present. After ending up in last position two years in a row, Malta decided to withdraw from the contest. Austria decided not to participate either. Instead, a new country joined the song contest, Israel. It was the first non-European country to enter the contest. Israel was allowed to do so because the country was already a member of the European Broadcasting Union. With the Israelis participating, the security control was unusually tight and special security measures were put in place for the Israeli delegation. Another important rule change for the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest was that the participants could choose the language in which they wanted to sing their songs. This rule remained in place until 1976 before being re-introduced in 1999.

1974 saw the first participation of Greece who sent their national star Marinella. France was to enter the song contest with the entry La Vie A Vingt-cinq Ans by Dani, but the French singer never got the chance to perform though as the French president, Georges Pompidou, died in the week of the contest and France withdrew. The voting system changed once more: 10 jury members in every country each awarded one point to their favourite song. For the first time, a draw of lots was used to decide the order in which countries would give the results of their juries. However, it was the last time this method was used to cast the votes - from 1975 onwards, a new voting system would be implemented where the order of the jury votes followed the order of performance.

A new voting system, still in place today, was implemented in 1975. Juries in each country awarded points to their top 10 songs: 12 to their favourite, 10 to the second, 8 to the third, and then from 7 down to 1. A record 19 countries took part. France and Malta returned to the contest and Turkey made its debut, while Greece withdrew. Norway's Ellen Nikolaysen performed for a rare third consecutive year. Portugal's entry was highly political, as singer Duarte Mendes dedicated his song to the country's peaceful revolution the previous year. Germany’s entry, Ein Lied Kann Eine Brücke Sein performed by Joy Fleming, saw a disappointing 17th place finish. However, the song has since become a major favourite among fans.

After being host of the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest, Sweden withdrew from the contest as Swedish TV thought that the contest had become too commercial. They were also afraid of winning again and having to host the expensive show so soon. Turkey and Malta withdrew as well, but Greece and Austria returned. 18 countries participated in the 1976 song contest altogether. Former Dutch Eurovision Song Contest winner Corry Brokken hosted the contest. The orchestra rules changed this year. For the first time, instrumental playback was allowed if certain passages in the music could not be reproduced by the live orchestra. Most of the countries decided to sing in English hoping that they might earn a better placing with this. The Yugoslav entry was sung by Ambassadori and it marked the last Yugoslav entry for five years - the country would only come back in 1981.

The 1977 Eurovision Song Contest took place at London's Wembley Conference Centre but was postponed for five weeks due to a strike by cameramen and technicians, moving from April 2nd to May 7th. 18 countries participated. Sweden returned, while Yugoslavia withdrew. Tunisia was also set to make its debut but withdrew its entry before the contest. The rule requiring participants to sing in their national language was reinstated. However, Germany and Belgium were granted an exception to perform in English because their entries had been selected before the rule was changed. Germany's entry, "Telegram" by the popular group Silver Convention, was highly anticipated but only finished in 8th place. Other notable acts included Austria's Schmetterlinge, who performed "Boom Boom Boomerang" while wearing masks on the backs of their heads, and Anita Skorgan, who made her debut for Norway with the song "Casanova".

For the third time in Eurovision Song Contest history, the event was held in France. After having hosted the two previous contests in Cannes, French Television decided to host it in the capital Paris. A record 20 countries participated in 1978. Denmark returned to the contest after an 11 year absence. Turkey also participated, and no country withdrew from the previous year. For the first time, the show was presented by two people; Denise Fabre and Léon Zitrone. It was the first time contest was broadcast live in Dubai.

Jerusalem hosted 19 delegations. Turkey withdrew from the contest due to pressure from several Arab countries because the event took place in Israel. There were lots of familiar faces in 1979. Peter, Sue & Marc returned for Switzerland, 1973 winner Anne-Marie David represented France, and Anita Skorgan sang again for Norway. Germany's entry, Dschinghis Khan, became a hit across Europe despite being heavily criticised at home. The Swiss contestants also had difficulties, having to explain to customs why their unique performance required watering cans, hoses, and bottle openers. Belgian singer Micha Marah was so unhappy with her song "Hey Nana," which was selected against her will, that she refused to record a studio version. Meanwhile, after finishing 16th, Monaco withdrew from the contest and would not return for another 25 years, until 2004.

