This year’s visual theme, entitled, “The Eurovision Lights”, seen here, including the new permanent slogan. Photo by Eurovision.tv)
Preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2024 in Malmö, Sweden are coming together! Various announcements have been made, including naming the official cruise line and airline of the contest to new songs that plan to participate in the contest in May.
First, in late January, the annual allocation draw saw 31 countries drawn and allocated to either of two semi-finals, to be held on May 7 or 9. As a reminder, eurovision.tv, the official contest website, had this to say on how the draw works. “The Semi-Final lineups were determined randomly by drawing countries from 6 pots (based on historical voting patterns) to determine in which Semi-Final (and which half of that show) they would compete in. The ‘Big 5’ countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) do not compete in the Semi-Finals, nor will Sweden this year as reigning champions, but it was randomly decided which of the two Semi-Finals each country will be able to vote on. The exact running order will be decided by producers at a later date.”
Presenting partners also help to finance the ESC, and this year, we saw some new partners join the contest family. On Jan. 4, the Eurovision team announced the partnership of popular cruise line Royal Caribbean for the 2024 & 2025 Contest. Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl stated, “We’re thrilled to announce our exciting new partnership with Royal Caribbean International. The Eurovision Song Contest and Royal Caribbean share a passion for creating unforgettable experiences that unite people from all around the world. We look forward to making new memories for our fans and guests alike and can’t wait to set sail together on this new adventure!” Also, EasyJet, a British low-cost airline, also announced their partnership with the contest, through 2026. Gabriella Neudecker, marketing director for EasyJet, stated, “We couldn’t be prouder to be the Official Airline for Eurovision Song Contest for the coming years. Travel offers you that rare opportunity to break away from the everyday and to feel totally in the moment, just as the iconic Eurovision Song Contest does. People, countries and communities are brought together, anything is possible and everyone is welcome. At easyJet we share all of these important values and are proud to play our part in connecting people across Europe, which we believe makes this partnership the perfect match.” Moroccanoil and Bailey’s return as partners, as presenting partner and official partner, respectively.
New songs and artists have steadily been announced, with more on the way. Some of the newest participants include Belgium’s Mustii, with his song, “Before the Party’s Over”, Finland’s Windows95man with his song, “No Rules!”, Lithuania’s Silvester Belt with his song, “Luktelk”, and Ukraine’s alyona alyona & Jerry Heil, presenting “Teresa & Maria”.
Learn more about these updates and more by visiting eurovision.tv, and be sure to watch the Semi-Finals on May 7 & 9, and the Grand Final on May 11 to cheer on your favorite participating country and song!
