Eurovision 2015: Six things you need to know about this year’s Eurovision
It’s that time of year again - the sparkly extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest.
And this year, the singing competition is celebrating its 60th anniversary, therefore it promises to be bigger and cheesier than ever.
So to prepare yourself for the coming week, here are a few things you might need to know.
This year the competition is being held in Vienna, Austria and hosted by Mirjam Weichselbraun, Alice Tumler and Arabella Kiesbauer while last year’s winner, Conchita Wurst will be hosting the Green Room coverage.
@ConchitaWurst... That is all. #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/xR2XDsxPMT
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) April 26, 2015
Semi-Final one will take place tonight, Tuesday May 19.
Semi-Final two will take place Thursday May 21 and the Grand Final will take place on Saturday May 23.
Live coverage for all shows will begin at 8:00pm on RTÉ 2.
SPOILER: Ireland are second to perform in the second Semi-Final.
The big 6 countries are United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and last year’s winner, Austria.
These countries are automatically awarded spots in the final as they are the largest economic contributors to the contest.
These countries are also eligible to vote in the Semi-Finals.
The 6 finalists have been allocated! #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/3ClZpgb7RJ
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) January 26, 2015
Australia are also straight through to the Grand Final, but we’ll explain that later.
Overall, there are 39 countries in the running for the title.
The running order for Semi-Final one is as follows:
Moldova
Armenia
Belgium
The Netherlands
Finland
Greece
Estonia
FYR Macedonia
Serbia
Hungary
Belarus
Russia
Denmark
Albania
Romania
Georgia
And just in-case you are one of those hardcore fans, the ads are set to be after the 5th and 12th performances.
Lithuania
San Marino
Montenegro
Malta
Norway
Portugal
Czech Republic
Israel
Latvia
Azerbaijan
Iceland
Sweden
Switzerland
Cyprus
Slovenia
Poland
Here are the Semi-Final allocations! Are you happy with the result? #Eurovision #AllocationDraw pic.twitter.com/qAw2oXVFaK
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) January 26, 2015
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This year will see Australia join the competition.
Why? Simply because they love the Eurovision.
Australia is being invited for the show's 60th anniversary, and is being called a once-off but the rules of the competition mean that if Australia wins, it could return.
“It’s a daring and at the same time incredibly exciting move. It is our way of saying; let’s celebrate this party together!” said Jon Ola Sand, executive supervisor of the contest.
17-year-old Molly Sterling is our 2015 entry.
Best of luck to @SterlingMolly and band who flew to Vienna this morning. Semi final airs 21 May @RTE2 #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/XvyCN1MJNu
— RTÉ2 (@RTE2) May 12, 2015
The secondary school student won Eurosong with her song Playing with Numbers, co-written by Greg French.
Have a listen here:
She and her entourage travelled to the Austrian captial last week, and she has been quickly dubbed Ireland’s sweetheart.
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