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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Eurovision 2026

Weekly Update

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. We will bring you the latest national selection news, a clarification from an iconic Eurovision winner, updates on who’s in for 2026, and the ongoing debate over Israel’s participation. Here are this week’s top stories: National Finals News 🇸🇲 San Marino: Broadcaster SMRTV has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. They will relaunch its national selection as the San Marino Song Contest. The new format will feature two live semifinals and a final to choose San Marino’s act for Vienna. Denny Montesi is appointed as Head of Delegation and four-time Eurovision entrant Valentina Monetta serving as an ambassador source: sanmarinortv.sm. 🇸🇪 Sweden: A record 3,888 songs were submitted to SVT for Melodifestivalen 2026. That’s over one thousand more entries than last year. The submission window is now closed. A jury will shortlist 30 entries to compete in the televised shows early next year. source: Melodifestivalen instagram 🇦🇱 Albania: Elhaida Dani, Albania’s Eurovision 2015 representative is now artistic director of Festivali i Këngës 64. She promises a bolder, more modern and “unforgettable” show full of surprises this year. Elhaida revealed a collaboration with renowned songwriters Aida Baraku and Armend Rexhepagiqi as part of the festival’s plans to bring strong entries and restore faith in the national contest. source: revistawho.com. 🇷🇸 Serbia: RTS has officially opened song submissions for Pesma za Evroviziju 2026, Serbia’s national selection for Eurovision. Entries can be sent in until 10 November 2025. After that a selection committee will choose the finalists. The winner will be decided by a combination of jury and public votes (50/50). source: rts.rs. 🇨🇭 Céline Dion Eurovision Rumours Denied Eurovision fans were abuzz with speculation about Céline Dion making an appearance at Eurovision 2025. However, the singer’s team has now debunked those rumours. In a statement via her representatives, Dion clarified that she was “never due to attend, perform, or present” at this year’s contest in Basel. Contrary to reports in French media, Céline was not in Switzerland during Eurovision. She had no plans to participate in the show. In reality, the 1988 Eurovision winner’s sole involvement was a brief pre-recorded video greeting. Claims that she cancelled an appearance due to ill health were “entirely false and potentially damaging”, according to her team. The 57-year-old Canadian superstar – who has been battling stiff person syndrome – urges media to fact-check sensational stories. While Dion has expressed she’d love to return to the Eurovision stage someday, for now her focus remains on her health and recovery. source: news.stv.tv 📷 Eric Salard, Wikimedia Commons 🇦🇹 Eurovision 2026 Participation Update This week marked a key milestone on the road to Eurovision 2026. 15 September 2025 was the deadline for EBU member broadcasters to apply to participate in next year’s contest. Broadcasters that submitted applications now have until mid-December to withdraw without financial penalty. That date coincides with an upcoming EBU vote on Israel’s participation. So far, around twenty countries have already confirmed their intention to compete in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. Several others (such as Belgium and Italy) remain undecided or have not made public statements yet. A few countries, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovakia, have confirmed they will not return in 2026. Absent broadcasters still have the option to join Eurovision 2026, but any withdrawals after the December cutoff could incur a penalty. All eyes are now on the EBU’s General Assembly in December, when final participation numbers and any special conditions (such as those related to Israel) will become clearer. source: eurovoix.com 📷 Donald Trung Quoc Don, Wikimedia Commons 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 Israel’s Participation Sparks Debate The question of Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 has become a hotly debated topic. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has confirmed it sees “no reason” to withdraw from the contest, stating that Israel intends to remain an important part of this cultural event and that the Eurovision Song Contest should not be politicised. In the UK, the BBC has also weighed in on the issue. Director General Tim Davie acknowledged the concerns raised by other nations but affirmed that the BBC supports the EBU’s approach to handling the situation. He emphasised that Eurovision should be a celebration of music and culture that unites people, not a political battleground, and said the BBC will await the EBU’s decision while continuing to work within its framework. sources: BBC and nu.nl 📷 EBU/BBC RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, has officially voted to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to participate. The board of directors approved the motion by an absolute majority. This would make Spain the first of the “Big Five” countries to take such a stand. The decision follows earlier calls from Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who urged RTVE to pull out should Israel remain in the contest, asserting that cultural events should not “whitewash genocide”. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also supported this position. Despite this conditional withdrawal, RTVE declared that its national selection process, Benidorm Fest, will go ahead regardless of the ultimate decision on Eurovision participation. Spain joins the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia in taking a similar stance. source: RTVE 📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