The Hague was once again the host city for the song contest after both Israel and the United Kingdom declined to stage the contest after Israel declined the opportunity to host the show twice in succession. As a result of these delays, the 1980 contest was hastily arranged and Dutch TV NOS had to re-use most of the stage from 1976, the last time they hosted the contest. NOS picked 19th April as the date for the song contest, but as this was the Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel, the defending champion decided not to participate which marked the only time when the winner of one Eurovision Song Contest did not participate in the next.

For the second time, the Eurovision champion winner, Ireland, was the host for the event which took place in Dublin. In 1981, the total amount of participating countries was 20 once again equalling the record set three years earlier in Paris. Morocco withdrew after their first participation, and Italy decided to stay at home as well because the interest in the country had diminished. Yugoslavia returned to the contest after five years of absence, so did Israel after the county had missed out on one contest. Finally, Cyprus made its Eurovision debut. It was also the first year Egypt's television viewers could follow the contest live on television. The opening sequence of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest showed 'old Ireland' blending into 'modern Ireland'. The sequence ended with a map of Europe on a globe which span round to reveal the Eurovision logo.

Harrogate, the host city of the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, was largely unknown to international viewers, something that was not lost on the BBC. The opening sequence of the show included the question "Where is Harrogate" in the languages of the participating countries. France withdrew from the contest only to return a year later with a different broadcaster. Greece also withdrew from the contest, leaving 18 countries in the competition. Greece was supposed to enter the contest with the song Sarantapente Kopelies performed by Themis Adamantidis but the Greek Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri decided to withdraw the song just two weeks before the contest as was unhappy with it.

In 1983 the Eurovision Song Contest was held in Germany for the first time since 1957. The host for the evening was Marlene Charell who presented the show in three languages, German, French and English. Due to the trilingual presentation, the contest lasted more than 3 hours for the first time ever. The total number of participants rose to 20 again as Italy, France and Greece returned. This year marked the first performance of Sweden's Carola Häggkvist who reached third place and went on to win the contest in 1991 and represented her country again in 2006, coming fifth. Her song Främling became very popular in Sweden, perhaps even more than her winning song from 1991. For France's Guy Bonnet, it was the second time he represented his country. After coming 4th in 1970, he ended up 6th in 1983. For Italian superstar Riccardo Fogli, the 1983 contest ended with disappointment; after winning the prestigious San Remo festival the year before, he only ended up 11th with his song Per Lucia.

After having held the contest last in 1973, Luxembourg played the host for the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest. The total number of participants was 19, one country less than in the preceding year as Greece decided not to enter a song. The contest also clashed with Israel's Remembrance Day, so the country wasn't present in Luxembourg either. Ireland returned to the contest though, finishing second. The Irish song was written by former Eurovision winner, Johnny Logan, under his real name Sean Sherrard. The song Terminal 3 was performed by Linda Martin, who later returned to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992.

The city of Gothenburg was chosen by the Swedish broadcaster to be host city to the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest. This year, the Netherlands chose to withdraw from the contest because it collided with the country's national Remembrance Day. Yugoslavia also decided to stay home because of a national holiday. Israel and Greece returned to the contest so the number of participants was 19 again, just as in the previous year. The set in Gothenburg's Scandinavium was very modern and bigger than any venue before. Parts of the set would later be re-used for the Swedish national final, Melodifestivalen, in 1987.

For the first time, Norway had the honour of hosting the 31st Eurovision Song Contest. Just like in Munich three years earlier, 20 countries participated in the contest. The Netherlands and Yugoslavia returned, Italy and Greece withdrew from the from the contest and Iceland made its debut. Iceland had wanted to participate for some years but the small Atlantic island nation had to wait until a satellite connection to Iceland could be established. The 1986 Eurovision Song Contest also marked a historic landmark as the 500th Eurovision song was performed in Bergen - Luxembourg's entry L'Amour De Ma Vie by Canadian-born Sherisse Laurence. The presenter of the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, Åse Kleveland, had already participated as a singer for her home country in 1966 where she was placed 3rd. She had also presented the Norwegian national final in 1980.

