Voting, schedules and favorites: Everything you need to know for Eurovision
Eurovision is set to start in Malmo, Sweden. Check this guide for dates, where to watch, how to vote and who the fan favorites are.
This year, Eurovision will be held in Malmö, Sweden, and already fans are descending on the country’s third-largest city, decked out in sequins, glitter, skin-tight metallics or neon, some of them with their country’s flags painted on their faces or draped around their shoulders.
For fans, it’s a yearlong buildup to this weeklong party. For viewers across Europe and around the world, the contest will be shown over three days next week.
Artists from 37 countries across Europe and beyond will perform original songs — ranging from soaring power ballads to the bombastically ridiculous — to compete for the public’s vote, before a winner is chosen in a high-drama Grand Final.
The glittery, pyrotechnic-filled spectacle draws in around 160 million viewers, making it the world’s most-watched nonsports event — surpassed only by the Olympics and the World Cup.
In fact, Eurovision is often likened to the Olympics of pop music. Paul Jordan, a superfan who wrote his Ph.D. on the contest, said: “They’ve got the spectacle of the opening ceremony. You’ve got the drama of the podium.”
Rating: 5