We’ve all heard of Eurovision – and lets be honest it’s a guilty pleasure to watch – but what we all really want to know is what it’s all about and what date it’s on.
What is Eurovision?
The Eurovision Song Contest is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union, featuring participants representing primarily European countries – although Australia, Israel, and Armenia (which aren’t geographically in Europe) are all part of the fun.
26 countries make it to the grand final: 20 from the semi-finals and six who qualify automatically made up of the previous year’s winner alongside the competition’s big financial backers: Spain, France, Italy, Germany and the UK (The ‘Big Five’) with the winner being the country to receive the most points from its competitors.
When it comes to voting, countries cannot vote for their own country. So people from the United Kingdom can’t vote for the UK entry, etc.
A history of Eurovision
Eurovision isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s actually modelled on Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival – which started in 1951 and held in Liguria every year since – and it was intended to be a kind of bonding experience for all the European neighbouring countries in the post-war years.
It was first staged in Lugano, Switzerland, on May 24 1956, with Swiss entry Lys Assia winning for her song ‘Refrain’.
The first contest had just seven countries participating including Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland. That’s right, Great Britain did not make its debut until the following year.
Has Great Britain ever won Eurovision?
For the doubters out there, Great Britain has actually won the Eurovision Song Contest on more than one occassion.
The UK has won the contest a total of five times, the first being in Vienna 1967 when Sandie Shaw won it with her song ‘Puppet On A String’. Most recently Katrina and The Waves won it back in 1997 with ‘Love Shine a Light’.
This year Sam Ryder will be representing Great Britain with his song ‘Space Man’. The singer rose to fame during thr COVID-19 pandemic via TikTok. With over 12 million followers and 100 million likes, he is currently the most followed UK music artist on the platform.
What date is Eurovision on?
Eurovision roughly takes place mid-May every year. The 2022 Eurovision will be staged in Turin, Italy – the home country of last year’s winners Måneskin – and kicks off on Tuesday, May 10, with the final taking place on Saturday, May 14.