Belgium had the honour of hosting the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in the country's history. The highest number of participants ever, 22, entered the contest in 1987. Greece and Italy returned to the contest after a year of absence. The 1986 contest was won by a Walloon entry, but in 1987 the Flemish broadcaster, BRT, was responsible for the Belgian entry. BRT also wanted to co-organise the contest, but the Walloon broadcaster, RTBF decided to organise the event on its own. The presenter of the 3-hour-show was the successful Belgian artist Viktor Laszlo who opened the contest presenting her latest song Breathless.

The 1988 Eurovision Song Contest was hosted in Dublin for the third time, 21 countries competed for the trophy. Host broadcaster RTE introduced a modern set, at that point the largest in the history of the contest. Two giant video walls and a computerised scoreboard were also unveiled. At the time, it was a ground breaking production and set the standard for future editions of the contest. Denmark was represented the group Hot Eyes who performed in the contest for the third time. Lead singer Kirsten was heavily pregnant at the time and gave birth just three weeks after the contest.

Switzerland hosted the contest for the first time since the inaugural event in 1956. The show was opened by the previous year's winner, Céline Dion. She performed a reprise of her winning song, "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi," and her new English single, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," which became her first major hit in the United States. Italy sent its recent San Remo festival winners, Fausto Leali and Anna Oxa. The entries for both Germany and Austria were composed by German pop titan Dieter Bohlen, famous as part of the 1980s duo Modern Talking. A linguistic milestone was set by the host country's entry. The song "Viver Senza Tei" by the group Furbaz was the first ever to be sung in Romansch, one of Switzerland's four official languages.

22 countries participated in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest, the same line up as in 1989. Many of the songs reflected the wider political developments that were taking place in Europe. The Spanish performance was beset by technical problems. First the backing track failed to play, then it started too early. The delegation's conductor completely lost control and the Spanish duo, Azúcar Moreno, left the stage. The second attempt was successful and the duo ended up in fifth place. Eurovision veteran, Serge Gainsbourg, wrote the French entry White And Black Blues performed by Joelle Ursull which finished in second place along with Ireland's song Somewhere in Europe.

The 1991 Eurovision Song Contest was supposed to be held in the seaside resort San Remo which is known for its annual festival of Italian music, but host broadcaster RAI moved it to Rome at a very late stage due to ongoing instability in the Balkan region. For the second time since the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, the Netherlands decided to withdraw from the contest due to the country's Remembrance Day. Malta took the open spot which meant that the country was back for the first time since 1975. The contest was presented by Toto Cutugno, who won for Italy the previous year. Toto was joined on stage by Italy's other winner, Gigliola Cinquetti, who won the contest in 1964. For the majority of the show the presenters spoke solely in Italian.

A new record of participating countries was set in 1992 as the Netherlands returned to the contest and Malta continued to participate. The venue for the show was the MalmöMässan, a large exhibition and conference centre. The stage was in the shape of a Viking ship's bow and the floor design was an adaption of the EBU's Eurovision logo.

The 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Millstreet, a small town in South West Ireland, home to 1500 people, was an ambitious production for national broadcaster RTE. The 1993 contest is to date, the only competition in Ireland that has been held outside of the capital Dublin. The early 1990s were a time of massive change in Europe. These changes were reflected in the Eurovision Song Contest as newly sovereign nations took to the stage. In order to accommodate the growing number of countries eager to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, a pre-selection,Kvalifikacija za Millstreet, took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia ahead of the contest in which seven countries competed. Three countries made their respective debuts; Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia.

In 1994 seven countries joined the Eurovision Song Contest in what was the biggest single expansion in participants since the contest began in 1956. Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia all competed in the 39th Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin. Poland's debut at the Eurovision Song Contest was very successful when their representative Edyta Gorniak finished second with 166 points. The interval act in 1994 was the then unknown Riverdance, an act which combined traditional Irish folk music with modern dance. Riverdance became a global phenomenon, with the exception of participating artists, it is arguably the biggest money-spinner ever created by Eurovision. Lithuania scored zero points with its first ever entry.

1995 was the first time ever that the Eurovision Song Contest took place in the same city for two years in a row. In 1994, the European Broadcasting Union decreased the number of participants to 23 to make sure that the song contest would not last longer than three hours. All of the five relegated countries from the preceding year - Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Denmark and Belgium - returned to the contest. In contrast, the bottom seven countries of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest were relegated: Lithuania, Estonia, the Netherlands, Finland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland.

