Entertainment

Friday, 15 May, 2015 - 10:48

Eurovision hits Vienna

by JulieG

Vienna: home of Mozart, waltzing and exceedingly good cake. Oh, and for one week only the Eurovision Song Contest!

For anybody who hasn't heard of it, this is a singing competition like no other. Every year, the countries in Europe (and recently some others like Russia and Australia) send their best, and sometimes weirdest, singers to compete against each other for the title of best song and the honour of hosting the competition the following year.  The winner is chosen by a panel of judges and the public's votes from all around the world.

Last year's winners were Austria, with “Rise like a Phoenix” by Conchita Wurst.

So, that means all the glitz and glamour (and madness) is coming to the city where I live and I can't wait! I'll have to be honest though, when I chose Vienna for the second half of my year abroad, the upcoming contest was only really a small speck in the back of my mind. I mean, watching the performances on TV is fun and there is always guaranteed to be that one crazy band, but normally I end up falling asleep before the end of the show, mainly because the UK never get any points so I know they're not going to win!

But this year, I won’t be watching it from behind a TV screen …

I'm going to be there in person! Well, for one of the semi-finals at least (the tickets for the show you see on TV sold out and were very expensive!). As well as seeing it in real life, I’m going to soak up the atmosphere by heading down to the Eurovision Village in the city centre.  It's going to be a week long party, with stalls from each of the countries taking part and lots of activities to get involved in … and no doubt some crazy fans! I'm also secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two.

All of this leads up to the big day on the 23rd of May, when the final show will take place (the one you see on TV). 

So even though I´m not a huge Eurovision fan, this year it's kind of hard not to be swept up in all the fun!  I just hope that the UK won't be too embarrassing this year, especially when I´m in a crowd full of Austrians with the British flag painted on my face.

Discussion

Did you know about the Eurovision Song Contest? Would you ever travel to a different country to see it?

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