Tag: Tel Aviv

Host city for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.

  • The OnEurope Eurovision 2019 mix tape

    The OnEurope Eurovision 2019 mix tape

    Let’s face it, most of us are reaching our fill of the 41 songs vying for the 64th Eurovision crown. We know what we like, but there is such a thing as over exposure. So, why not enjoy a clutch of alternative takes on some of this year’s entries?

    Remember, we’re live in Tel Aviv tomorrow bringing you our impression of the first rehearsals.

  • Eurovision 2019 – The rehearsal schedule

    Eurovision 2019 – The rehearsal schedule

    The OnEuropeans are packing their bags and haggling with the Post Office over exchange rates to make sure they’ve enough set by for cake, cheese and the occasional Limonana. 

    From Friday evening, we’ll be live from Tel Aviv, ready to bring you the latest news and tell you what we think of the rehearsals. There will be video clips, photos and objectionable opinions a-plenty. You’re welcome to chip in and tell us how wrong we are.

    Because it helps to know what’s going on, we’ve put the schedules into the calendar, and changed everything to UK (BST) time to make your life easier … but here’s an overview of what happens when.

    All times shown here are local to Tel Aviv (GMT +3 / BST +2 / CET +1).

    This means your Eurovision day starts at 7am in Iceland, 8am  in the UK, a more dignified 9am in much of Central Europe, and if you happen to live in one of the countries that finished in the top two last year, it’s as shown below.

    Saturday, 4 May

    DrawCountryArtistSongLanguage(s)PlacePoints
    01MaltaMichelaChameleonEnglish
    02AlbaniaJonida MaliqiKtheju tokësAlbanian
    03Czech RepublicLake MalawiFriend of a friendEnglish
    04GermanyS!stersSisterEnglish
    05RussiaSergey LazarevScreamEnglish
    06DenmarkLeonoraLove is forever English, French[f]
    07San MarinoSerhatSay Na Na NaEnglish[e]
    08North MacedoniaTamara TodevskaProudEnglish
    09SwedenJohn LundvikToo late for loveEnglish
    10SloveniaZala Kralj & Gašper ŠantlSebiSlovene
    11CyprusTamtaReplayEnglish
    12NetherlandsDuncan LaurenceArcadeEnglish
    13GreeceKaterine DuskaBetter loveEnglish
    14IsraelKobi MarimiHomeEnglish
    15NorwayKEiiNOSpirit in the skyEnglish[g]
    16United KingdomMichael RiceBigger than usEnglish
    17IcelandHatariHatrið mun sigraIcelandic
    18EstoniaVictor CroneStormEnglish
    19BelarusZENALike itEnglish
    20AzerbaijanChingizTruthEnglish
    21FranceBilal HassaniRoiFrench, English
    22ItalyMahmoodSoldiItalian[h]
    23SerbiaNevena BožovićKrunaSerbian[c]
    24SwitzerlandLuca HänniShe got meEnglish
    25AustraliaKate Miller-HeidkeZero gravity English
    26SpainMikiLa VendaSpanish

    Sunday, 5 May

    DrawArtistSongC. BjörkmanD. KontopoulosF. BergssonM. MingaR. PetroTotalPlace
    1Valon Shehu“Kutia e Pandorës”12776238
    2Sara Bajraktari“Ajër”13101089503
    3Robert Berisha“Ajo nuk është unë”932311810
    4Tiri Gjoci“Me gotën bosh”24863238
    5Bojken Lako“Malaseen”3831813454
    6Arilena Ara“Shaj”1013131318671
    7Gena“Shqiponja e lirë”471151810
    8Kamela Islamaj“Më ngjyros”664910356
    9Albërie Hadërgjonaj“Ku ta gjej dikë ta dua”75654277
    10Elvana Gjata“Me tana”18181828642
    11Olta Boka“Botë për dy”515421712
    12Era Rusi“Eja merre”899107435

    Monday, 6 May

    SongPerformer(s)
    Come aliveGeirmundL
    Talking about usLisa BørudW
    RainbowKim RysstadL
    WildRayleeW
    Talking about usLisa BørudL
    WildRayleeW

