Day 4: new sun troubles, a Swedish circle and many more

Today is the day of the stage again. Today the EBU has made an official statement about it: “During the technical tests in Turin, the production team has experienced challenges with how long it takes to adjust the “sun” to different positions in the time between the different performances. Together with the host station RAI it was therefore decided that the sun will remain in the same position during all 40 songs, to ensure a fair competition for all participating countries.”. What position that is, is still being discussed. So to be continued again. It is certain that a number of countries now have to make changes in their staging.

Meanwhile, 9 countries rehearsed for their performance in the second semifinal.

IRELAND: Brooke takes the stage in a bright blue suit. During her performance she is assisted by four dancers. They start the song lying on the floor! Ireland uses many floor projections. Brooke is also praised by Eurovision.tv for her strong voice. Pyrotechnics are used at the end of her performance.

NORTH MACEDONIA: Andrea stands alone on the podium for North Macedonia. She sings her song completely wrapped in black leather. In her performance she uses the lifting bridges over the water. Shadows of hands are visible on the LED screens. The sun is not only orange but also white and blue.

ESTONIA: Stefan starts his performance on the B stage. He is accompanied only by his guitar. Later in the song, he goes wild: then he uses the entire stage to present his performance. The two cowboys from the national final stayed home.

ROMANIA: WRS from Romania wears glittering wetlook trousers. He also wears a red blouse, but according to Eurovision tradition, that goes off. He turns out to be wearing a sleeveless shirt with glitter underneath. There is a lot of dancing. As a result, the Romanian likely gets a lot of attention from the crowd.

POLAND: The Polish competitor Ochman is also in black, he wears a black suit. He is assisted by four dancers, who seem to represent some kind of water spirits. Flashing light effects can be seen during the performance. The waterfall on the stage is also used… what else could we expect with a song about a river?

MONTENEGRO: Vladana has her entire performance on the B stage. She wears a blue dress during her performance. The background is also blue, with splashes of white as graphics. Vladana mainly remains in one place.

BELGIUM: The Belgian Jérémie Makiese impressed with his song. Jérémie is flanked by four dancers. He himself wears blue-grey trousers, a black shirt and a silver jacket, while the dancers wear black jackets. At the end of the act all the light falls on Jérémie, who is standing on a platform on which flames are projected.

SWEDEN: Cornelia Jakobs ranks high among the bookmakers. As the Swedes always do, Cornelia Jakobs also puts on the same act as during the national final Melodifestivalen. The starry sky at the beginning, the large, first green and then red, circular plate right behind Cornelia, even the silver-black clothing and the bare feet are the same.

CZECH REPUBLIC: The Czech group We Are Domi is the last to rehearse today. The group uses a lot of light, which makes you feel like you’re in a disco. Funny effect: the ‘sun’ on stage looks like a vinyl album here. Eurovision.tv mentions the cello-string guitar: the guitarist made it himself.

