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Eurovision start time is just around the corner. The biggest music competition all around Europe (and beyond!) will surely usher everyone in front of their TV screens, laptops, mobile phones, and maybe even an odd calculator if you’re into experimentation. But, as fun as it may be, there is a heap of questions to be answered. Before we are United by Music, let’s figure out what time does the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 start, where it is happening, and how to watch Eurovision wherever you may be.
Eurovision 2024 Dates
May 2024 is certainly a musical month for all the Europeans and Eurovision fans all over the globe since this is the month when the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will kick off. As usual, the contest is split between two semi-finals and a grand final, and each spread out with one rest day in between.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 dates this time are:
- First semi-final: 7th of May, 21:00 CEST
- Second semi-final: 9th of May, 21:00 CEST
- The Grand Final: 11th of May, 21:00 CEST
In order not to miss anything and not to bother with conversions to your own time zone, it is a great idea to simply check out the Eurovision TV schedule of your local broadcaster. For example, Eurovision BBC time is 8 PM, the same is true for RTÉ.
Where Can I Watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024?
All of the participating countries will be broadcasting Eurovision via their official channels. Most of the time, it means watching it on TV, but certain providers may offer streaming access via their appropriate services. The full official broadcasters list is as follows:
- Albania (RTSH)
- Armenia (AMPTV)
- Australia (SBS)
- Austria (ORF)
- Azerbaijan (İctimai)
- Belgium (RTBF)
- Croatia (HRT)
- Cyprus (CyBC)
- Czechia (ČT)
- Denmark (DR)
- Estonia (ERR)
- Finland (YLE)
- France (FT)
- Georgia (GPB)
- Germany (ARD/NDR)
- Greece (ERT)
- Iceland (RÚV)
- Ireland (RTÉ)
- Israel (Kan)
- Italy (RAI)
- Latvia (LTV)
- Lithuania (LRT)
- Luxembourg (RTL)
- Malta (PBS)
- Moldova (TRM)
- Netherlands (AVROTROS)
- Norway (NRK)
- Poland (TVP)
- Portugal (RTP)
- San Marino (SMRTV)
- Serbia (RTS)
- Slovenia (RTVSLO)
- Span (RTVE)
- Sweden (SVT)
- Switzerland (SRG SSR)
- Ukraine (Suspilne)
- United Kingdom (BBC)
Eurovision streaming will also be happening on YouTube, on the official Eurovision Song Contest channel where available.
If the date of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 crossed with your travels, you can still watch Eurovision outside the European Broadcasting Union by utilizing a reliable VPN service, preferably one that uses residential IP addresses. Such is the case with Mysterium VPN – with it, you can feel at home wherever you may be and access content that is available in your home region.
Where is the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Taking Place?
In the previous Eurovision Song Contest, Loreen took the win for Sweden with her song “Tattoo.” It was the second time she had done it, as back in 2012, her powerful performance of “Euphoria” landed Sweden on top of the European musical world.
Her win means that Eurovision is once again taking place in Sweden. In fact, it is taking place in the same venue as the previous time – Malmö Arena, which is surprisingly located in Malmö. This city happens to be the third largest city in Sweden, with almost 360,000 inhabitants in the city itself. The Malmö Arena holds 15,500 people during concerts and is the second-largest indoor arena in Sweden.
Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest 7 times already. This makes them tied with Ireland for the most Eurovision wins all throughout the contest’s history. Who knows, maybe we will see Sweden hosting the contest for the 8th time after the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 concludes.
Who Are the Performers at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
After months of preparation and regional qualifications, all countries have selected their contestants for this year's contest. As usual, the big contributors to the Eurovision Song Contest and the previous winners (host country – Sweden) ar automatically in the final, but those in the semis will have to sing their way into the Grand Final.