    Tuesday, 7 May

    SongPerformers
    If I leaveMonika Marija
    Game overGlossarium
    Dangus man tuAistay
    Show yaPetunija
    Why why whyAndy Vaic
    ParadasAika
    Tave cia randuGabrielius Vagelis
    Namu dvasiaBaltos Varnos
    High way storyJustinas Lapatinskas
    AtsiprašykLukas Norkunas
    Made of waxDonata
    DripMeandi

    Wednesday, 8 May

    Public holiday

    Thursday, 9 May

    SongPerformers)
    The Start of Something NewTore PettersonL
    Fool for LoveKim Wigaard & Maria MohnW
    How About MarsJægerL
    One Last TimeRein AlexanderW
    Fool for LoveKim Wigaard & Maria MohnL
    One Last TimeRein AlexanderW

    Friday, 10 May

    SongPerformer(s)PtsPsn
    We came from the sunRuta Loop3
    BreathSoliaris7
    My sound of silenceKristina Jure2
    Somewhere out thereAlen Chicco5
    You and IIndraya11
    ChemistryGermantas Skoris6
    The oceanViktorija Miškunaite4
    I gotta doAntturi9
    Electric boyAbrokenleg10
    PlayaTwosome8
    Make me humanMonique1
    Wings of freedomVoldemars Petersons12

    Saturday, 11 May

    SongPerformer(s)
    Ne vem, ce sem v reduStella
    The cureYounite
    Crno bela likaAlfirev
    DihamKlarity
    Moj pristanMarmoris
    Še kar lovim tvoj nasmehSaškaQ
    Tukaj in zdajPia Nina
    DreamLana Hrvatin
    CupidParvani VioletQ
    Sing to meAstrid in Avantgarden

    Sunday, 12 May

    DrawArtistSongJuryJuryPublicPublicTotalPlace
    DrawArtistSongVotesPointsTelevotePointsTotalPlace
    1Rūta Loop“We Came from the Sun”45105237173
    2Soliaris“Breath”225179167
    3Kristina Jure“My Sound of Silence”286107112182
    4Alen Chicco“Somewhere Out There”3985226145
    5Indraya“You and I”302642212
    6Germanas Skoris“Chemistry (Breaking Free)”184428486
    7Viktorija Miškūnaitė“The Ocean”3476708154
    8Antturi“I Gotta Do”111266349
    9Abrokenleg“Electric Boy”1431420310
    10Twosome“Playa”40517558
    11Moniqué“Make Me Human”601285110221
    12Voldemars Petersons“Wings of Freedom”1221550211
  • The rise of Eurovision slashies

    The rise of Eurovision slashies

    Working two jobs used to be a way make ends meet. Now, it has a name. Slashies work two (or more) jobs, building ‘portfolio careers’. We checked out the CVs of some of this year’s Eurovision hopefuls.

    Shopping and building

    Albania’s Jonida Maliqi is a singer/shopkeeper. She combines Eurovision croonery with the running of a haute couture boutique and shoe salon.

    If/when work as a singer/underwear model dries up for Swiss stomper Luca Hänni, he’ll always have a standby career thanks to early training as a bricklayer.

    Sporting chance

    Singer/figure-skater Leonora might look happy on her big Eurovision chair, but in December 2016, Leonora and her brother Linus were Danish gold medal winning figure-skaters. In 2005, singer/sprinter Swede John Lundvik scored bronze for running very fast.

    The (almost) professionals

    Singer/trainee-lawyer Katerine Duska studied at the Kapodistrian University of Athens before deciding she’d be happier with music. A similar career path beckoned for Spanish singer/trainee-primary school teacher Miki. Meanwhile, Irish singer/trainee nurse Sarah McTernan once said: ‘My career will either be to help people or music’.

    Not everyone quit before qualifying. Should anyone chip a tooth in Tel Aviv, they have only to knock on the dressing room door of singer/dentist Serhat, who graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at Istanbul University in 1988.

    The Eurovision bigwigs can insist politics have no place in the contest until they’re blue in the face. Try telling that to singer/MP Fred Buljo. The joiking Norwegian served as leader on the Sami Parliament of Norway.

