LONDON (AP) 鈥 The Eurovision party is officially underway: a week of power pop, outrageous outfits 鈥 and, inevitably, protests 鈥 that culminates in the final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night.
Competitors representing 37 countries are in the for disco diplomacy and one of the world鈥檚 biggest spectacles. Organizers say last year鈥檚 final was watched by more than 160 million people 鈥 a guilty pleasure for some, an unabashed joy for others.
Here鈥檚 how and what to watch:
Where and when is Eurovision?
This year鈥檚 contest is in Switzerland because won the contest with the operatic anthem 鈥淭he Code.鈥 Basel, which borders Germany and France, was chosen as the host city.
Countries from across Europe 鈥 and a few beyond, like Israel and Australia 鈥 have sent an act to Eurovision. The performers will take the stage at St. Jakobshalle arena in semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday that will choose 20 acts to go through to the final.
The 鈥淏ig Five鈥 of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., along with host Switzerland, automatically qualify for the final.
How to watch
The competition will be aired by national broadcasters in participating nations, on streaming service Peacock in the United States and in many countries on the Eurovision YouTube channel.
Bars and clubs in many European cities will show the final at parties.
Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson, representing Iceland as half of sibling duo VAEB, said his family watches the classic, way, 鈥渟itting on a sofa with popcorn and snacks.鈥
Croatian contestant Marko Bo拧njak said he was usually 鈥渢he person who was hosting the Eurovision parties and forcing everybody to give me their scores and papers," adding: 鈥淚t鈥檚 my Olympics. I live for this.鈥
Adonxs, this year鈥檚 competitor from Czechia, has fond memories of working in a London pub where staff were body-painted in the colors of a national flag.
鈥淚 did get an allergic reaction on my face the next morning, which I did not appreciate,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut yeah, I guess it was worth it.鈥
How to vote
During and immediately after the semifinals and final, viewers in participating countries can vote by phone, text message or the Eurovision app 鈥 but not for their own country. Viewers in the U.S. and other nonparticipating countries can vote online at or with the app. The combined 鈥渞est of the world鈥 vote is given the weight of one individual country.
The semifinals are decided by public vote, and viewers can only vote in the semifinal their country is participating in.
For the final, the winner is decided by a complex mix of public voting and points from juries of music industry professionals in all the participating countries. The juries allocate between one and 12 points to their favorite songs, with an announcer from each country popping up to declare which has been granted the coveted 鈥渄ouze points鈥 (12 points).
Public and jury votes are combined to give each country a single score. Ending up with 鈥渘ul points鈥 (zero points) is considered a national embarrassment.
Who to watch for
Betting odds make Sweden the strong favorite with 鈥淏ara Bada Bastu,鈥 an upbeat ode to sauna culture performed by the trio KAJ.
Favorites have tended to win in recent years, but that isn鈥檛 always the case.
Other strong contenders, according to bookmakers, include classically trained Austrian singer JJ鈥檚 鈥減opera鈥 song 鈥淲asted Love,鈥 French singer Louane鈥檚 ballad 鈥渕aman,鈥 Dutch entry Claude鈥檚 鈥淐鈥檈st La Vie鈥 and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of Hamas鈥 Oct. 7, 2023 attack, with 鈥淣ew Day Will Rise.鈥
Why are protests likely?
has competed in Eurovision for more than 50 years, and won four times. But last year鈥檚 event in the Swedish city of Malmo drew large demonstrations calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of its .
More than 70 former participants, including 2017 winner Salvador Sobral from Portugal, 2023 U.K. entry Mae Muller and La Zarra, who competed for France in 2023, signed a letter calling for Israel to be excluded. They noted that Russia has been banned since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, pointed out that Israel is represented by its public broadcaster, KAN, not the government.
Several of the national broadcasters that fund Eurovision, including those of Spain, Ireland and Iceland, have called for a discussion about Israel鈥檚 participation.
After tensions ran high last year, with the over a backstage altercation, the EBU tightened the contest鈥檚 code of conduct, calling on participants to respect Eurovision鈥檚 values of 鈥渦niversality, diversity, equality and inclusivity鈥 and its political neutrality.
It has barred performers from waving flags, other than national ones, onstage or in other on-camera areas. But some delegations have protested that effectively bans LGBTQ+ pride flags from an event with a huge gay following.
Audience members will be allowed more leeway, however, after controversy last year after a ban on Palestinian flags.
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Associated Press journalists Hilary Fox and Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this story.
