The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Belgrade, Serbia.
This year was the first time there were three contests; two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the traditional grand final which was held on 24 May 2008.
The shows were hosted by Jovana Janković and Željko Joksimović at the Belgrade Arena which had a total capacity of 25,000 seats.
After a total of 272 points, Dima Bilan representing Russia (for the second time) was declared the winner, with the song “Believe” written by American Jim Beanz and Bilan himself.
2008 also saw, for the first time ever, Eurovision.tv streaming national finals live on ESCTV with broadcasters’ permission.