    Acting the part

    Judging by some of the positions Sergey Lazarev gets himself into, it’s no surprise to learn he started out as a gymnast. The Russian fave went on to become an actor/singer, graduating with honours from one of Russia’s leading dramatic institutions.

    Simlarly, if Kobi Marimi looks to be putting a lot into his performance, it’s because he also trained as an actor. the Israeli talent show winner is a bit of an all-rounder, having previously worked as a barman and cinema cashier.

    If the music thing doesn’t quite work out, Kobi could go into business with fellow singer/former pint-puller Mahmood. British boy wonder Micheal Rice, could draft in supplies from the family waffle and crepe business.

    Slashies insist they do two or more jobs for personal, creative reasons. It’s something to fall back on while boarding Wednesday and Friday flights home.

  • Why Your Favourite Song Isn’t Going To Win Eurovision 2019

    Why Your Favourite Song Isn’t Going To Win Eurovision 2019

    As usual, I’ve been taking a close look at all the runners and riders for this year’s The Eurovision and I’ve come to the inescapable conclusion that there’s not a single one of them that’s trying to win it. Even that Russia. It’s almost as if they’ve been watching THAT episode of Father Ted and have sent their very own ‘Lovely Horse’ for a laugh. So here’s why we reckon your favourite song won’t win at Eurovision this year. And don’t worry, as is the tradition, it’s not quite as funny as last year’s list (not even the bits I’ve nicked off Eurovision Lemurs)…

    Albania
    Because although songs about the Albanian diaspora and the Kosovo War are going to go down well with locals and expats, we can think of quite a few less than friendly neighbours who’ll take a pretty dim view of that kind of thing. And even if the rest of the continent votes it best, there’s just enough that won’t to cost it dear. (Yeah, we know it’s a bit serious for an opening paragraph, but you know, alphabetical order and all that!)

    Armenia
    Because if she insists on that barging about larky on stage she’ll be too battered and bruised after two weeks of rehearsals to even get out of bed come Saturday morning.

    Australia
    Because in their efforts to show that they’re just like everyone else at Eurovision, Australia decided it was their turn to have a doomed popera song on their tally. Next year: dad rock.

    Austria
    In the wild, the Paenda is a lonely creature who is practically evolving itself into extinction. Eating little else than unpalatable twigs and wilfully hating any kind of contact with the rest of its species, it really isn’t helping itself. In particular, the sub-species with the blue fur has such a mournful plaintive cry that nothing or nobody wants to come within a good mile of it – let alone ring a premium phone line to tell the world how much they like it.

    Azerbaijan
    Because once he’s got his kit on in order to perform on a family show, everyone will suddenly realise that there really isn’t much of a song hiding behind his lovely muscley chest.

    Belarus
    Because the True-Blue-era-Madonna-in-the-style-of-Camila-Cabello trib act is just about the one genre that we really didn’t need.

    Belgium
    Seriously, wake up! You had a little snooze during this dreary plodfest and forgot to tally it off on your scoresheet. Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much.

    Croatia
    So many reasons, so little time.

    Cyprus
    Because diminishing returns are a terrible, terrible thing. Plus Asanda wants her farty trumpets back. As does Maruv…

    Czechia (Honestly, it is Czechia. Why does nobody believe them?)
    Because that spoken word bit in the mock mockney accent is about the most skin-crawling Eurovision moment of the last ten years at least. Plus, is it just us or is the lyric just a little bit sex pesty?

    Denmark
    “Hello! Can someone get me down off this chair? Hello!?! This storage facility in Herning is terribly cold and lonely. Helooooo???”

    Estonia
    Before him in his semi sits one of the most anarchically batshit entries in all Eurovision history, and behind him one of artistically unhinged. Good heavens, even his own mum will have forgotten him after being the bland jam in such an epic nonsense sandwich.

    Finland
    People only want to hear the hit, mate, and not see your slightly sinister chin-bearded self staring smugly out of a box. The voting nans will have no idea who you are or why the camera is focused more on you than that nice young lad at the front, anyway.

