VIENNA, Austria — The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 officially opened in Vienna on Sunday as thousands of music fans arrived in the Austrian capital ahead of next weekend’s grand final, amid renewed protests over Israel’s participation.
The Austrian city launched the week-long celebrations with Eurovision’s traditional turquoise carpet ceremony, welcoming delegations from 35 participating countries in a colourful parade through the city centre.
Organisers have planned multiple fan events leading to the May 16 final, including public screenings, concerts, and exhibitions celebrating seven decades of Eurovision history.
“There is a lot of positive energy, people are smiling, they’re very warm,” French representative Monroe told AFP during the opening ceremony.
The contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union, remains one of the world’s largest live entertainment events, attracting more than 170 million viewers globally across television and digital platforms.
This year, Finland has emerged as the bookmakers’ favourite with an entry featuring singer Pete Parkkonen and violinist Linda Lampenius. Eurovision organisers reportedly approved a rare exemption allowing Lampenius to perform live violin on stage, despite the competition’s usual reliance on pre-recorded instrumentation.
However, political tensions surrounding Israel’s participation have overshadowed preparations for the contest.
Several countries, including Spain, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia, have distanced themselves from this year’s event in protest against Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
More than 1,000 artists and groups have reportedly endorsed boycott calls, including Peter Gabriel and Massive Attack.
On Saturday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central Vienna demanding Israel’s exclusion from the contest. Austrian authorities deployed several hundred police officers to secure Eurovision venues and monitor demonstrations throughout the week.
Meanwhile, German Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer criticised the boycott campaign and defended Israel’s right to participate.
“I have defended Israel taking part at the highest political levels,” Weimer told German media outlet Augsburger Allgemeine.
Eurovision organisers also confirmed they had issued a warning to Israeli broadcaster KAN over promotional videos encouraging viewers to vote multiple times for Israel’s entry.
Martin Green, Eurovision’s director, said direct calls urging audiences to vote repeatedly for a specific contestant violated the spirit and rules of the competition.
The European Broadcasting Union has updated voting regulations this year following concerns over unusually high public voting campaigns linked to last year’s Israeli participation.
As host nation, Austria automatically qualifies for the grand final alongside the contest’s largest financial contributors — Germany, France, Italy and United Kingdom.
Austria earned hosting rights after local artist JJ won the previous edition. This year, the host nation is represented by Cosmo, although bookmakers currently rank the entry outside the leading contenders.