In 1996, the EBU replaced its relegation system with an audio pre-selection. Juries listened to recordings from 29 countries to choose 22 finalists to join host Norway. Germany, Russia, Denmark, Hungary, Israel, Romania, and FYR Macedonia all failed to qualify for the final in Oslo. The contest was groundbreaking, with host broadcaster NRK using virtual reality in the voting and digital filters during some performances. Each participant also received a televised good luck message from a political figure from their country, ranging from junior ministers to presidents. The show was briefly threatened by a conductor's strike after NRK planned to cut their on-screen appearances to save time, though the dispute was settled amicably. The hosts were Morten Harket, lead singer of A-ha, and journalist Ingvild Bryn.

Ireland hosted the Eurovision Song Contest for the fourth time in five years, a record for broadcaster RTÉ. 25 countries participated. The audio preselection from the previous year was replaced by a new system determining participation based on a country's average results over the last five contests. Israel withdrew voluntarily, allowing Bosnia & Herzegovina to take their place, while Belgium, Finland, Romania, and Slovakia were absent. For the first time, televoting was introduced as a trial in five countries: the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. It would be expanded to most participating nations the following year. The show aimed to attract a younger audience, with Irish boy band Boyzone performing as the interval act and their lead singer, Ronan Keating, co-hosting the event. The opening sequence featured video messages from past contestants, including Céline Dion.

In the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest, 25 countries competed. FYR Macedonia made its debut, and nations relegated in 1997 returned. However, Italian broadcaster RAI withdrew from the contest indefinitely. This year marked the first large-scale use of televoting, with national juries only used in countries that lacked a fully functional telephone system. A notable glitch occurred with the Spanish televote; their 12 points, intended for Germany, were mistakenly announced for Israel during the broadcast. The error was corrected shortly after the show. It was a taboo-breaking contest, highlighted by the performance of Israel's Dana International, a transsexual woman, who sang "Diva". Germany also sent an unconventional act, Guido Horn, who famously climbed all over the stage equipment during his wild performance. Due to low five-year average scores, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Denmark, Russia, and Iceland were relegated and did not compete the following year.

In 1999, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK became automatic qualifiers as the highest-paying EBU members. Contestants were also free to perform in any language, a rule not seen since the 1970s. In a controversial move, the orchestra became optional, meaning all entries performed to a backing track for the first time. Latvia withdrew late, and after Hungary declined the offer to participate, the final spot went to Portugal. Meanwhile, Finland, Greece, FYR Macedonia, Romania, and Switzerland were unable to compete due to low average scores in previous years. The Cypriot entry, a pre-contest favourite, received only two points. After the show, Croatia was sanctioned for using synthesized backing vocals against the live-vocal rule. As a penalty, they lost 33% of their points, which negatively impacted their five-year average score.

24 countries participated in the contest in 2000. Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Lithuania, Romania and Bosnia & Herzegovina were all relegated due to their lower average scores. Greece was initially supposed to take part but withdrew. Latvia made its debut this year with the entry My Star performed by the group Brainstorm, finishing in third position. Estonia finished fourth with Ines' Once In A Lifetime which was the bookmaker's favourite. Internet polls also had the United Kingdom's Nicki French and Linda Wagenmakers from the Netherlands as favourites but these countries only finished 16th and 13th respectively. 13,000 spectators were at the final in the Globen Arena in Stockholm, which was a new record. Swedish broadcaster SVT produced a slick show and provided a new look and feel for the contest as it entered the new millennium.

23 countries participated in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Lithuania and Greece all returned to the contest, replacing the seven countries with the lowest average result in the past five contests: Romania, Switzerland, FYR Macedonia, Finland, Belgium, Austria and Cyprus. The spectator record from the previous year in Stockholm was already broken in 2001 as nearly 35,000 attended the show in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. France, Greece and Slovenia were predicted to win this year but Estonia took everyone by surprise by taking the trophy.

Immediately after Estonia won the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest the media began to speculate whether the country would be able to host the competition in 2002, citing a lack of a suitable venue and budgetary concerns. Estonian Television defied the critics though and produced a professional show in Tallinn. 23 countries participated in 2002. Latvia entered the contest after Portugal declined the opportunity to participate. This was a rather peculiar situation, since Latvia ended up winning the whole contest in the end! There was no clear favorite among the 24 countries competing. Sweden, Germany and the host country Estonia were tipped as winners, but it was Marie N (Marija Naumova) who lifted the trophy.

