🇪🇪 Road to Basel: Estonia

It’s Tuesday, March 24, 2026, which means it’s time for another weekly Eurovision update! This past week was packed with news from Vienna. ORF revealed the opening and interval acts. The official mascot Auri was introduced to the world. Romanian broadcaster TVR defended its entry “Choke Me” in response to international criticism. Pre-party season also kicked off in earnest, with the Nordic Eurovision Party taking place last Saturday in Oslo. Here are this week’s top stories. 2026 🇷🇴 Romania: TVR Responds to “Choke Me” Controversy Romanian broadcaster TVR has defended Alexandra Căpitănescu’s Eurovision entry “Choke Me” in a statement to German news agency DPA. TVR stated that the title is intended as a metaphor, and that the broadcaster is committed to artistic freedom, EBU values and the spirit of the Eurovision Song Contest. TVR added that the artistic concept of the stage show is designed specifically to highlight the metaphorical nature of the message and to rule out any literal interpretation of the lyrics. The controversy attracted attention from the United Kingdom in particular, where legislation on certain categories of content is currently under discussion. Alexandra Căpitănescu has stated that the lyrics should not be interpreted literally, arguing that art should not be subject to censorship as long as no one is harmed. TVR confirmed the meaning of the song will be explained publicly by the artist during the staging of the performance in Vienna. source: TVRinfo Opening and Interval Acts Revealed for Vienna 2026 Austrian broadcaster ORF has unveiled the opening and interval acts for all three live shows. The first Semi-Final on May 12 kicks off with “70 Years of Love”, a film following a love story set against the history of the Eurovision Song Contest. A choir of 70 singers then takes the stage to pay tribute to “L’amour Est Bleu”, the song that competed at Eurovision 1967 when Vienna last hosted the contest. The interval act, titled “Kangaroo”, plays on the long-running mix-up between Austria and Australia. Hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski perform the act together with Go-Jo, who flew the flag for Australia at Eurovision 2025. The second Semi-Final on May 14 opens with the hosts performing last year’s winning song “Wasted Love” — though not everything goes to plan. JJ then steps onto the stage during the interval act to debut a brand-new song. The Grand Final opens with JJ performing “The Queen of the Night”, blending Mozart with his own music. More than 40 dancers and performers will accompany him, while the 25 finalists enter the Wiener Stadthalle. During the voting period, three interval acts will take place. “Celebration!” will feature Eurovision Allstars Verka Serduchka, Erika Vikman, Lordi and Il Volo performing songs from the contest’s history. Parov Stelar will follow with his electro-swing sound. Finally, César Sampson will perform a version of Billy Joel’s “Vienna” before the results are announced. source: eurovision.com Meet Auri: The Official Mascot of Vienna 2026 Auri (he/him) has been unveiled by broadcaster ORF as the official mascot of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. Auri is a symbol of unity, creativity and the power of shared experiences. As a Vienna 2026 ambassador, he will be welcoming delegations and fans from around the world, conveying openness, respect and the joy of togetherness.  📷 EBU/ORF A special children’s book, “Auri – The Show of His Life”, has been published and will be available across Austria from March 20. The book is aimed at children aged 7 to 12 and tells the story of Auri’s journey to the Eurovision stage. It was written by ORF presenter Yvonne Lacina-Blaha and illustrated by Styrian artist Herwig Holzmann. ESCToday.com Auri replaces Lumo, the mascot of Eurovision 2025 in Basel, exactly one year after Lumo was introduced. Exclusively for Eurovision 2026, Auri has also been released as a 3D figure in a limited-edition Viennese snow globe, produced in cooperation with the Original Viennese Snow Globe Manufactory. Only 1,000 handcrafted and individually numbered pieces are available. ESCToday.com source: eurovision.com Pre-Party Season Nordic Eurovision Party 2026 (Oslo) – Overview The third Nordic Eurovision Party took place last Saturday at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo. An array of Eurovision 2026 participants performed alongside artists from Melodi Grand Prix, Sami Grand Prix and the Eurovision Song Contest. eurovoix The 2026 acts performing on the night included: Albania – Alis Australia – Delta Goodrem  Austria – Cosmó Bulgaria – DARA Cyprus – Antigoni Germany – Sarah Engels Greece – Akilas Latvia – Atvara Lithuania – Lion Ceccah Luxembourg – Eva Marija Malta – AIDAN Moldova – Satoshi Montenegro – Tamara Živković Norway – Jonas Lovv Romania – Alexandra Căpitănescu Switzerland – Veronica Fusaro The event also featured Eurovision alumni including Poli Genova, Elisabeth Andreassen of Bobbysocks, Sunstroke Project, and Jørgen Olsen of Olsen Brothers fame. © video’s Wiwibloggs London Eurovision Party 2026 – Line-Up So Far The London Eurovision Party returns for its 17th edition at Here at Outernet. Doors open at 6pm, and performances run until 11:40pm. There is an after party following until 1:30am. A large group of 2026 acts will take the stage on the night. The confirmed performers so far include Finland’s Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen, Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund, Ukraine’s Leléka and Lithuania’s Lion Ceccah. Also performing are Moldova’s Satoshi, Montenegro’s Tamara, Malta’s AIDAN, Bulgaria’s DARA and Luxembourg’s Eva Marija. The line-up continues with Belgium’s Essyla, Latvia’s Atvara, Austria’s Cosmó, Switzerland’s Veronica Fusaro and Croatia’s Lelek. Norway’s Jonas Lovv, Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu, Greece’s Akylas, Germany’s Sarah Engels, San Marino’s Senhit and Sweden’s Felicia round out the current list of 2026 acts. The evening also features some well-known Eurovision guests. Aliona Moon, who represented Moldova in 2013 joins the bill. Sissal, Tia Kofi and César Sampson host the evening together. More acts are still to come. source: London Eurovision Party   Eurovision in Concert 2026 – Line-Up So Far Eurovision in Concert 2026 will take place on April 11 at AFAS Live in Amsterdam. The confirmed acts so far include Finland, Denmark, Ukraine,