🇸🇪 Road to Basel: Sweden

It is Tuesday, April 28, 2026, which means it is time for another weekly Eurovision update! Vienna is entering the final stretch before the real rehearsals begin. Stand-in rehearsals are underway at the Wiener Stadthalle. ORF has announced an impressive package of accessibility measures. Slovenia is airing a Palestine programme instead of Eurovision. And Finland and Denmark are already dreaming about hosting in 2027. Here are this week’s top stories. Eurovision 2026 🇦🇹 Stand-in Rehearsals Have Started in Vienna Things are moving fast at the Wiener Stadthalle. Stand-in rehearsals for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest have commenced in Vienna. Stand-in artists and dancers are performing all 35 entries on stage, replicating as closely as possible the choreography, lighting and staging plans submitted by the participating broadcasters. The recordings are shared with each broadcaster, who can then review the footage and request changes before first artist rehearsals begin on May 2. Delegations arrive in Vienna next week. The semi-finals take place on May 12 and 14, with the Grand Final on May 16. source: Eurovoix 🇦🇹 Vienna Drone Show Vienna welcomed Eurovision in spectacular style on Sunday evening. A drone show illuminated the sky above the Austrian capital, offering a visual preview of the city’s role as host of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The footage, shared on the official Facebook page of the event, showed hundreds of drones forming Eurovision-themed shapes above the Vienna skyline. It is a sign of just how serious Austria is about making this a celebration to remember. Facebook Vienna.info 🇦🇹 ORF Makes Eurovision 2026 Accessible for All ORF is making the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 fully accessible. The Austrian broadcaster is providing sign-language performances for all 35 competing songs in both semi-finals and the Grand Final. Six international deaf performers were selected through a casting process in January and are currently recording sign performances, which will be made available to all EBU member broadcasters. The accessible services extend beyond television. At the Wiener Stadthalle, visitors with disabilities will have access to vibration vests that translate the music into physical vibrations, a dedicated info point, wheelchair-accessible seating, a Safer Space rest area, and backstage Touch Tours. The AI-based app Accessify.Live provides subtitles, audio description and sign-language content directly on visitors’ smartphones via QR code, without requiring a download. Source: ots/ORF 🇸🇮 Slovenia: ‘Voices for Palestine’ Instead of Eurovision Slovenia is one of five countries that chose to boycott Eurovision 2026. Rather than simply not airing the contest, Slovenian broadcaster RTV Slovenija has decided to offer alternative programming during Eurovision week. Television Slovenija will broadcast a thematic programme cycle called “Glasovi Palestine” (Voices for Palestine) between May 10 and 20. The cycle includes documentaries, feature films, discussion programmes and analyses focused on people’s stories and the broader context of events in the Middle East. On May 14, the night of Eurovision’s second semi-final, a special current affairs programme will focus on the Eurovision Song Contest itself, examining the role of politics, the boycott debate and the future of the contest. Source: rtvslo Current Odds: Finland Still Leads, Denmark and Greece Climbing Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen remain the bookmakers’ favourite to win Eurovision 2026, with a winning probability of around 31%. France’s Monroe sits in second place at approximately 11%, followed by Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund at around 10%. Australia’s Delta Goodrem is in fourth and Greece’s Akylas in fifth. Recent odds movements have seen Denmark and Greece both climbing, adding to the excitement ahead of the first rehearsals. source: eurovisionworld Looking Ahead: Eurovision 2027 🇫🇮 Helsinki and Tampere Both Want to Host Eurovision 2027 If Finland wins Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, a battle for the hosting rights will immediately begin at home. Both Helsinki and Tampere have expressed strong interest in hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 should Finland win. Helsinki’s communications director stated the city would be very interested in discussions about hosting, pointing to Eurovision 2007 as a reference for the tens of thousands of domestic and international visitors the event brings. Tampere’s event director said the city has already been exploring the possibility and highlighted the Tampere Arena as a strong candidate venue, citing its modern technology and compact, community-oriented character. The final decision would rest with Finnish broadcaster Yle. Source: yle 📷 Helsinki, KFP, Wikimedia Commons 🇩🇰 Denmark Also Preparing for Eurovision 2027 Denmark is not waiting either. The Danish Head of Delegation, Erik Struve Hansen, has confirmed that DR has held preliminary conversations about potentially hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027. Speaking to Ekstra Bladet, he acknowledged the hubristic nature of planning ahead of a win, but said early conversations with potential venues were necessary.  He added that it would be very annoying to be entirely unprepared if Denmark wins in Vienna. Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund with “Før vi går hjem” is currently third in the bookmakers’ odds, making the possibility very real. Source: Ekstra Bladet Nordic Eurovision Party 2027 Date Set The Nordic Eurovision Party is already looking ahead. The organisers have confirmed that the 2027 edition of the Nordic Eurovision Party will take place on April 17 in Oslo at the Rockefeller. This will be the fourth edition of the event, which has become a permanent fixture on the pre-party calendar alongside Amsterdam and London. source: Instagram Nordic Party