A record 26 countries took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in the Latvian capital Riga. The slogan for 2003 was Rendezvous in Riga. Ukraine made its debut in the competition and sent one of the country's biggest stars, Olexandr Ponomariov. Pop duo t.A.T.u. who only month before the contest had a major worldwide hit with All The Things She Said, represented Russia in Riga. The pair caused mischief during the event week by regularly disrupting the rehearsal schedule and failing to attend press conferences. Turkey won the contest for the first time after one of the closest finishes in the contest for years. Slovenia, the last country to deliver its results, had the casting vote. Belgium finished second with Russia in third place.

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.

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.

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The 2005 contest was seen by many as an open competition with fans and pundits divided over which country would win. The 2005 contest saw many previous participants return to the stage. Helena Paparizou, who represented Greece as part of the group Antique, returned to the contest with the song My Number One. Chiara, who finished third for Malta in 1998, returned to the contest as did Constantinos Christoforou who represented Cyprus in 1996 and in 2002 as part of the group One. Annabel Conde, who represented Spain in 1995 was a backing singer for Andorra and Selma who finished second for Iceland in 1999, failed to qualify from the Semi-Final with her song If I Had Your Love.

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Carola, who won the Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden in 1991 and finished third in 1983, returned to the contest with her song Invincible, was widely tipped to do well. Another hotly tipped winner was Russian singer Dima Bilan with his song Never Let You Go. German group Texas Lightning did well in at the bookmakers with their refreshing pop-country song No No Never, but the song only managed a disappointing 14th place. Anna Vissi, the Greek pop queen who had already participated in the song contest in 1980 and 1982, had high hopes to win the competition with her dramatic performance of Everything.

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Host Broadcaster YLE adopted True Fantasy as the slogan for this year's contest. The high-tech stage was constructed in the shape of a kantele, a traditional Finnish instrument. The contest's Presenting Partner was TeliaSonera and the International Presenting Partners were Nobel Biocare and the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. The Final opened with Lordi, the monster rock band that brought that contest to Finland. The UK entry was performed by pop group Scooch who dressed as flight attendants. Ukraine sent Verka Serduchka, a drag act, who performed the song Dancing Lasha Tumbai, which finished second. Verka has gone on to become an iconic figure in recent Eurovision history.

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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. Serbia hosted the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest in the Belgrade Arena. A record 43 countries participated including San Marino and Azerbaijan who made their respective debuts. Austria withdrew and did not return to the competition until 2011. France was represented by a major star, Sébastien Tellier, however he failed to impress the voters of Europe and finished in 19th place. Ukraine's Ani Lorak, who was in the running to represent her country in 2005, finished in second place with her song Shady Lady. Charlotte Perrelli (Nilsson), who won the contest in 1999 for Sweden returned to the competition but finished 18th in the Grand Final.

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Channel One Russia hosted one of the biggest contests in the event's history. The stage was spectacular, using one-third of the world's available LED screens at the time. Then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin even visited the Olympic Indoor Arena during preparations. A major rule change saw the re-introduction of national juries, which accounted for 50% of the result alongside televoting. Georgia's entry was deemed to have broken contest rules, leading the country to withdraw rather than submit a different song. Estonia achieved a credible sixth place with "Rändajad", the first song performed fully in Estonian since 1998. The United Kingdom scored its best placing since 2002; Jade Ewen's "My Time", written by Dianne Warren and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, finished in fifth place.

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Thirty-nine countries took part in the 2010 contest, which was produced under the slogan Share the Moment. Georgia returned after a one year absence whilst Andorra, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Montenegro all withdrew. Lithuania originally announced its withdrawal from the competition, but was later among the 39 participants confirmed by the EBU. The global financial crisis was affecting many participating broadcasters at the time and many withdrawals were due to budgetary constrains. The interval act involved a flashmob including participants from across Europe. The outdoor footage was intercut with webcam footage from individual private households - Europe really was sharing the moment.

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Germany hosted the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time since 1983, with Düsseldorf being chosen as the host city after an open selection process. A total of 43 countries participated. The biggest news was Italy's return after a ten-year absence. Italy joined France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, expanding the "Big Four" into the "Big Five," with all five nations automatically qualifying for the Grand Final. The return was triumphant, as Italy's Raphael Gualazzi took second place with "Madness Of Love". The event was hosted by comedienne Anke Engelke, TV anchor Judith Rakers, and entertainer Stefan Raab, who had been part of Germany's winning team in 2010.

