May is fast turning into a month of celebrations and partying. Hot on the heels of the Coronation – and arguably with as much red, white and blue in evidence – comes the fabulous and ever-so-slightly cheesy extravaganza that is Eurovision.
Taking place in Liverpool, this year’s contest should be hosted in Ukraine. But while the Kalush Orchestra stormed last year’s competition in Turin, hosting the contest in their home nation was, for obvious reasons, not going to be possible. So as we came second, the BBC is hosting this year’s event in Liverpool on behalf of our Ukrainian friends.
The Grand Final will be on our screens on 13 May (so get cracking on planning your Eurovision menus and wardrobes!). Hosted by Julia Sanina, Graham Norton, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon, 37 Countries will battle it out, with Mae Muller from the UK being well tipped as a front runner.
Good luck, girl! May Mae triumph in May!
But where did Eurovision begin? By all accounts it was something of a technical broadcasting experiment. Back in the 1950s the idea of a live, simultaneous, trans-national broadcast was thought to be an almost impossible challenge.
The first Contest in 1956 saw seven nations compete: the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Italy. Austria and Denmark wanted to participate but failed to hit the entry deadline. The Brits sent apologies on account of being embroiled in our own music competition that year.
But in spite of what might be regarded as a small start, Eurovision has gone from strength to strength. Thanks to the talents of that first tech team, millions now gather around their TV sets almost 70 years on, with the date now a firm and keenly anticipated fixture on the European calendar. More significantly, it has launched some very successful careers (ABBA didn’t do too shabbily out of it, did they?)
But apart from the patriotic nature of Eurovision, it is an event that brings people together. From family viewing to house parties, some Eurovision celebrations are full blown productions in their own right. Games such as having a drink from every participating country invite some very sore heads, while sweepstakes with a cash prize riding on the result prompts excitement in workplaces and organisations right across the lands.
And even if you’re not a Eurovision fan, it’s definitely one of those ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ events. Not least because you know that there will always be an element of the ridiculous that will make you laugh. As the brilliant and much-missed broadcasting legend Terry Wogan famously said as he introduced the 2007 contest in Helsinki: ‘Who knows what hellish future lies ahead? Actually I do because I’ve seen the rehearsals!’
And because we’re ALL about bringing people together at Cassino, if you feel like you could turbo-charge your fun levels, do pop in and see us. Don’t overthink it; just decide that now is the moment for…
Making Your Mind Up!
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