After months of preparation, a heavily contested national final season and countless hours of rehearsals, planning and singing for our talented artists and delegations, tonight is the night – it’s the Eurovision Song Contest 2023!
Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and long-time Eurovision commentator for the UK, Graham Norton, will all host tonight’s final.
Twenty-six nations will compete tonight for the chance to get their hands on the crystal microphone trophy and join illustrious names like Kalush Orchestra, Måneskin and Duncan Laurence as the latest winner of the contest. But who will it be?
Here’s everything #YOU need to know about tonight’s extravagant final showpiece!
Who is taking part?
After two semi-finals earlier this week, twenty qualifier countries have joined the Big 5 and Ukraine in the final. In running order, they are;
- 🇦🇹 AUSTRIA – Teya and Salena – Who the Hell is Edgar?
- 🇵🇹 PORTUGAL – Mimicat – Ai coração
- 🇨🇭 SWITZERLAND – Remo Forrer – Watergun
- 🇵🇱 POLAND – Blanka – Solo
- 🇷🇸 SERBIA – Luke Black – Samo mi se spava
- 🇫🇷 FRANCE – La Zarra – Èvidemment
- 🇨🇾 CYPRUS – Andrew Lambrou – Break a Broken Heart
- 🇪🇸 SPAIN – Blanca Paloma – Eaea
- 🇸🇪 SWEDEN – Loreen – Tattoo
- 🇦🇱 ALBANIA – Albina & Familja Kelmendi – Duje
- 🇮🇹 ITALY – Marco Mengoni – Due vite
- 🇪🇪 ESTONIA – Alika – Bridges
- 🇫🇮 FINLAND – Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha
- 🇨🇿 CZECHIA – Vesna – My Sister’s Crown
- 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA – Voyager – Promise
- 🇧🇪 BELGIUM – Gustaph – Because of You
- 🇦🇲 ARMENIA – Brunette – Future Lover
- 🇲🇩 MOLDOVA – Pasha Parfeny – Soarele și luna
- 🇺🇦 UKRAINE – TVORCHI – Heart of Steel
- 🇳🇴 NORWAY – Alessandra – Queen of Kings
- 🇩🇪 GERMANY – Lord of the Lost – Blood and Glitter
- 🇱🇹 LITHUANIA – Monika Linkytė – Stay
- 🇮🇱 ISRAEL – Noa Kirel – Unicorn
- 🇸🇮 SLOVENIA – Joker Out – Carpe Diem
- 🇭🇷 CROATIA – Let 3 – Mama ŠČ!
- 🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM – Mae Muller – I Wrote a Song
Notably Croatia are appearing in their first final since 2016, while Slovenia and Croatia will feature in their first ever Eurovision final together, the former in their first final since 2019. Cyprus, Albania and Israel return after a one year absence from the Eurovision final.
Romania, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Greece and Iceland failed to reach the final, having appeared in 2022.
What else is happening tonight?
The opening act will see 2022’s victors Kalush Orchestra begin the show by performing in an underground metro station in Kyiv, accompanied nearly 2,000 miles away by Sam Ryder playing the electric guitar on the Liver Building in Liverpool. The band will then eventually appear in the Liverpool Arena, held in the hands of Stefania on stage. The Ukrainian hip hop group will also perform part of their new track “Changes” before the flag parade begins.
The flag parade will see all 26 acts enter the stage to a soundtrack of British dance and indie classics, linked in with Ukrainian Eurovision perfomers – Chemical Brothers’ “Hey Boy Hey Girl” leads into Go_A performing “Shum”, Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” melds into Jamala’s “1944”, The Theme from S-Express goes into Tina Karol’s performance of “Show Me Your Love” and the rock value turns up with Blur’s “Song 2” leading into a rock version of Verka Serduchka’s “Dancing Lasha Tumbai”.
For the interval acts, the United Kingdom’s 2022 hero Sam Ryder will perform his latest single “Mountain”, accompanied by Queen’s Roger Taylor on drums, while the Liverpool Songbook will see numerous previous participants of Eurovision singing famous songs by scouse artists;
- Mahmood (Italy 2019, 2022) performing John Lennon’s “Imagine”
- Netta (Israel 2018) performing Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”
- Daði Freyr (Iceland 2020, 2021) performing Atomic Kitten’s “Whole Again”
- Cornelia Jakobs (Sweden 2022) performing Mel C’s “I Turn To You”
- Sonia (United Kingdom 1993) performing her entry “Better the Devil You Know”
- Duncan Laurence (Netherlands 2019) in Liverpool and Ruslana (Ukraine 2004) in Kyiv both performing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, with Duncan then accompanied by all the above artists and this year’s presenters
How can I watch?
#YOU can find a full list of broadcasts HERE – but the show will also be shown live on the official Eurovision channels on YouTube and TikTok. The show will begin at 20:00 BST, 21:00 CEST and 05:00 AEDT (Sydney time).
How can I vote?
Anyone can vote – if in a participating country #YOU can vote using phone, SMS or the Eurovision app, with details available during the show. Those outside of a participating country, excluding those in Russia or Belarus, can vote as part of the rest of the world on the Eurovision website HERE.
Who are #YOU cheering for in tonight’s show? Share your thoughts with us on our forum HERE or join the discussion below and on social media!