    France
    Because as much as we like the lad, “internet sensation in your own language group” very rarely translates into “anyone else giving a shit”. He’d have done better if he’d brought an actual song along with the admittedly admirable message.

    Georgia
    Because they appear to have skipped a year in the “one year for Georgia, one year for Eurovision” sequence. As if being abso-bloody-lutely terrifying wasn’t enough. (Especially if they bring that backing singer with the wobbly hand from their national final!).

    Germany
    Because this song only underlines that last year was clearly an utter and absolute fluke.

    Greece
    Because ladies who sing like somebody is firmly squeezing a mule never seem to do well at this contest. And people only like the video for the girl eating the grapes, anyway.

    Hungary
    The curse of the comeback strikes again. If any artist is ever going to make a return, however popular they are amongst fankind, they really, really need have an even better song than the last time or they’re ultimately doomed to mild embarrassment, and we fear the worst for lovely Joci. (Heed these words closely for your inevitable return in the next couple of years, Eleni Foureira.)

    Iceland
    Because the way things are going at the moment Europe most probably will have crumbled by the time Eurovision comes around.

    Ireland
    Who else reckons that RTE were negotiating really hard to get Westlife for the big show, but when the talks broke down at the last minute they were stuck with the first thing they found down the back of the sofa?

    Israel
    This is actually a Sacha Baron Cohen character isn’t it? He’ll rip off the mask in the last moments of his Jury Final and do a swear, resulting in his instant disqualification, surely. We can’t see any other reason why he’s here…

    Italy
    Because while everyone in the hall will try to clap along in the chorus, its unusual quarter beat timing will mean that the whole darned place will whack their mitts together at random places, totally putting the poor lad off his rhythm. It’ll all end in utter garbled mayhem unless the stage crew make a ‘For the love of god don’t clap!’ announcement before the performance.

    Latvia
    Because while it starts nicely enough with a cutesy little singalong motif, it quickly hits a trapped groove like a stuck record and seems to go on doing exactly the same thing for about 40 minutes. But unlike an old-fashioned Dansette record player, you can’t just whack the side of the telly to make it skip forward a bit. Seriously, if a song makes you this anxious after two minutes it’s really no kind of vote sponge.

    Lithuania
    This year’s song that you can’t find a single negative thing to say about it, but that you just know in the very pit of your heart that it’s doomed to abject anonymity. Bless his handsome little heart.

    Malta
    “Michaela? Yeah, there’s some bloke called Boy George on the phone and he’s got the right hump. He’s demanding royalties and a co-writing credit before he’ll even allow you to go on stage in Tel Aviv. Yeah, I know…”

    Moldova
    Can anyone remember how this goes off the top of their heads? Anyone? We’re watching it right now and we still can’t for the life of us recall even a single second of it.

    Montenegro
    Seriously, whoever in the world thought that their musical notation schtick was a good idea for anything other than a school play?

    Netherlands
    “Duncan mate. Some bloke called Aram MP3 is on the phone. Yeah, it is a funny name. He says he’s seen your future…”

    North Macedonia
    Czechia were jealous. Czechia have been trying to get the world to adopt their new name for some years without so much as a by your leave. But here come North Macedonia with their shiny new moniker and everybody takes it to their hearts in mere weeks. So Czechia devised a plan with certain elements from the Macedonians’ southerly neighbours who still aren’t terribly pleased at how this whole name thing has turned out. It mainly involved finding a way to scramble the offending name on every kind of televised broadcast rather than anything terribly dangerous, but it still caused enough confusion to mess with the scoring at the end of the night.  But if they’re ignored for another year who knows what may happen…

    Norway
    Because however culturally important this is to the folks from the Scandi regions, when the little bald bloke in the shiny trousers turns to the camera and yoiks, the rest of the continent are going to spit their tea out in a loud guffaw and break into a collective Swedish Chef impersonation. Sad but true.

    Poland
    Because they’re going to have to do something pretty amazing with the camerawork to make these static lasses look like anything more interesting than a regional Easter bonnet competition.

