Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Eve Rowlands

Eurovision 2023 finalists, start time, presenters, how to watch, and how it works

One of the biggest nights in music for the whole of Europe - the Eurovision Song Contest - is within touching distance after the two semi-finals have come and gone, providing us with the final 26 countries competing to be crowned Eurovision 2023 champions, taking home the glass trophy.

Kicking off at 8pm on Saturday, May 13, Eurovision 2023 - which has been running for almost 70 years - will showcase its grand finale, with acts from across Europe donning glamorous, as well as positively outrageous, costumes to sing their hearts out and wow the public and judges, who will determine who the next winner will be.

The 67th show is taking place in Liverpool this year, with the UK as its host country, on behalf of Ukraine amid the ongoing war in the country.

Read more: All the Welsh Eurovision acts ever and the one that actually won

As thousands of Eurovision fans gather outside the M&S Arena in the city to watch the big night from various event zones, many inside lucky enough to have bagged a ticket, and over 160 million watching on screens at home, the grand final is set to be an incredible night for music - if the first two semi-finals are anything to go by.

With three incredible hosts - Britain's Got Talent's Alesha Dixon, Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina - joining Eurovision legend Graham Norton, who will be both hosting and commentating, you may be wondering just how the evening will work. Let us break it down for you.

If you want a little sneak peek ahead of the main show tomorrow, one of our reporters managed to get into the dress rehearsals and had an absolute blast. Read all about it here. Here's everything you need to know...

When is Eurovision 2023 grand final?

The grand final of Eurovision 2023 will take place on Saturday, May 13, at 8pm, BST. It will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and will last until midnight, when the winner is announced.

Viewers can also watch the programme on the song contest's official YouTube channel.

Who are the grand finalists?

Following on from the semi-finals, which took place on Tuesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 11, here are the 26 countries who are performing in the grand final and the running order you will see them in.

  • Austria | Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
  • Portugal | Mimicat - Ai Coração
  • Switzerland | Remo Forrer - Watergun
  • Poland | Blanka - Solo
  • Serbia | Luke Black - Samo Mi Se Spava
  • France: La Zarra - Évidemment
  • Cyprus | Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
  • Spain: Blanca Paloma - Eaea
  • Sweden | Loreen - Tattoo
  • Albania | Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje
  • Italy: Marco Mengoni - Due Vite
  • Estonia | Alika - Bridges
  • Finland | Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
  • Czechia | Vesna - My Sister's Crown
  • Australia | Voyager - Promise
  • Belgium | Gustaph - Because Of You
  • Armenia | Brunette - Future Lover
  • Moldova | Pasha Parfeni - Soarele şi Luna
  • Ukraine: TVORCHI - Heart of Steel
  • Norway | Alessandra - Queen of Kings
  • Germany: Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter
  • Lithuania | Monika Linkytė - Stay
  • Israel | Noa Kirel - Unicorn
  • Slovenia | Joker Out - Carpe Diem
  • Croatia | Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!
  • United Kingdom: Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song

Who are the presenters and commentators?

As is the case each year - since 2009 - Graham Norton will be returning to his position as Eurovision's commentator for us here in the UK. But this year, he will also be presenting the show, passing the commentating baton to comedian and actress Mel Giedroyc throughout the night.

Joining Graham on stage will be the three women who have hosted the semi-finals throughout the week: Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina.

Who is performing in the interval?

Last year's Eurovision runner-up and UK entry, Sam Ryder will be performing alongside the Ukrainian winners from 2022, Kalush Orchester with their song Voices of a New Generation.

How does the voting work?

Okay. So, this is the part that confuses a lot of people. You can vote up to 20 times - via the app, telephone (call) or online - but you cannot vote for your home country.

Voting will open after the final act has performed - which will be Mae Muller. The winner is then determined by a 50/50 split of public votes and points awarded by a professional jury in each participating country.

A big change in this year's competition is that participating countries are no longer the only ones able to vote - people from around the world are able to have their say in who wins the competition. For the first time in the competition’s nearly seven-decade history, these votes will be converted into points that will have the same weight as one participating country in the grand final. More on that here.

Eurovision 2023's Grand Final will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm on Saturday, May 13. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.