What You Should Know Before This Year’s Eurovision

Duncan Laurence of the Netherlands at he 2019 Eurovision.
Duncan Laurence of the Netherlands at he 2019 Eurovision. Photo by IBL/REX/Shutterstock (10238273ah)

If you live in Europe—or if you just like music—you’ve probably heard of Eurovision, Europe’s yearly song contest that has been running since 1956. This year’s contest will be held in Rotterdam following the victory of the Netherlands in 2019’s contest and the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to the Coronavirus.

If you want to tune in to Eurovision this year, here’s everything you’ll want to know first.

Yes, it is happening. While 2020’s contest was canceled, this year’s will be held with a reduced audience size and an option for participating countries to send in taped performances.

The semi-finals will be held on May 18th and 20th and the final will be on May 22nd.

This year’s current favorites to win are Malta and France, although fans are also throwing their support behind Switzerland, Italy, and Iceland.

If you want to watch the show, it’ll be broadcast live on TV in over 40 countries. But if your country isn’t one of the lucky 40, you can also tune in to a live stream on Eurovision’s YouTube channel.