Rehearsals, day 1: an overview

Today was the day of the still sun. The latest update is that the water may well be replaced by virtual water on the LED screens. The sun can then rotate again.

Today was also the day of the first nine rehearsals. And yes, that included bookmaker favorite Ukraine. We will go through all the performances with you.

ALBANIA: What immediately stands out is Ronela’s hair: it’s pink. Furthermore, she is in black with a silver shining bra. She is surrounded by four bare-chested dancers. No fireworks for Albania, but smoke.

LATVIA: In multicolored suits, the Latvian group Citi Zēni performs the cheerful “Eat your salad” accompanied by graphics with lots of fruit. The text has been slightly modified. The group still eats veggies, but no longer mention pussy. It is, after all, a family program.

LITHUANIA: The jazzy ‘Sentimentai’ is performed by Monika Liu against a purple background. She herself wears a dress covered with silver. At the end of the song, the now infamous waterfall comes into view. Whether that remains the case remains to be seen.

SWITZERLAND: After Lithuania, there is another act that is all alone on stage: the Swiss Marius Bear performs in black, with only a spotlight aimed at him. The folks at eurovision.tv were eager to say that Marius is very strong vocally.

SLOVENIA: A huge disco ball on stage with the group LPS from Slovenia. The drummer seems to be hiding behind that. The men from Slovenia wear classic sixties tailoring during their performance.

UKRAINE: Partly due to the circumstances, Ukraine is the top favorite for the final victory. Kalush Orchestra performs in traditional outfits combined with something indefinable, which most resembles the brushes from a car wash. The graphics are special and use, among other things, the Ukrainian colors blue and yellow.

BULGARIA: The guys from Intelligent Music Project are, it seems, in their usual clothes. But they sure rock! Bulgaria is the country that readily uses the pyrotechnics at the end of their performance.

NETHERLANDS: The Dutch S10 wears a black suit; she has a bare belly that makes her navel suddenly play a leading role in the act. Lots of smoke and dramatic light, that’s how everyone who has seen something of it describes the act. In any case, it is considered appropriate for the song.

MOLDOVA: It is Zdob si Zdub that concludes today’s nine. This is the group’s third time participating. They’ve gone full neon on the lighting and the graphics, AND there are even a couple of little dance routines in the chorus. But there is no striking act, as before with a grandmother and with pointed hats. Maybe the happy Moldovan song doesn’t need that either.