How lucky they will be – only time will tell, but these are the contestants of all the countries that are participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024:
First Semi-Final
- Australia
Electric Fields - One Milkali (One Blood) - Azerbaijan
FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov - Özünlə Apar - Croatia
Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim - Cyprus
Silia Kapsis - Liar - Finland
Windows95man - No Rules! - Iceland
Hera Björk - Scared of Heights - Ireland
Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue - Lithuania
Silvester Belt - Luktelk - Luxembourg
Tali - Fighter - Moldova
Natalia Barbu - In The Middle - Poland
Luna - The Tower - Portugal
iolanda - Grito - Serbia
TEYA DORA - RAMONDA - Slovenia
Raiven - Veronika - Ukraine
alyona alyona & Jerry Heil - Teresa & Maria
Second Semi-Final
- Albania
BESA - TITAN - Armenia
LADANIVA - Jako - Austria
Kaleen - We Will Rave - Belgium
Mustii - Before the Party’s Over - Czechia
Aiko - Pedestal - Denmark
SABA - SAND - Estonia
5MIINUST x Puuluup - (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi - Georgia
Nutsa Buzaladze - Firefighter - Greece
Marina Satti - ZARI - Israel
Eden Golan - Hurricane - Latvia
Dons - Hollow - Malta
Sarah Bonnici - Loop - Netherlands
Joost Klein - Europapa - Norway
Gåte - Ulveham - San Marino
MEGARA - 11:11 - Switzerland
Nemo - The Code
Participants Already in the Grand Final
- France
Slimane - Mon amour - Germany
ISAAK - Always On The Run - Italy
Angelina Mango - La noia - Spain
Nebulossa - ZORRA - Sweden
Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable - United Kingdom
Olly Alexander - Dizzy
Performances to Look Forward to
In recent years, the bookmakers have been an influential marker on who will win and who will fall. Needless to say, they are not always right, but they do have certain ways of calculating how things will turn out. According to them, these are the countries that should reach high marks and the performances that we ought to look forward to.
Switzerland
One of the performers that are said to be in the Top 15 is Nemo with his song “The Code,” representing Switzerland. The song packs a punch with constant variations in the genre – from drum N bass-influenced, high-paced beats to almost opera-like vibes. The live performance is ought to be colorful and spinny (at least that’s what we see in the recently released rehearsal tape). It should catch the attention of even those who are not particularly interested in the Eurovision Song Contest as a whole. Spin on, flamingo Nemo!
Croatia
Maybe what Käärijä failed to do, Baby Lasagna will. Their song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” has obvious influences from Neue Deutsche Härte legends Rammstein with intensive, repetitive drumming and guitar stroking, whereas the look of the vocalist, including the moves, are obviously borrowed from last year’s Finland’s superstar. When Käärijä did ‘crab walk’ side to side, Baby Lasagna go for a backward-forward approach.
Is the dress and the moves a blatant ripoff? Not really, but the influence is rather easy to point out. It is worth mentioning that there are talks of a possibility that Croatia will take the trophy in this year’s Eurovision. In our book, that would prove that Käärijä was the true winner in 2023.
Italy
Italy had a big break: they stopped participating in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1997 and made their return in 2011. Since then, Italy has been one of those countries that everybody waits to see. They tend to offer something unique year after year. In the 2024 edition of the Sanremo festival (the one that determines who will be representing Italy in Eurovision), Angelina Mango was triumphant with her song “La Noia.”
The song provides a catchy tune with speed changes when it comes to vocals. The distorted sound once again proves that Italy is something to look forward to as far as uniqueness goes. Looking at the rehearsal footage, it appears that visually, the performance should be stunning despite the lack of over-the-top effects and other tricks that some performers go for. Whether the music style is something you enjoy or not, you can not argue that Angelina Mango’s voice is mind-blowing.
Can she continue the legacy of sophistication from Raphael Gualazzi, charming pop sound from Francesco Gabbani, and full-on rock freak out of Måneskin? We will see during the finals.
Ukraine
In the past few years, the signature of Ukraine was using traditional motifs in their Eurovision songs, and, weirdly enough, it does not get old in any way whatsoever. This year is not an exception with alyona alyona & Jerry Heil's song “Teresa & Maria”. Musically, the national motives are strongly present, the same is true for the singing style. However, around the middle, we have a rap part that unavoidably reminds us of Kalush Orchestra’s winning song back in 2022 – “Stefania.” However, this reminder comes as a hurdle for this year’s Ukrainian representatives, as, in comparison, “Teresa & Maria” could be considered a lackluster song. Visually, it is stunning; it sounds great; the voices are amazing, yet the similarity will draw comparisons that may not favor Ukraine winning this year.
France
Similar to Ukraine, France’s calling card is always the French language and traditions of their own kind. This year Slimane performs “Mon Amour” in the usual fashion. Minimal musical score and strong vocals that make the French language sound as good as always. However, one could argue that this approach is getting old, and you can completely predict what the French will offer, year after year. Is it something special when it comes to Eurovision 2024 as a whole? Not really. The voice is there, and minimal visuals are at their peak, but is the song itself a potential winner? By jury votes perhaps, by televoting – highly doubtful.
Netherlands
If you like the 90s rave scene and all those happy hardcore beats, Joost Klein, with his tune “Europapa,” will scratch that nostalgic itch with utmost pleasure. Imagery related to the European Union, breaks with rap parts, and minimalist yet effective dance moves (that you will surely mirror, consciously or not) make the Netherlands stand out in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It’s an earworm of a song that will be stuck in your head for months, whether Joost Klein will clutch the victory or not.