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Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, November 18, 2025, and time for another weekly update! There’s no single headline dominating Eurovision news this week, but plenty of notable stories. National selection season is in full swing across Europe, with updates from Cyprus, Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, and Malta. Meanwhile, outside the selections, a new film is in the works about a Eurovision classic and a Swedish pre-party weekend has been announced. A fan contest crowned its latest winner, and we bid farewell to two Eurovision legends. Here are this week’s top stories: National Finals and Selections   Cyprus: Antigoni Chosen via Two-Part Internal Selection Cyprus will be represented in 2026 by Antigoni Buxton, selected through a new two-stage internal process. A five-member jury evaluated nine candidate artists, while a public online poll gathered fan input. Antigoni received the highest overall score. She has now been officially confirmed as Cyprus’s Eurovision 2026 artist. source: RIK Portugal: Festival da Canção 2026 Composers Revealed Portugal’s RTP unveiled the 16 songwriters for Festival da Canção 2026. The roster features 8 invited composers and 6 chosen from the open submissions. In addition, one was chosen via the new “Prova de Acesso” public vote and one picked by last year’s winners, band NAPA. source: media.rtp.pt  Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2026 Submission Deadline Nears In Iceland, RÚV opened song submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2026, with a deadline of November 20, 2025. The broadcaster noted it has already received more entries than last year so far. Interestingly, RÚV has not yet confirmed Iceland’s participation in Eurovision 2026. However, if the country does compete, the Söngvakeppnin winner will go on to represent Iceland in Vienna. source: RÚV  Croatia: Dora 2026 to Be Held in Zagreb Croatia’s Dora 2026 will be held at HRT’s TV studios in Zagreb, moving from its usual home in Opatija. HRT cited an exceptionally busy 2026 as the reason for relocating the show. Song submissions are open until November 23. Thereafter an expert panel will pick 24 entries for the shows in February. The winner will be chosen by a combination of jury and public voting. Opatija.hr Malta: MESC 2026 Semi-Final and Final Dates Set Malta announced that MESC 2026 will consist of a semi-final on January 15 and a final on January 17, 2026. A total of 18 songs will compete, with the submission window open from November 17 to 23, 2025. PBS will reveal the 18 semi-finalists on December 1. A combined jury-public vote will then decide which 12 acts advance to the final night. source: PBS Other News  Norway: Bobbysocks Biopic “La det swinge” in Development A new feature film titled “La det swinge” will bring the story of Bobbysocks’ 1985 Eurovision victory to the big screen. The Norwegian Film Institute has granted 8.8 million kroner in funding to the project, which has a total budget of about 52.7 million NOK. Acclaimed director Per-Olav Sørensen is at the helm of the movie. According to the NFI’s description, the film will portray “the wild, true story of how Bobbysocks changed Norway – taking us from a gray daily life to three minutes that changed everything.” It promises to be a colorful, music-filled crowd-pleaser. The strong backing behind this nostalgic Eurovision tale shows high confidence in its appeal. The film is hoped to resonate with audiences across generations. source: nettavisen.no  Sweden: Melfest WKND 2026 Pre-Party Weekend Announced In Sweden, the popular fan event Melfest WKND will return in 2026. Organizers have announced that the festivities will take place on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. The schedule aligns with the weekend of the Melodifestivalen grand final in Stockholm. Like last year, both the Friday night pre-party and the main Saturday night event will be held at Nalen. This classic venue in central Stockholm has become the home of Melfest WKND. Melfest WKND has become a highlight for Eurovision fans. The weekend features appearances by Melodifestivalen and Eurovision artists. It also draws international fans to Stockholm to celebrate ahead of Sweden’s national final. source: eurovoix Italy: Damiano David Wins OGAE Song Contest 2025 The results are in for the OGAE Song Contest 2025, an annual competition among Eurovision fan clubs worldwide. Italy took the crown for the second year in a row. Italian singer Damiano David (of Måneskin fame) won with his song “Born With a Broken Heart,” earning 279 points in the final tally. This is Italy’s second consecutive victory in the fan contest – a back-to-back achievement last seen in 2020. Finland finished in second place with “Kaistaa” by BESS & Käärijä, while Australia came third thanks to pop icon Kylie Minogue’s track “Lights Camera Action”. The OGAE Song Contest is a fan-organized, non-EBU event that helps keep Eurovision spirits high in the off-season. You can watch the contest on Vimeo.  Germany: Kessler Sisters Pass Away Together at 89 Twin sisters Alice and Ellen Kessler – Germany’s Eurovision 1959 representatives – have died at the age of 89. The Kessler Twins were legendary entertainers in Europe during the 1950s and ’60s. According to German media reports, the sisters chose to end their lives together via legal euthanasia in their longtime home in Bavaria. This fulfilled their pact that neither would have to live without the other. The Kesslers leave behind a remarkable legacy as pioneers of European pop entertainment and beloved Eurovision icons. (For more on their life and career, see our in memoriam tribute.)

