Facts you probably didn’t know about the Eurovision Song Contest

Every year Europe’s finest get out their best outfits, cheesy song lyrics and slightly weird dance moves to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest.

While we're looking forward to this year's competition which will take place in Malmö, Sweden, where Olly Alexander will represent the UK, here are some interesting facts about the competition that you might not know...

Things you probably didn't know about the Eurovision Song Contest:

1) The first contest took place way back in 1956 but it took the UK 11 years to become victorious. Sandy Shaw stepped up in 1967 with ‘Puppet On A String’ finishing top of the leaderboard!

2) It seems performing second is totally cursed. No country ever to perform second on the final night has ever gone on to win the contest. Portugal performed second in 2023 and finished in 23rd place.

3) The contest is so huge it is actually broadcasted around five different continents!

4) ABBA are dubbed as the most successful act ever to come out of Eurovision, however the UK actually gave them zero points back in 1974. 2024 marks 50 years since ABBA first won Eurovision with their track 'Waterloo'.

5) 1969 saw four countries (yes four) win Eurovision! UK, Spain, France and The Netherlands all racked up the same score. Could they not have had a sing off?

6) In 2015 Australia took part in the contest for the first time, despite being an estimated 8,752 miles from Europe. The Aussies have been back every year since and Australia's participation in the contest has been confirmed by the European Broadcasting Union and Special Broadcasting Service until 2023.

Electric Fields are representing Australia in 2024, with their track 'One Milkali (One Blood)'.

7) After recent years, you may think the UK are the least successful in the contest, but you'd be wrong. It is in fact Norway. The poor Norwegian’s have ended in last place a massive nine times, most recently in 2001.

8) The rules of the contest mean only six members of each country can be on stage during a performance. If you think this is harsh, until 1971 it was only three!

9) Sweden won the contest in 2012 with the extremely popular track ‘Europhia’ by Loreen. The song received the highest number of 12 points ever, when a staggering 18 countries all rewarded her top marks. Great effort!

Loreen returned to represent Sweden in 2023 with her track 'Tattoo'. She once again won the contest, with a huge 583 points!

10) The 2021 Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled for the first time in history due to the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world. All 41 countries that were due to compete were invited back to the 2021 ceremony.

11) In 2020 a movie based on Eurovision was released on Netflix called Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. The film, which stars Will Ferrell, Demi Lovato and Rachel McAdams. It was a massive hit with fans, featuring original tracks like 'Jaja Ding Dong', 'Double Trouble' and 'Husavik (My Hometown)'.

The hit movie also features real-life Eurovision stars such as Alex Ryback, Loreen, Jamala and Conchita Wurst.

12) Eurovision is the world’s biggest music show. Of course it is!

This year, the grand final will take place on Saturday 11th May.

Check out the most watched Eurovision performances of all time:

Who will represent the UK at Eurovision in 2024?

Former Years & Years singer Olly Alexander has been announced as the UK entry for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Olly will perform his amazing track 'Dizzy' in the final.

Now read:

Everything you need to know about the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

The most watched Eurovision performances of all time

The most memorable UK Eurovision performances

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• Eurovision Song Contest
• Eurovision