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Eurovision 2026
Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. We will bring you the latest national selection news, a clarification from an iconic Eurovision winner, updates on who’s in for 2026, and the ongoing debate over Israel’s participation. Here are this week’s top stories: National Finals News 🇸🇲 San Marino: Broadcaster SMRTV has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. They will relaunch its national selection as the San Marino Song Contest. The new format will feature two live semifinals and a final to choose San Marino’s act for Vienna. Denny Montesi is appointed as Head of Delegation and four-time Eurovision entrant Valentina Monetta serving as an ambassador source: sanmarinortv.sm. 🇸🇪 Sweden: A record 3,888 songs were submitted to SVT for Melodifestivalen 2026. That’s over one thousand more entries than last year. The submission window is now closed. A jury will shortlist 30 entries to compete in the televised shows early next year. source: Melodifestivalen instagram 🇦🇱 Albania: Elhaida Dani, Albania’s Eurovision 2015 representative is now artistic director of Festivali i Këngës 64. She promises a bolder, more modern and “unforgettable” show full of surprises this year. Elhaida revealed a collaboration with renowned songwriters Aida Baraku and Armend Rexhepagiqi as part of the festival’s plans to bring strong entries and restore faith in the national contest. source: revistawho.com. 🇷🇸 Serbia: RTS has officially opened song submissions for Pesma za Evroviziju 2026, Serbia’s national selection for Eurovision. Entries can be sent in until 10 November 2025. After that a selection committee will choose the finalists. The winner will be decided by a combination of jury and public votes (50/50). source: rts.rs. 🇨🇭 Céline Dion Eurovision Rumours Denied Eurovision fans were abuzz with speculation about Céline Dion making an appearance at Eurovision 2025. However, the singer’s team has now debunked those rumours. In a statement via her representatives, Dion clarified that she was “never due to attend, perform, or present” at this year’s contest in Basel. Contrary to reports in French media, Céline was not in Switzerland during Eurovision. She had no plans to participate in the show. In reality, the 1988 Eurovision winner’s sole involvement was a brief pre-recorded video greeting. Claims that she cancelled an appearance due to ill health were “entirely false and potentially damaging”, according to her team. The 57-year-old Canadian superstar – who has been battling stiff person syndrome – urges media to fact-check sensational stories. While Dion has expressed she’d love to return to the Eurovision stage someday, for now her focus remains on her health and recovery. source: news.stv.tv 📷 Eric Salard, Wikimedia Commons 🇦🇹 Eurovision 2026 Participation Update This week marked a key milestone on the road to Eurovision 2026. 15 September 2025 was the deadline for EBU member broadcasters to apply to participate in next year’s contest. Broadcasters that submitted applications now have until mid-December to withdraw without financial penalty. That date coincides with an upcoming EBU vote on Israel’s participation. So far, around twenty countries have already confirmed their intention to compete in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. Several others (such as Belgium and Italy) remain undecided or have not made public statements yet. A few countries, Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovakia, have confirmed they will not return in 2026. Absent broadcasters still have the option to join Eurovision 2026, but any withdrawals after the December cutoff could incur a penalty. All eyes are now on the EBU’s General Assembly in December, when final participation numbers and any special conditions (such as those related to Israel) will become clearer. source: eurovoix.com 📷 Donald Trung Quoc Don, Wikimedia Commons 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 Israel’s Participation Sparks Debate The question of Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 has become a hotly debated topic. Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has confirmed it sees “no reason” to withdraw from the contest, stating that Israel intends to remain an important part of this cultural event and that the Eurovision Song Contest should not be politicised. In the UK, the BBC has also weighed in on the issue. Director General Tim Davie acknowledged the concerns raised by other nations but affirmed that the BBC supports the EBU’s approach to handling the situation. He emphasised that Eurovision should be a celebration of music and culture that unites people, not a political battleground, and said the BBC will await the EBU’s decision while continuing to work within its framework. sources: BBC and nu.nl 📷 EBU/BBC RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, has officially voted to withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to participate. The board of directors approved the motion by an absolute majority. This would make Spain the first of the “Big Five” countries to take such a stand. The decision follows earlier calls from Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun, who urged RTVE to pull out should Israel remain in the contest, asserting that cultural events should not “whitewash genocide”. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also supported this position. Despite this conditional withdrawal, RTVE declared that its national selection process, Benidorm Fest, will go ahead regardless of the ultimate decision on Eurovision participation. Spain joins the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, and Slovenia in taking a similar stance. source: RTVE 📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett

Read More »
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