    Portugal
    Because this song isn’t here to win Eurovision. It’s the culmination of a millennia-long ritual that’s an attempt to coax the great alien godhead down to Earth and absorb our bodies into the wider astral consciousness (all except for the bloke with the inflatable Israeli hammer, of course), resulting in our all becoming demi-space lords and learning the actual true meaning of life from the very centre of the deepest, darkest black hole. Well, can you think of a more believable reason why this exists?

    Romania
    Because all that curious, unconvincing hand-waving about will attract the attention of our very own Michael Rice’s similarly afflicted mitts. Said chubby grabbers will drag him unwillingly onto the stage to get into a very unseemly scramble with Ester behind the big chair. It turns out that they were both suffering from the great involuntary wobbly hand virus disease, where those infected have no control of their glove meat. It was a terrible, terrible scene. See also: Evil Dead II

    Russia
    “Comrade Putin? Yes, we’ve had a little bit of an issue with our ongoing attempt to control the results of the Eurovision, thereby destabilising the planet’s economy with our proxy media war. Yes… yes sir. Well, the call centres and click farms around the continent were just that little bit TOO efficient this year, and the glorious motherland have got perhaps a few too many votes to have been entirely believable. How many? Erm… Does 45 million and twelve sound too many? Yeah, I think it’s the twelve that makes it sound less believable. I think they’ve rumbled us sir… No, I’ve never been to Siberia…”

    San Marino
    Come on, you KNOW this isn’t going anywhere near winning. So let’s just enjoy it for the glorious slab of unmitigated fun that it is, eh, and stop thinking too deeply about it.

    Serbia
    Hang about, didn’t Moldova already sing this?

    Slovenia
    Because these two are soooo into each other that they’ll completely forget where they are, stop singing, and begin to just stare at each other, all dewy eyed, until big Henric skulks on and prods them with a stick.

    Spain
    All they needed to do was repeat their national final winning performance, but they had to mess about with it and iron out all the joy…

    Sweden
    Because the pressure of being the first man to have written both the winner and the last placed song in the same year will have become just that bit too much for him and his mind won’t be on the game. I mean, it’s not like anybody’s going to ask him about it in a press conference or an interview or anything…

    Switzerland
    “Hello Luca? This is celebrity psychic Sally Morgan. I’ve been getting messages from the afterlife from Patrick Swayze and he’s not best pleased. He wants me to come round a do a Whoopi Goldberg on you… only less pleasantly…” (Yeah yeah, I know I’m mixing my filmic metaphors here, but why let that get in the way of a bad joke).

    Ukraine
    Do you know what, I think they’re actually going to do it this year! Wait.. what?
    (Trust me, I will never, ever get bored of this gag).

    United Kingdom
    Brexit my arse. You don’t get big points by sending plucky lads from the sandwich shop, bless his lovely little hopeful heart.

    So there we are, another winnerless year. When will anybody ever want to actually win this thing?

  • Kan reveals Eurovision interval acts

    Kan reveals Eurovision interval acts

    In five weeks, we’ll know who has won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Today, we found out more about the show itself.

    Assi Azar, who is to host alongside Bar Rafaeli, Lucy Ayoub and Erez Tal, previously told Metro.co.uk: “Everyone puts their focus on the final – but we decided this year that we’d give a lot of attention to the semi-finals. It might make people shed a tear, it’s very special. Also, we have a surprise for the viewers which will make them smile, because they will recognise some of the people on stage. I can’t say more, I’m not allowed yet, but we are bringing special guests that Eurovision fans know and love.”

    Today, Kan held a press conference and revealed all.

    She’s not your toy

    Last year’s winner Netta will open the first semi final performing her 2018 winning song ‘Toy’. She’ll be back on the Saturday to perform her new single ahead of its April official global release.

    She’s not the only diva back on stage. Dana International is to perform in both the first semi-final and grand final.

    The second semi-final audience get to sit through/enjoy a performance by Shalva. The group took part in the contest that picked Israel’s Eurovision representative – but dropped out as they felt unable to  break Shabbat.

    Winner’s circle

    Things go a little bit X-Factor for the Grand Final when past Eurovision stars get to sing a song other than the one they’re known for. Cochita Wurst will sing ‘Heroes’, whilst Mans Zelmerlöw get to perform ‘Fuego’. Eleni Foureira is to put her stamp on ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’, leaving Verka Serduchka to bring a new twist to ‘Toy’. They’ll all come together with Gali Atari in a rousing final chorus of ‘Hallelujah’.