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The 2012 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the furthest East that the contest had ever been held. Baku provided a unique setting for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. The slogan for the competition this year was Light Your Fire, which was fitting given that the event was being held in Azerbaijan, the Land of Fire. The United Kingdom sent its oldest ever participant, 76 year old Engelbert Humperdinck, whilst Russia was represented by the Buranovskiye Babushki who had a combined age of more than 500!

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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 opening act of the Grand Final featured a true Eurovision anthem titled We Write The Story by Benny and Björn from ABBA and the Swedish DJ Avicii. Petra Mede presented the show alone, the first time there had been a solo presenter since 1995. The slogan for the 2013 competition was We Are One.

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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 Grand Final of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest took place on 10th May 2014. The slogan for the event was #JoinUs which was an attempt by the producers to incorporate social media into the shows.

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The 60th Eurovision Song Contest was held in May 2015 in the capital of Austria, Vienna, the first time Austria hosted the event since 1967. The right to host the contest came when Conchita Wurst brought home the trophy with her Rise Like A Phoenix from Copenhagen the year before. In order to mark the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, Australia was invited to take part in the Grand Final for the very first time achieving a respectable 5th place. The winner was Måns Zermelöw with his song Heroes providing Sweden with its sixth victory in the Eurovision Song Contest. 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.

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Held in Stockholm's Globe Arena, the 2016 contest was hosted by Sweden following Måns Zelmerlöw's victory in 2015 with 'Heroes'. It was the city's third time hosting. The slogan was 'Come Together', with dandelion-themed artwork symbolizing resilience and regeneration. This year introduced the most significant voting change since 1975. For the first time, professional jury votes and public televotes were presented separately, doubling the number of points available and creating a more suspenseful finale. 26 countries competed in the Grand Final. Ukraine's Jamala won with her song '1944', achieving the country's second victory. Australia's Dami Im finished second with 'The Sound of Silence', followed by Russia's Sergey Lazarev in third with 'You Are The Only One'.

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The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. The right to host came after Jamala won the 2016 edition in Stockholm with her song '1944'. It was Kyiv's second time hosting the main contest, having previously done so in 2005. 42 countries competed, including Romania and Portugal, who returned to the competition after a year’s absence. The contest was a special one for Austria, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, which all celebrated the 60th anniversary of their first participation in 1957. Kyiv was announced as the host city after a competitive bid process against five other cities. The decision was made to stage the contest at the International Exhibition Centre, which had a capacity of up to 11,000 spectators.

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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. Initially, 42 countries were announced to compete in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Shortly after the announcement, F.Y.R. Macedonia was added to the list of participants, bringing the total number of acts to 43. Lisbon was announced as Host City in July 2017 following a competitive city bid process. The Lisbon Arena, located at the capital city's seashore, hosted the contest, which took place on Portuguese soil for the first time ever.

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Following Netta's victory in Lisbon, the 64th Eurovision Song Contest in 2019 took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the Expo Tel Aviv. The contest consisted of three live shows: the first Semi-Final on Tuesday 14 May, the second Semi-Final on Thursday 16 May, and the Grand Final on Saturday 18 May. All three shows were hosted by Bar Refaeli, Erez Tal, Assi Azar, and Lucy Ayoub. The running order for each show was determined by the producers. The 'Big Five' countries and the host country, Israel, were also allocated a Semi-Final to vote in. Spain, France, and Israel voted in the first Semi-Final, while Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom voted in the second.

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Following the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Eurovision Song Contest returned in 2021, hosted in Rotterdam. Extensive preparations ensured the show went on with a limited audience and contingency plans, such as pre-recorded 'Live-on-Tape' performances for all artists. These measures were put to the test. Australia, unable to travel, was the only country to use its taped performance. Iceland's rehearsal footage was used for their live show appearances after a delegation member tested positive for COVID-19; the group still finished in 4th place. Italian alt-rock band Måneskin won with their song 'Zitti E Buoni', which became a global streaming hit. The contest's return was a huge success, attracting 183 million viewers and achieving massive online engagement, particularly with younger audiences. The slogan from the cancelled 2020 event, #OpenUp, was carried over.

