Today (May 10) marks the launch of the 66th Eurovision song contest. Considered the biggest song competition of the year, acts from across Europe and beyond will be taking to the stage to represent their nations through music.
All the countries who are taking part in the competition will first be competing in two semi-finals, as they perform to win a space in the big final, which will be taking place on Saturday night (May 14). Only ten spaces are available, and the Big Five (France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Germany) are excluded from the semi-finals as they are already guaranteed a place in the finals.
If you're thinking about throwing a huge party for the Eurovision final on Saturday night, here is everything you need to know about the Eurovision song competition. But do bear in mind that it is Eurovision, so the unexpected should be expected.
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When is the Eurovision final on?
The Eurovision final will be broadcast live from 8pm BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and other BBC channels, with Graham Norton presenting and commentating. This year, the event will be held at the PalaOlimpico Arena in Turin, Italy.
Who will be in the final?
With the first semi-final due to take place today, May 10, and the other semi-final taking place on Thursday, May 12, it is not yet known which acts will be competing for first place in Saturday night's final. At present, the Big Five are the only known contestants, as they automatically qualify.
There are 20 other countries competing for a place in the final. Here is when they will be performing:
First semi-final (May 10):
- Albania
- Armenia
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Greece
- Iceland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Moldova
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
Second semi-final (May 12):
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Georgia
- Malta
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Poland
- Romania
- San Marino
- Sweden
Both semi-finals will air on their respective dates at 8pm on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
Who is the favourite to win?
OLBG has revealed the countries currently favourite to win this year's contest, and it appears that the UK is amongst the top five. The top ten countries that are favourite to win Eurovision 2022 are as follows:
Did you know?
The first Eurovision took place in 1956 with just seven countries participating. Fast Forward to 2022 and the competition has permits up to 44 countries to take part.
Since the first contest over 1,500 songs have been performed, with Ireland being crowned winners the most (7) and Sweden in second place (6).
The largest Eurovision audience was recorded back in 2001, where almost 38,000 people descended on Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
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