    One of Israel’s biggest stars, Idan Raichel will perform “Boee” and at the end of his act all 26 finalists will join him on the stage.

    During the voting window – which at this rate won’t end until Sunday morning – viewers get to see a special montage featuring moments from the previous 63 Eurovision Song Contests.

    When that’s done, Yizhar Cohen will be back, but this time, he won’t be singing. He’ll announce the Israeli jury points.

    Madonna?

    And despite what you might have read virtually everywhere (but here), Madonna is not yet confirmed for the grand final.

    Given everything else going on, Kan will be pushed to find time.

    LIVE
    If you’d like to see what’s going on in Tel Aviv, why not pay a visit to the Eurovision Diary pages of M&M Production who are busy setting up the Expo for May.
  • Eurovision Babylon – Scalping, scams and suspect behaviour

    Eurovision Babylon – Scalping, scams and suspect behaviour

    Luca HänniDirty dancing

    Confidence in your song is essential at Eurovision. Over-confidence tends to go down like a cup of cold sick. Swiss singer Luca Hänni might like to think up a few excuses about how ‘someone else made him do it’ when he runs into the reigning queen of Cypriot Eurovision Tamta in Tel Aviv. Luca let himself be talked into reviewing other songs and happened to note how ‘Replay’ sounds more than a little like ‘Feugo’. Explaining it away as ‘of course it does, it’s the same producer’.

    Scalping

    The last thing you need when you’ve got the EBU and Eurovision fandom breathing down your neck is a ticket scandal. But KAN landed themselves right in the middle of one when the police were called in to investigate attempts to profiteer by bagging prime tickets to the Grand Final and selling them on at inflated prices. Things get worse. Preferential treatment appears to have been given to a list of famous names in Israel. Ynet claims the list includes Eurovision hosts Erez Takl and Assi Azar. 220 tickets were cancelled and go back on sale in April.

    scamRoom for one more?

    One delegation head faced a dusting down from broadcaster bosses after falling prey to con artists masquerading as Tel Aviv travel agents. When contacted with a too-good-to-be-true rate for hotel rooms, the company credit card came out. 17,600 euros later, faces turned red. And no, we don’t know who either. Suggestions on a postcard.

    Slow down

    Remember life of the party Dutch boy Douwe Bob? In November, somewhat the worse for wear, he had a run in with hospital security after his girlfriend fainted. Turning up the next day with apology flowers didn’t stop a judge from fining the ‘Slow Down’ singer for verbal and physical aggression.

    If I had a little money …

    These days, the official Eurovision site makes a lot of noise about how many streams songs pick up through its official YouTube channel. So they had only themselves to blame when one 2019 entry walked out into the lead with 1.5 million streams within a single hour. What might be more of a worry for the singer concerned is that from 3.3 million viewers, only 33,000 gave it a thumbs up.

  • Tickets go on sale for Eurovision 2019

    Tickets go on sale for Eurovision 2019

    With minimal fanfare and next to no advance notice, organisers of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest will start selling tickets. The last day of February is the latest date for sales to kick off in many years.

    The ticketing website uses a queuing system and recommend opening the website 15 minutes before sales open, to be sure of a place in line.

    You can buy here from 19:00 CET (18:00 GMT).

    Previous announcements have indicated tickets will be released in  two waves. Tonight will see the first ones made available.

    Euro Neuro

    Yedioth Aharonot previously reported that ticket prices for the final on May 18 range from £245 (NIS 1,150) for seats furthest from the stage, to £288 (NIS 1,350) for a place in the the first few rows.

    If you’re happy to stand for over four hours – in the so-called ‘Golden Ring’ – you’ll pay a little over £320. To really treat yourself, splash out £430 and sit near the artists in the adjoining Green Room. On the plus side, the ticket price includes food and drink. Downside: you’ll not be in the main hall.

    Tickets for the two semifinals, on May 14 and 16, will be cheaper ranging from £160 to £215. You could ‘save money’ by opting for the rehearsals. A ticket for the semi-finals will cost at most £75, and for the final up to £170.

