When is the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and where to watch it?

The 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest starts this week. It will take place in the Swedish city of Malmö at the Malmö Arena, following Loreen’s victory in 2023 with her song Tattoo.

Last year’s competition was hosted by the BBC in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine. This year’s event will mark the seventh time Sweden has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest

It will be hosted by Malin Åkerman and Petra Mede. This year, artists including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom – plus host country Sweden – will perform songs during the semi-finals for the first time.

The Eurovision semi-finals will begin on Tuesday, May 7, followed by the second on Thursday, May 9. Eager fans will have to wait until the weekend to see the contestants battle it out for the crown.

When are the Eurovision 2024 semi-finals?

The first semi-final of Eurovision 2024 will take place on Tuesday 7 May at 20:00 BST. The show will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The second semi-final will take place on Thursday 9 May at 20:00 BST.

Eurovision 2024 semi-final line-up

Fifteen countries will compete for a place in Saturday’s grand final in the first semi-final (Tuesday 7 May). The countries competing in the semi-final are: Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Australia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Moldova, Portugal and Slovenia.

Competitors from Germany, host nation Sweden and Great Britain’s Olly Alexander will also take part. Audiences from the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and non-participating countries grouped into a “Rest of the World” category will be able to vote in this semi-final, along with audiences from participating countries, according to the BBC.

The second semi-final will take place on Thursday 9 May at 20:00 BST. This semi-final comprises sixteen competing countries.

These include: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Malta, Switzerland, Belgium, Estonia, Georgia, Israel, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway and San Marino. Audiences from France, Italy, Spain and non-participating countries grouped into a “Rest of the World” category will be able to vote in this semi-final, along with audiences from participating countries.

When is the Eurovision 2024 Grand Final?

Fans will have to wait until 8pm on Saturday 11 May for the Grand Final. The UK show will be hosted by the returning Graham Norton, live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

On BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, Scott Mills and Rylan will host the on-air commentary. A total of 26 contestants will compete in the Grand Final for the crown.

How to watch Eurovision 2024

All three live programs – the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final (Tuesday 7 May; Thursday 9 May; Saturday 11 May) – will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Each of the programs will start broadcasting at 20:00.

Once all finalists have been announced, a draw will be made for the order of the finals. Sweden will be the first country to evolve.

Eurovision 2024 voting changes

There was also a change to the voting window during the Eurovision Grand Final. Voting on Saturday, May 11, will open just before the performance of the first song of the evening.

Viewers watching at home will be able to vote as the songs are performed, rather than after all the contestants have performed.