2024-01-30 20:07:12
Austria starts this year on May 9th in the second semi-final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest Malmö. This was confirmed during the traditional drawing of starting places in the Swedish host city. The red-white-red candidate on the streets has to prevail against fifteen countries in order to get one of ten final tickets, which then entitle them to take part in the big ESC final, which is scheduled for May 11th in the Malmö Arena.
A total of 37 nations are competing for the European singing crown this year. Six countries do not have to go through the process of the semi-finals: the Big Five, i.e. the largest payers, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Spain. Added to this is the host Swedenwhich is also set for May 11th.
The other countries have to go through the semifinals on May 7th and May 9th in the 300,000-inhabitant city of Malmö, which was the host city in 2013 and 1992. The motto of the major musical event is “United by Music” – a tagline that will now be used permanently at every ESC instead of the previously changing mottos.
➤ More on this: Song Contest: Calls to exclude Israel – organizers against it
“This is a competition for broadcasters – not for governments”
As in 2013, the moderator led Pernilla Månsson Colt through the draw evening, this time flanked by a professional colleague Farah Abadi. In addition to the drawing, the festive setting is also traditionally a must at such an event. And so Liverpool’s mayor handed over Steve Rotheram as a representative of last year’s host, presented the Eurovision insignia to his Malmö counterpart Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh. The change from one ESC host city to another has now officially been completed.
➤ Read more: Pop newcomer Kaleen represents Austria at the ESC in Malmö
The 68th ESC will take place again in Sweden this year after singer of flowers the previous year’s competition Liverpool with the song “Tattoo” for the Scandinavian country. Among the 37 participating countries in 2024 is also Israelwhich is criticized by some other participating countries due to the Middle East conflict.
In Finland and Sweden, for example, hundreds of musicians and other representatives of the music industry issued statements calling for pressure to be exerted on the responsible European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The EBU had announced: “This is a competition for broadcasters – not for governments.”
➤ Read more here: Malmö will host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024
1706653127
#Song #Contest #Austria #competes #semifinal