Read More »
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Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, November 18, 2025, and time for another weekly update! There’s no single headline dominating Eurovision news this week, but plenty of notable stories. National selection season is in full swing across Europe, with updates from Cyprus, Portugal, Iceland, Croatia, and Malta. Meanwhile, outside the selections, a new film is in the works about a Eurovision classic and a Swedish pre-party weekend has been announced. A fan contest crowned its latest winner, and we bid farewell to two Eurovision legends. Here are this week’s top stories: National Finals and Selections   Cyprus: Antigoni Chosen via Two-Part Internal Selection Cyprus will be represented in 2026 by Antigoni Buxton, selected through a new two-stage internal process. A five-member jury evaluated nine candidate artists, while a public online poll gathered fan input. Antigoni received the highest overall score. She has now been officially confirmed as Cyprus’s Eurovision 2026 artist. source: RIK Portugal: Festival da Canção 2026 Composers Revealed Portugal’s RTP unveiled the 16 songwriters for Festival da Canção 2026. The roster features 8 invited composers and 6 chosen from the open submissions. In addition, one was chosen via the new “Prova de Acesso” public vote and one picked by last year’s winners, band NAPA. source: media.rtp.pt  Iceland: Söngvakeppnin 2026 Submission Deadline Nears In Iceland, RÚV opened song submissions for Söngvakeppnin 2026, with a deadline of November 20, 2025. The broadcaster noted it has already received more entries than last year so far. Interestingly, RÚV has not yet confirmed Iceland’s participation in Eurovision 2026. However, if the country does compete, the Söngvakeppnin winner will go on to represent Iceland in Vienna. source: RÚV  Croatia: Dora 2026 to Be Held in Zagreb Croatia’s Dora 2026 will be held at HRT’s TV studios in Zagreb, moving from its usual home in Opatija. HRT cited an exceptionally busy 2026 as the reason for relocating the show. Song submissions are open until November 23. Thereafter an expert panel will pick 24 entries for the shows in February. The winner will be chosen by a combination of jury and public voting. Opatija.hr Malta: MESC 2026 Semi-Final and Final Dates Set Malta announced that MESC 2026 will consist of a semi-final on January 15 and a final on January 17, 2026. A total of 18 songs will compete, with the submission window open from November 17 to 23, 2025. PBS will reveal the 18 semi-finalists on December 1. A combined jury-public vote will then decide which 12 acts advance to the final night. source: PBS Other News  Norway: Bobbysocks Biopic “La det swinge” in Development A new feature film titled “La det swinge” will bring the story of Bobbysocks’ 1985 Eurovision victory to the big screen. The Norwegian Film Institute has granted 8.8 million kroner in funding to the project, which has a total budget of about 52.7 million NOK. Acclaimed director Per-Olav Sørensen is at the helm of the movie. According to the NFI’s description, the film will portray “the wild, true story of how Bobbysocks changed Norway – taking us from a gray daily life to three minutes that changed everything.” It promises to be a colorful, music-filled crowd-pleaser. The strong backing behind this nostalgic Eurovision tale shows high confidence in its appeal. The film is hoped to resonate with audiences across generations. source: nettavisen.no  Sweden: Melfest WKND 2026 Pre-Party Weekend Announced In Sweden, the popular fan event Melfest WKND will return in 2026. Organizers have announced that the festivities will take place on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. The schedule aligns with the weekend of the Melodifestivalen grand final in Stockholm. Like last year, both the Friday night pre-party and the main Saturday night event will be held at Nalen. This classic venue in central Stockholm has become the home of Melfest WKND. Melfest WKND has become a highlight for Eurovision fans. The weekend features appearances by Melodifestivalen and Eurovision artists. It also draws international fans to Stockholm to celebrate ahead of Sweden’s national final. source: eurovoix Italy: Damiano David Wins OGAE Song Contest 2025 The results are in for the OGAE Song Contest 2025, an annual competition among Eurovision fan clubs worldwide. Italy took the crown for the second year in a row. Italian singer Damiano David (of Måneskin fame) won with his song “Born With a Broken Heart,” earning 279 points in the final tally. This is Italy’s second consecutive victory in the fan contest – a back-to-back achievement last seen in 2020. Finland finished in second place with “Kaistaa” by BESS & Käärijä, while Australia came third thanks to pop icon Kylie Minogue’s track “Lights Camera Action”. The OGAE Song Contest is a fan-organized, non-EBU event that helps keep Eurovision spirits high in the off-season. You can watch the contest on Vimeo.  Germany: Kessler Sisters Pass Away Together at 89 Twin sisters Alice and Ellen Kessler – Germany’s Eurovision 1959 representatives – have died at the age of 89. The Kessler Twins were legendary entertainers in Europe during the 1950s and ’60s. According to German media reports, the sisters chose to end their lives together via legal euthanasia in their longtime home in Bavaria. This fulfilled their pact that neither would have to live without the other. The Kesslers leave behind a remarkable legacy as pioneers of European pop entertainment and beloved Eurovision icons. (For more on their life and career, see our in memoriam tribute.)

Read More »
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