{"id":253,"date":"2024-04-20T13:26:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T11:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eurovisionandfriends.com\/?p=253"},"modified":"2025-02-21T15:58:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T14:58:34","slug":"eurovision-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eurovisionandfriends.com\/en\/eurovision-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"The rules of Eurovision: everything you need to know to make sure you don't get lost in front of your screen!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The long-awaited moment of May is almost here: Eurovision is back! But before you embark on this great European music festival, it's best to understand a little about how it works, isn't it? Don't panic, we've got a quick rundown of the Eurovision rules. And don't forget, they've changed recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is Eurovision and what is it?<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

First of all, what is Eurovision and who is it? It's an international co-production event organised by the broadcasting organisations that are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It's a bit like a big music festival where each country sends its best representative to try and win the trophy. This means that non-European countries can take part if they are EBU members (Israel, Jordan, Azerbaijan, etc.). Australia is a special case - more on that in another article!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year (2024), there will be a maximum of 37 participating countries, but only 26 of them will have the chance to perform in the final. Six places are guaranteed for the host country (Sweden) and the famous \"\u00a0Big 5<\/a>\u00a0\"France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. The other countries will have to finish in the top 10 places in each semi-final to earn their ticket for the grand final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are the songs chosen for Eurovision?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let's talk about how the event unfolds. Traditionally, Eurovision consists of three live evenings: two Semi-Finals on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Final on Saturday. The artists perform in front of a live audience and are introduced by the evening's hosts, who are appointed by the host country, the country that won the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quelques mois avant la finale, chaque pays s\u00e9lectionne son repr\u00e9sentant. Certains passent par une comp\u00e9tition nationale ouverte au vote du public et du jury (Melodifestivalen<\/a> en Su\u00e8de, Melodi Grand Prix<\/a> en Norv\u00e8ge, DORA<\/a> en Croatie, Sanremo Festival<\/a> en Italie, …), d’autres pr\u00e9f\u00e8rent nommer leur repr\u00e9sentant(e) au niveau de la d\u00e9l\u00e9gation nationale ou par des s\u00e9lections internes non ouvertes au public. C’est le cas de la France depuis 2023 (La Zarra<\/a> in 2023 and Slimane<\/a> en 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The songs must be original and must not have been published or performed in public (they may have been written or performed in a restricted circle) before 1 September of the year preceding the competition year. Songs must be no longer than three minutes, and no longer than one second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rehearsals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the two weeks preceding THE week, the artists are invited to fine-tune their performance on stage in real-life conditions. Performances are timed to a maximum of 20-30 minutes per delegation. Everything has been worked out in advance by each delegation. It's all about putting the finishing touches to camera shots, lighting, choreography and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family shows are a crucial part of the preparation for live broadcasts. They allow the artists, production teams and organisers to fine-tune every detail of the performance before millions of viewers see them on screen. These live rehearsals generally take place the day before each live broadcast, i.e. the day before the semi-finals and the final. They are essentially complete performances of the live show, but without the television broadcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the family shows are not broadcast on television, these rehearsals are open to the public, who are present in the auditorium and play a crucial role in providing live feedback on the performances. This allows the artists to feel the energy of the crowd and adjust their performance accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules on stage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

La sc\u00e8ne de l’Eurovision sur sc\u00e8ne, parlons-en. Chaque pays ne peut pas avoir plus de six artistes (chanteurs, choristes, batteurs, danseurs) sur sc\u00e8ne au cours d’une performance. L’utilisation d’animaux vivants est interdite (on a d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu des animaux sur sc\u00e8ne mais c’\u00e9tait un costume, avec Francesco Gabbani<\/a> – Italie 2017). Et si vous voyez un batteur ou un guitariste s’ambiancer pendant une performance, dites vous qu’il joue dans le vide, puisque les instruments ne doivent pas \u00eatre branch\u00e9s pendant le direct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"YouTube