Experience the Eurovsion Song Contest

Over the years, the Eurovision Song Contest has grown to become the biggest international song competition. On a yearly basis about 200 million people from all over the globe watch Eurovision live on TV or via the internet. All countries that are a member of the European Broadcasting Union can participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, which explains why countries from outside of Europe are also allowed to take part. To celebrate the 60^th edition of the competition, Australia was also allowed to participate. This was supposed to be a one-time event, but proved so successful that Australia can now compete for the first place every year, on the condition that they perform well in the semifinals first.

Dive into history
The Eurovision Song Contest has a rich musical history. The first edition was held at 24 May 1956 and had 7 contestants; now 41 countries compete in the semifinals and 26 countries eventually participate in the Grand Final. The Netherlands have won five times, the latest winner being Duncan Laurence in 2019.

Many songs performed at the Eurovision Song Contest end up in the international charts. Even world famous artists have earned their initial fame through the Eurovision Song Contest. A great example is ABBA: their performance of “Waterloo” in 1974 led to their international breakthrough. Céline Dion’s European success also originates from her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. She represented Switzerland and won the first prize in 1988 with the French “Ne Parte Pas Sans Moi”. However, not only pop music led to victories; some heavier music also did well in the past. In 2006 the Finnish rock band Lordi won with their song “Hard Rock Hallelujah”. Their victory made the “monstrous” band immediately famous in Europe and later also in America and in Japan.