Picture of Martijn

Martijn

See all contributions

Related news
Eurovision 2026

Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, February 24, 2026, and time for another weekly update! This week saw Belgium and Austria unveiling their Eurovision entries for Vienna. Austria also launched a Eurovision-themed train to build excitement ahead of May. Meanwhile, a decision by Belgium’s VRT broadcaster made waves in the Eurovision community. National finals are in full swing across Europe as well. Italy’s Sanremo festival kicks off, Serbia’s selection reaches its climax, and finalists are being decided in Lithuania, Norway, Finland, and Germany. Here are this week’s top stories: New Entries 🇧🇪 Belgium Belgium’s French-language broadcaster RTBF has internally selected 23-year-old Essyla (Alice Van Eesbeeck) to represent the nation with the song “Dancing on the Ice”. Essyla, a former The Voice Belgique finalist, is Belgium’s first female solo Eurovision act since 2020. Her pop ballad “Dancing on the Ice” was co-written by Essyla herself and will fly the Belgian flag in Vienna. 🇦🇹 Austria Host country Austria also revealed its entry. In the national final Wer singt für Österreich?, 19-year-old singer Cosmó (Benjamin Gedeon) won with his upbeat German-language track “Tanzschein”. Cosmó beat 11 other acts in a combined jury and televote. He earned the honor of representing Austria on home soil at Eurovision 2026. “Tanzschein” (which means “dance ticket”) is a dance-pop song inspired by club culture. As host country, Austria will perform “Tanzschein” directly in the Grand Final. 2026 Contest News A specially decorated Eurovision train is now traveling across Austria, carrying the contest’s vibrant theme to cities and towns. National railway operator ÖBB unveiled the locomotive, which features striking Eurovision 2026 artwork and branding. ÖBB officials christened the train at Vienna’s central station as part of its launch ceremony. The locomotive’s mission is to build excitement for the upcoming song contest nationwide while also promoting climate-friendly travel for fans. This eye-catching train is part of ÖBB’s collaboration with host broadcaster ORF under a sustainability partnership. The initiative encourages fans to use eco-friendly rail travel to attend Eurovision events, highlighting climate-conscious transportation. It also continues a Eurovision tradition: back in 2015, ÖBB launched a similar Eurovision-branded locomotive to celebrate Austria hosting the contest that year, forging a link between rail travel and the Eurovision festivities. source: ÖBB 📷 ÖBB/Willinger In Belgium, VRT (Flemish broadcaster) announced it will not send its usual TV crew to Vienna for Eurovision 2026. Longtime commentator Peter Van de Veire will provide commentary from VRT’s studio in Brussels instead of on-site. VRT cited unresolved concerns with the event’s current context and a desire to be a “reliable guide” for viewers. This move comes amid calls from VRT and RTBF staff unions to boycott Eurovision 2026 over political controversies. Nevertheless, Belgium will participate as planned with RTBF’s entrant Essyla. source: VRT National Finals Roundup 🇮🇹 Italy: The famed Sanremo 2026 festival runs from 24 to 28 February with 30 artists competing. The winner will earn the right of first refusal to represent Italy at Eurovision. 🇷🇸 Serbia: RTS is holding Pesma za Evroviziju ’26 with two semi-finals on Feb 24 and 26, and a final on Feb 28. Twenty-four acts are vying to succeed Princ (Serbia’s 2025 entrant). The winner chosen on Sunday will become Serbia’s representative in Vienna. 🇱🇹 Lithuania: After five heats, Lithuania’s selection Eurovizija.LT 2026 will conclude with an 11-act final on 27 February. Singer Nøra Blu just won the wildcard round with her song “Hold My Own.” She claimed the last spot in the final. 🇳🇴 Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2026 will take place on 28 February in Lillehammer’s Håkons Hall. Nine finalists are set, including Eurovision 2009 winner Alexander Rybak with “Rise.” Drag artist Skrellex won a special radio duel tournament to secure the last final spot. He will compete in the final with the song “Into the Wild”. 🇫🇮 Finland: The final of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2026 is scheduled for 28 February at Nokia Arena in Tampere. Seven acts will compete. The result will be decided by 75% public voting and 25% international jury voting. 🇩🇪 Germany: Germany’s national final “Das Deutsche Finale 2026” will be held on 28 February in Berlin. Nine acts, including former pop star Sarah Engels with the song “Fire”, will perform. A two-round voting system will be used. In the first round, an international jury will pick the top three finalists. Then the German public will choose the winner in a superfinal. The victor will represent Germany in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest this May. Agenda Date Country National Final Time Watch here: 24 February Serbia 1st semifinal 21:00 RTS Pesma Evrovizija on YouTube   Italy 1st night 20:40 RaiPlay 25 February Italy 2nd night 20:40 RaiPlay 26 February Italy 3rd night 20:40 RaiPlay   Serbia 2nd semifinal 21:00 RTS Pesma Evrovizija on YouTube 27 February Lithuania Final 18:00 LRT and YouTube LRT   Italy 4th night 20:40 RaiPlay 28 February Norway Final 19.45 NRK   Bulgaria Song selection 20:00 BNT and Escplus   Sweden 5th heat/fq 20:00 SVT Play   Finland Final 20:00 YLE and YLE (English commentary)   Germany Final 20:00 ARD1 (To be announced)   Italy Final 20:40 RaiPlay   Serbia Final 21:00 RTS Pesma Evrovizija on YouTube   Portugal 2nd semifinal 01:00 RTP1 and RTPinternacional