Israel
Eden Golan’s song “Hurricane” was marked with various controversies regarding the lyrics, and multiple changes were made in order to make this song eligible for Eurovision. First and foremost, the initial lyrics broke the rules of Eurovision regarding political neutrality. Later on, the whole participation of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was called into question.
Yet, Israel is still there, and Eden will perform her song on the big stage in Sweden. The song itself is a slow affair with no breaking points that would make you sit closer to the screen. Of course, her voice is strong and very pleasant to the ears, but is this enough to make her the winner? We have to take into account that the Eurovision Song Contest is a song contest, not a parade of who has the biggest visual effects. But, even with that in mind, the song puts nothing new to the table that would be memorable or even attention-grabbing.
Sweden
The Netherlands had that 90s rave vibe; Sweden has something different, yet weirdly nostalgic too. Marcus & Martinus song “Unforgettable” is clearly reminiscent of good old (maybe not good, it depends) boy bands. Except here, they are two instead of 4, 5, or 10. The whole song is so similar to old school boy band craze that it would be nearly impossible to tell the difference between 5 lesser-known boy band songs and this one. You can even do a blind test if you wish; you will be surprised how 90s it sounds. The moves, the facial expressions, and all that package is what makes them great time travel guides to the older days.
Ireland
What do you get when you mix Marilyn Manson, later-era Doja Cat, a bit of Lil Nas X from “Montero,” and Hatari (Iceland representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019)? You get Bambie Thug and her song “Doomsday Blue.” When this performance comes on your TV or other screen, make sure to get the kids away, as it might (and will) get very spooky.
The song is a twisted amalgamation of dream-like tunes and the absolute opposite of it – pure nightmare fuel but with a certain sense of humor. The brash, aggressive singing with industrial tuning and almost noise music/power electronics vibe marks Ireland as probably the most unique performer at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Try to find something quite like this, and you will be disappointed. This is simply the display of how creative Eurovision can get without sacrificing the musical performance or the visuals. The combination is here, and it is at peak level.
Greece
Greece always had two signature musical moves – it’s either pure pop or regional-influenced tunes. This year, we have traditional sounds mixed with modern pop. Not quite an achievement, but a fun song nonetheless. Does it have something unique to offer? Not quite, but the charm of Marina Satti could win the hearts of Europe and score her a high place. The song, “ZARI” is rather energetic and could make you move, but it is likely that you will forget it as soon as it is over. Of course, we could be wrong, but that’s just what happened after we finished listening.
Armenia
The simplicity of LADANIVA’s song “Jako” is what makes it complex. Or rather it’s complexity is what makes it so simple. Regardless of where you stand in this paradox, the inconsistent tempo is what forces you (in a good way) to open up your ears and pay attention to what is happening. Traditional musical arrangements and use of traditional instruments is nothing fresh, but LADANIVA manages to provide it in a fun and, unexpectedly unique way. The song also offers a high “sing-along” value with parts that are easy to pronounce and chant. In this regard, it will be a very memorable song in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
Lithuania
“I no longer want to dance, but I need to dance” is the English translation of one of the lines in this song, and when listening to probably the catchiest beat in the whole Eurovision Song Contest 2024, you will be saying the same while jumping around like a bouncy ball.
Silvester Belt presents us with “Luktelk,” a tune that could make even the most lucrative and pretentious nightclubs jump in unison. Unique, both high and low-pitched vocals paired with aggressive, flashy visuals and mysterious dancers make this song both a visual and audible experience that is not to be forgotten. Despite being in Lithuanian, the chorus is rather easy to pronounce, and we suspect that many TikToks will be made with the signature dance after the performance of Silvester Belt in the semi-final and, perhaps, in the Grand Final, too.
Summary / Cheat Sheet
All in all, the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is an event that makes everyone in Europe (and over the world) excited. It is a great showcase of musical skills and visual spectacle. But why bother with praising it – check it out yourself if you haven’t ever had the chance, and keep these things in mind:
- What time does the Eurovision start?
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 begins on the 7th of May, 21:00 CEST - What time is Eurovision on Saturday?
Saturday’s Grand Final will begin at 21:00 CEST, just like the semi-finals. - How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2024?
Every member of the European Broadcasting Union will broadcast the event on their appropriate channels. If you happen to be traveling and out of the EBU zone, consider using a residential VPN, such as Mysterium VPN, and join the stream on Eurovision Song Contest’s official YouTube channel or a streaming service that your broadcaster may provide. - Who will win?
Your country will win! However it may be, it’s all about fun and being United by Music!