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The 66th Eurovision Song Contest was held in Turin, the third Italian city to host, following Måneskin's 2021 victory. Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra triumphed with their song 'Stefania', which became the first winning entry to feature a rap. The group received an overwhelming 439 points from the public televote, dominating the scoreboard. The United Kingdom's Sam Ryder won the jury vote and finished second overall with 'SPACE MAN', earning the UK its best result since 1998. Spain's Chanel also celebrated, taking third place with 'SloMo' for their best result since 1995. In June 2022, due to the ongoing war in the winning country, the EBU made the decision that Ukraine would not host the 2023 contest.

The First Semi-Final opened with host Julia Sanina performing part of 'Маяк' by her band, The Hardkiss. The interval featured global superstar Rita Ora, who delivered a medley of some of her biggest hits and her then-new single, 'Praising You'. Ukrainian singer Alyosha, who represented Ukraine at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest, performed alongside Liverpool's acclaimed singer-songwriter, Rebecca Ferguson. Alyosha, who was forced to leave her country as a refugee in 2022, shared her personal journey through a new, haunting arrangement of Duran Duran’s song, 'Ordinary World'.

In the Second Semi-Final, the theme “Music Unites Generations” explored the connection between Ukrainian generations and their music. Mariya Yaremchuk, who represented Ukraine in 2014, led a montage of some of the country's most well-known musical pieces. The performance travelled through time and ended with a collaborative performance from rapper OTOY, 14-year-old Junior Eurovision representative Zlata Dziunka, and Mariya, showing that music is the light that overcomes darkness. Another interval act, a performance called “Be Who You Wanna Be”, celebrated how Eurovision was a place for everyone. Three extraordinary drag performers led a high-energy pop routine with a troupe of dancers. They represented the huge spectrum of fans—regardless of age, nationality, or background—who revelled in being part of the contest. The medley of songs and incredible staging made it a performance to be remembered.

The 67th Eurovision Song Contest took place in Liverpool, where the BBC hosted on behalf of Ukraine under the slogan 'United By Music'. The event expressed solidarity with Ukraine, culminating in an emotional performance of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. Sweden's Loreen became the first woman to win the contest twice with her song 'Tattoo'. In second place, Finland's Käärijä won the public vote with 'Cha Cha Cha', while Noa Kirel of Israel finished third. Hosted by a team including Alesha Dixon, Graham Norton, and Hannah Waddingham, the Grand Final opened with a performance from 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra. The flag parade featured iconic past Ukrainian contestants, and interval acts included the UK's Sam Ryder and 'The Liverpool Songbook'—a tribute featuring past Eurovision stars like Mahmood, Netta, and Duncan Laurence.

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 2024 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Malmö, Sweden, following Loreen's historic 2023 win. It marked the third time the city had hosted the event. 37 countries participated under the slogan "United By Music," which was adopted as the permanent slogan for all future contests. The show, hosted by Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede, featured a unique 360-degree, cross-shaped stage placed in the middle of the audience. A key change saw the pre-qualified 'Big 5' and host Sweden perform their songs in full during the Semi-Finals for the first time. After 25 nations competed in the Grand Final, Switzerland's Nemo was crowned the winner with the song "The Code," securing the country's third victory. Croatia finished second after winning the public televote, with Ukraine, France, and Israel completing the top five.

An homage to the Eurovision Song Contest's birthplace, Switzerland.

A big party for anyone who's ever enjoyed the Eurovision Song Contest.

The 69th Eurovision Song Contest was held in Basel, Switzerland, at the St. Jakobshalle in May 2025. 37 countries competed, marked by the return of Montenegro. The shows were hosted by Hazel Brugger, Michelle Hunziker, and Sandra Studer. The event's motto was 'Welcome Home', celebrating Eurovision's return to its 1956 origins. Its brand identity, 'Unity Shapes Love', was inspired by Swiss dialogue and featured pulsating heart visuals. The stage design was influenced by Switzerland's mountains and diversity. Austria’s JJ won the contest with the song 'Wasted Love', earning 436 points and securing Austria's first victory since 2014. In second place was Israel's Yuval Raphael with 'New Day Will Rise' (357 points), while Estonia's Tommy Cash finished a close third with 'Espresso Macchiato' (356 points).

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