The Eurovision Song Contest is back with 40 countries competing for the prestigious Eurovision trophy. This year, Turin, Italy, will be hosting the event after their success in last year’s contest in the Netherlands with the song “Zitti e Buoni” by Måneskin. And as the clock ticks closer to the start of the semi-finals, fans have started to show excitement as the pre-contest promotional tour just started in Israel.
For those who need a refresher, the Eurovision Song Contest is a yearly musical event where countries in Europe and Australia compete for the best pop song. The winning country also gets the opportunity to host next year’s contest. The contest first came into being in 1956 in an effort to help unite European countries after the events of World War II. It’s been running annually for more than 60 years, except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eurovision will be hosted by Italian celebrities Laura Pausini, Alessandro Cattelan, and British songwriter Mika.
This year, 40 countries will be taking part in the contest, as Russia has been suspended from competing due to its invasion of Ukraine. Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine has reassured the world that it will still be competing in this year’s contest.
When does Eurovision 2022 start?
Eurovision announced all the dates for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 earlier in the year both on their website and social media. The dates of those events are as follows:
- Semi-Finals One – May 10
- Semi-Finals Two – May 12
- The Grand Finals – May 14
The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in PalaOlimpico, the same location where hockey was held during the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games. Tickets for this year’s song contest are now available for purchase on the TicketOne website. But if you’re unable to attend this year’s song contest in person, the event will be broadcast on the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel and participating TV broadcasters.