We Got Love! Eurovision Information for the Aussies!

Can you believe that it’s the 63^rd edition of Eurovision this year? Although Australia have only been a part of the competition for four years now, the nation has been following the contest for many more years with interest growing each year.

As you’ll know, our participation was influenced by Jessica Mauboy back in 2014, where she was invited by the host nation Denmark to perform as an interval act. The following year, for the 60^th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU invited Australia to officially compete. Since then we’ve had some of our best stars compete, from Guy Sebastian, to Dami Im and Isaiah, and we’ve come full circle as Jessica Mauboy will once again take part in Eurovision, only this time as a fierce competitor!

As an Australian, do you want to get involved with the contest this year? Well you’re in luck, as SBS will be bringing not only the contest itself, but they will be broadcasting a range of programs to accompany the contest, which will take place in Lisbon, Portugal.

So what do SBS have in store for us this year?

On TV, you’ll be able to watch various programs which will kick off on Saturday the 5^th of May, with the coverage concluding on Sunday the 13^th of May. Here are the additional programs:

• Saturday 5^th May – SBS will be broadcasting an encore of the countdown show, Eurovision Top 40 Songs. The show, which was broadcast originally in 2017 will feature such a diverse range of songs that were voted on by fans to be the best of the best! Tune in to see if you agree with the choices!

• Thursday 10^th May – Arguably one of Australia’s biggest fans of Eurovision, foodie Adam Liaw will return to the Eurovision coverage this year, but with a bigger role as he continues his successful television program Destination Flavour, Eurovision edition! Adam will be showing the best that Europe has to offer without even leaving Australia! He will be exploring how the European diasporas in Australia celebrate the contest, from the music, the festivities and of course his specialty, the food and drink! If you need tips on how to host a Eurovision party, Adam is your guy!

• Saturday 12^th May – SBS will be hosting a new show called Eurovision Top 40 Controversies hosted by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey, and boy does it sound juicy! With so many moments to include, we wonder what will be the top controversy!

If it’s the main contest you’re interested in, here’s the information you need!

If you’re planning on voting in the contest, you will need to set your alarms for an early start, as votes can only be cast during the live broadcast of the show. Here are the times:

Semi Final 1 – Wednesday 9^th May, 5am (AEST)

Semi Final 2 – Friday 11^th May, 5am (AEST)

Grand Final – Sunday 13^th May, 5am (AEST)

As per the usual format of Eurovision, you will only be able to vote in the semi-final that your country is participating in. Our representative Jessica Mauboy will be competing in the second semi-final, on the 11^th of May (in Aussie time), but of course you can’t vote for your own country, so sit back and listen to the other 17 songs in the semi-final and vote for your favourites!

If you aren’t planning on voting, you can comfortably watch the prime time broadcasts of the show, which are scheduled for:

Semi Final 1 – Wednesday 9^th May, 7:30pm (AEST)

Semi Final 2 – Friday 11^th May, 7:30pm (AEST)

Grand Final – Sunday 13^th May, 7:30pm (AEST)

Our commentators this year will once again be Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey, and they will guide us through the weird and wonderful of this year’s competition, which we promise will be a good one!

If you would like to see more on Eurovision, you can always check out us here at Eurovision Union for rehearsal coverage, news and special features for the contest, but of course SBS Eurovision is your Australian hub for Eurovision. See the latest gossip, videos and pictures from behind the scenes with the online coverage of Eurovision which can be found at sbs.com.au/Eurovision.

On radio, you will be able to listen to artists interviews in English and various other languages, and you can find that on the SBS Radio App which is available in the iTunes Store and Google Play store.

We hope you enjoy this year’s contest, and make sure to cheer on our girl Jessica Mauboy! #WeGotLove