  • Eurovision ticket prices leak ahead of sale start

    Eurovision ticket prices leak ahead of sale start

    If tickets for Eurovision feature on your 2019 bucket list, you’ll need a stroke of luck and very deep pockets. Although the official ticketing agency has yet to start selling for the Tel Aviv shows in the middle of May, yesterday the Israeli press revealed planned prices.

    Yedioth Aharonot reports that ticket prices for the final on May 18 will range from £245 (NIS 1,150) for seats furthest from the stage, to £288 (NIS 1,350) for a place in the the first few rows.

    If you’re happy to stand for over four hours – in the so-called ‘Golden Ring’ – you’ll pay a little over £320. To really treat yourself, splash out £430 and sit near the artists in the adjoining Green Room. On the plus side, the ticket price includes food and drink. Downside: you’ll not be in the main hall.

    Tickets for the two semifinals, on May 14 and 16, will be cheaper ranging from £160 to £215. You could ‘save money’ by opting for the rehearsals. A ticket for the semi-finals will cost at most £75, and for the final up to £170.

    On sale soon

    An on-sale date is expected to be announced shortly with the first wave of sales predicted to kick off later next week through the official ticketing partner Leaan. If you’re not put off by the price, you need to be fast. The hall is configured for an audience of around 7300, with 4300 tickets on general sale for each show. 500 tickets for the final general rehearsal go free to members of the Israel Defense Force.

    Of course … you could stay home, spend the money on pizza and let OnEurope* do all the hard work for you! We’ll be there from when rehearsals start until the big night itself. You can expect reports and pictures, video and reviews. And not only from the stage – we’re big on parties too.

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  • How many people does it take to host a Eurovision?

    How many people does it take to host a Eurovision?

    Hosts 2019The hosts of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest are Erez Tal, Bar Refaeli, Assi Azar and Lucy Ayoub. That’s right, it’s another year where four is better than three is better than two is better than one. To be fair only two of them will be on the main stage, reports suggest Azar and Ayoub are to be dotted around the green room and various other halls at the venue.

    Broadcaster Kan proposed the names, the EBU – in its new era of close supervision after what happened in Kiev – deliberated and then approved. Earlier reports had indicated a role for Lior Suchard, but his name was dropped from the final list amidst reports of failed contract negotiation.

    Erez Tal is well known to Israeli TV viewers. He has hosted numerous light entertainment shows and was always tipped for the job. The glamour comes from model and former X-Factor host Bar Refaeli.

    Azar has hosted numerous reality shows. Ayoub presented the Israeli votes in 2018. The glamour comes from model and former X-Factor host Bar Refaeli.

  • Dream on – Kan reveals 2019 Eurovision logo

    Dream on – Kan reveals 2019 Eurovision logo

    The team behind the Eurovision Song Contest today revealed the logo for 2019. The Contest takes place under a slogan of ‘Dare to dream‘. The dream in question appears to be three triangles.

    Each year the Host Broadcaster of the Eurovision Song Contest creates a slogan. They also  design complementing artwork. These visual elements strengthen the message of the event.

    Slogan

    Branding agency Awesome Tel Aviv came up with the slogan. A press release claims it “symbolises inclusion, diversity and unity”. 

    The first time Eurovision used an official slogan was in 2002. Estonian ERR chose A Modern Fairytale for the contest in Tallinn.

    Eurovision logo

    Studio Adam Feinberg melded three triangles for the logo design. A press release rushed to gush and call it “a cornerstone symbol found universally in art, music, cosmology and nature, representing connection and creativity.”

    This year’s logo takes inspiration from Florian Wieder’s stage design. His concept uses triangular shapes and structures.

    Tickets

    Along with the slogan reveal, organisers announced delayed ticket sales are to kick off after the semi-final allocation draw on 28 January.

    As a rule, tickets go on sale in two or three waves. The official ticketing partner for 2019 is Israeli agency Leaan.

    The 64th contest is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Israeli broadcaster KAN. It takes place at Tel Aviv’s Expo Centre on 14,16 and 18 May.