Read More »
February 24, 2026 No Comments
Eurovision 2026
Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, February 24, 2026, and time for another weekly update! This week saw Belgium and Austria unveiling their Eurovision entries for Vienna. Austria also launched a Eurovision-themed train to build excitement ahead of May. Meanwhile, a decision by Belgium’s VRT broadcaster made waves in the Eurovision community. National finals are in full swing across Europe as well. Italy’s Sanremo festival kicks off, Serbia’s selection reaches its climax, and finalists are being decided in Lithuania, Norway, Finland, and Germany. Here are this week’s top stories: New Entries 🇧🇪 Belgium Belgium’s French-language broadcaster RTBF has internally selected 23-year-old Essyla (Alice Van Eesbeeck) to represent the nation with the song “Dancing on the Ice”. Essyla, a former The Voice Belgique finalist, is Belgium’s first female solo Eurovision act since 2020. Her pop ballad “Dancing on the Ice” was co-written by Essyla herself and will fly the Belgian flag in Vienna. 🇦🇹 Austria Host country Austria also revealed its entry. In the national final Wer singt für Österreich?, 19-year-old singer Cosmó (Benjamin Gedeon) won with his upbeat German-language track “Tanzschein”. Cosmó beat 11 other acts in a combined jury and televote. He earned the honor of representing Austria on home soil at Eurovision 2026. “Tanzschein” (which means “dance ticket”) is a dance-pop song inspired by club culture. As host country, Austria will perform “Tanzschein” directly in the Grand Final. 2026 Contest News A specially decorated Eurovision train is now traveling across Austria, carrying the contest’s vibrant theme to cities and towns. National railway operator ÖBB unveiled the locomotive, which features striking Eurovision 2026 artwork and branding. ÖBB officials christened the train at Vienna’s central station as part of its launch ceremony. The locomotive’s mission is to build excitement for the upcoming song contest nationwide while also promoting climate-friendly travel for fans. This eye-catching train is part of ÖBB’s collaboration with host broadcaster ORF under a sustainability partnership. The initiative encourages fans to use eco-friendly rail travel to attend Eurovision events, highlighting climate-conscious transportation. It also continues a Eurovision tradition: back in 2015, ÖBB launched a similar Eurovision-branded locomotive to celebrate Austria hosting the contest that year, forging a link between rail travel and the Eurovision festivities. source: ÖBB 📷 ÖBB/Willinger In Belgium, VRT (Flemish broadcaster) announced it will not send its usual TV crew to Vienna for Eurovision 2026. Longtime commentator Peter Van de Veire will provide commentary from VRT’s studio in Brussels instead of on-site. VRT cited unresolved concerns with the event’s current context and a desire to be a “reliable guide” for viewers. This move comes amid calls from VRT and RTBF staff unions to boycott Eurovision 2026 over political controversies. Nevertheless, Belgium will participate as planned with RTBF’s entrant Essyla. source: VRT National Finals Roundup 🇮🇹 Italy: The famed Sanremo 2026 festival runs from 24 to 28 February with 30 artists competing. The winner will earn the right of first refusal to represent Italy at Eurovision. 🇷🇸 Serbia: RTS is holding Pesma za Evroviziju ’26 with two semi-finals on Feb 24 and 26, and a final on Feb 28. Twenty-four acts are vying to succeed Princ (Serbia’s 2025 entrant). The winner chosen on Sunday will become Serbia’s representative in Vienna. 🇱🇹 Lithuania: After five heats, Lithuania’s selection Eurovizija.LT 2026 will conclude with an 11-act final on 27 February. Singer Nøra Blu just won the wildcard round with her song “Hold My Own.” She claimed the last spot in the final. 🇳🇴 Norway: Melodi Grand Prix 2026 will take place on 28 February in Lillehammer’s Håkons Hall. Nine finalists are set, including Eurovision 2009 winner Alexander Rybak with “Rise.” Drag artist Skrellex won a special radio duel tournament to secure the last final spot. He will compete in the final with the song “Into the Wild”. 🇫🇮 Finland: The final of Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) 2026 is scheduled for 28 February at Nokia Arena in Tampere. Seven acts will compete. The result will be decided by 75% public voting and 25% international jury voting. 🇩🇪 Germany: Germany’s national final “Das Deutsche Finale 2026” will be held on 28 February in Berlin. Nine acts, including former pop star Sarah Engels with the song “Fire”, will perform. A two-round voting system will be used. In the first round, an international jury will pick the top three finalists. Then the German public will choose the winner in a superfinal. The victor will represent Germany in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest this May. Agenda Date Country National Final Time Watch here: 24 February Serbia 1st semifinal 21:00 RTS Pesma Evrovizija on YouTube   Italy 1st night 20:40 RaiPlay 25 February Italy 2nd night 20:40 RaiPlay 26 February Italy 3rd night 20:40 RaiPlay   Serbia 2nd semifinal 21:00 RTS Pesma Evrovizija on YouTube 27 February Lithuania Final 18:00 LRT and YouTube LRT   Italy 4th night 20:40 RaiPlay 28 February Norway Final 19.45 NRK   Bulgaria Song selection 20:00 BNT and Escplus   Sweden 5th heat/fq 20:00 SVT Play   Finland Final 20:00 YLE and YLE (English commentary)   Germany Final 20:00 ARD1 (To be announced)   Italy Final 20:40 RaiPlay   Serbia Final 21:00 RTS Pesma Evrovizija on YouTube   Portugal 2nd semifinal 01:00 RTP1 and RTPinternacional

Read More »
February 24, 2026 No Comments
© 2019 – 2026 Eurovision Universe / eurovisionuniverse.com

Maintained in cooperation with IT-M.art

Follow Us: