Eurovision opening and interval acts, show by show

Final Saturday, 16 May 2026

opened by

• JJ and the flag parade last year’s winner sang the Queen of the Night aria, “Unknown” and “Wasted Love” with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra as the 25 finalists came in

in the interval

• Erika Vikman, Lordi, Max Mutzke, Alexander Rybak, Kristian Kostov, Verka Serduchka, Miriana Conte and Ruslana a medley of past entries for the contest’s seventieth anniversary
• Parov Stelar “Black Lilies”
• Cesár Sampson “Vienna”

Final Saturday, 17 May 2025

opened by

• Nemo last year’s winner, “The Code”
• The flag parade the 26 finalists, with the Top Secret Drum Corps

in the interval

• Peter, Sue and Marc, Paola, Luca Hänni and Gjon’s Tears four Swiss entries, from 1980 to 2021, sung by the acts that first sang them
• Baby Lasagna and Käärijä a mash-up of “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” and “Cha Cha Cha”, then their single “#Eurodab”
• Nemo “Unexplainable”

Final Saturday, 11 May 2024

opened by

• Björn Skifs “Hooked on a Feeling”
• The flag parade the 25 finalists, to a medley of Swedish hits

in the interval

• Alcazar “Crying at the Discoteque”
• Carola, Charlotte Perrelli and Conchita Wurst “Waterloo”, fifty years after it won, introduced on film by ABBA’s avatars from the ABBA Voyage show
• Loreen “Forever” and last year’s winner, “Tattoo”

Final Saturday, 13 May 2023

opened by

• Kalush Orchestra last year’s winners, with “Stefania” and “Changes”
• The flag parade with Go_A, Jamala, Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka

in the interval

• Sam Ryder “Mountain”
• “The Liverpool Songbook” sung by Mahmood, Netta, Daði Freyr, Cornelia Jakobs, Duncan Laurence and Sonia

Final Saturday, 14 May 2022

opened by

• Rockin’ 1000 “Give Peace a Chance”
• Laura Pausini a medley of five of the co-host’s own songs

in the interval

• Måneskin last year’s winners, with “Supermodel” and “If I Can Dream”
• Gigliola Cinquetti the 1964 winner, “Non ho l’età”
• Mika a medley of four songs

Final Saturday, 22 May 2021

opened by

• The flag parade the 26 finalists, to music by Pieter Gabriel

in the interval

• Afrojack, Glennis Grace and Wulf “Hero”, “Ten Feet Tall” and “Titanium”, with an orchestra
• “Rock the Roof” past winners singing on the rooftops of Rotterdam
• Duncan Laurence “Arcade” and “Stars”
• “The Human Countdown” a dance piece

Final Saturday, 18 May 2019

opened by

• Dana International “Tel Aviv” and “Diva”
• Ilanit “Ey Sham”
• Nadav Guedj “Golden Boy”

in the interval

• Netta “Nana Banana”
• Conchita Wurst, Måns Zelmerlöw, Eleni Foureira and Verka Serduchka each sang one of the others’ songs, then “Hallelujah” together with Gali Atari
• Idan Raichel “Bo’ee”, with 24 musicians
• Madonna “Like a Prayer” and, with Quavo, “Future”

Final Saturday, 12 May 2018

opened by

• Ana Moura and Mariza the fado singers, with “Fado loucura” and “Barco negro”
• The flag parade to music by the scratch duo Beatbombers

in the interval

• Branko a medley with Sara Tavares and Plutónio, Dino D’Santiago and Mayra Andrade
• Salvador Sobral last year’s winner sang “Mano a mano”, then “Amar pelos dois” as a duet with Caetano Veloso, with Júlio Resende at the piano

Final Saturday, 13 May 2017

in the interval

• Ruslana “It’s Magical”
• Jamala “I Believe in U”
• Onuka a megamix with Ukraine’s National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments

Final Saturday, 14 May 2016

opened by

• The flag parade staged as a fashion show

in the interval

• Justin Timberlake “Rock Your Body” and the first live performance of “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
• Petra Mede and Måns Zelmerlöw “Love Love Peace Peace”
• Måns Zelmerlöw “Fire in the Rain” and “Heroes”

Final Saturday, 23 May 2015

opened by

• The Vienna Philharmonic the Eurovision theme, played in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace
• Lidia Baich the violinist played a passage of Austria’s 1966 winner, “Merci, Chérie”, for Udo Jürgens
• Conchita Wurst, the Vienna Boys’ Choir, the Superar children’s choir and Left Boy “Building Bridges”, the contest’s anthem, with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra

in the interval

• Martin Grubinger and the Percussive Planet Ensemble nine minutes on themes by Austrian composers, with forty players and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir
• Conchita Wurst “You Are Unstoppable” and “Firestorm”

Final Saturday, 10 May 2014

in the interval

• Emmelie de Forest and the 26 finalists “Rainmaker”

Final Saturday, 18 May 2013

opened by

• “We Write the Story”

in the interval

• Loreen “We Got the Power”, “My Heart Is Refusing Me” and “Euphoria”
• Petra Mede the host’s musical number “Swedish Smörgåsbord”
• Carola “Fångad av en stormvind”
• Sarah Dawn Finer “The Winner Takes It All”

Final Saturday, 26 May 2012

opened by

• Ell and Nikki last year’s winners, “Running Scared”

in the interval

• Emin “Never Enough”

Final Saturday, 14 May 2011

opened by

• Stefan Raab and Lena last year’s winner “Satellite”, as rockabilly

in the interval

• Jan Delay “Oh Jonny” and “Klar”

Final Saturday, 29 May 2010

opened by

• Alexander Rybak last year’s winner, “Fairytale”

in the interval

• Madcon “Glow”, with dance events staged like flash mobs in cities across Europe

Final Saturday, 16 May 2009

opened by

• Cirque du Soleil “Prodigal Son”
• Dima Bilan last year’s winner, “Believe”

in the interval

• Fuerza Bruta

Final Saturday, 24 May 2008

in the interval

• Goran Bregović with the Wedding and Funeral Orchestra

Final Saturday, 12 May 2007

in the interval

• Apocalyptica a medley of “Worlds Collide”, “Faraway” and “Life Burns!”, without the words

Final Saturday, 20 May 2006

opened by

• A ballet on the birth of Greece followed by last year’s winner, Helena Paparizou, with “My Number One”

in the interval

• Helena Paparizou “Mambo!”
• “4000 Years of Greek Song” a contemporary ballet with music by Dimitris Papadimitriou, choreographed by Fokas Evangelinos

Final Saturday, 21 May 2005

in the interval

• Ruslana last year’s winner, with “The Same Star”
• Ars Nova the Kyiv percussion ensemble

Final Saturday, 15 May 2004

also on stage

• Sertab Erener last year’s winner sang “Everyway That I Can” and a new song, “Leave”

in the interval

• Fire of Anatolia the Turkish dance ensemble

The contest Saturday, 24 May 2003

in the interval

• A film by Anna Viduleja performances by the folk group Iļģi, Brainstorm, Marie N and the pianist Raimonds Pauls

The contest Saturday, 25 May 2002

in the interval

• A dance piece choreographed by Teet Kask
• Annely Peebo and Marko Matvere the presenters sang “A Little Story in the Music”

The contest Saturday, 12 May 2001

opened by

• Olsen Brothers a snatch of last year’s winner, “Fly on the Wings of Love”, then their new single “Walk Right Back”

in the interval

• Aqua and Safri Duo a medley

The contest Saturday, 13 May 2000

opened by

• A film of Sweden scenes of the country under the shadow of a mouth reciting the 24 countries in the order they would sing

in the interval

• “Once Upon a Time Europe Was Covered with Ice” a film by Johan Söderberg mixing musicians recorded across Europe with players live in the Globe Arena

The contest Saturday, 29 May 1999

opened by

• “From Birmingham to Jerusalem” a computer animation of the journey from last year’s host, then film of Jerusalem with dancers and the hosts

in the interval

• “Freedom Calls” filmed outside the walls of Jerusalem: dancers, a chorus and Dana International singing “D’ror Yikra” and Stevie Wonder’s “Free”

The contest Saturday, 9 May 1998

opened by

• “Birmingham, Old and New” a film laying the city of 1998 over archive pictures, to music from the BBC Concert Orchestra

in the interval

• “Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity” more than 200 performers on a theme from Holst’s The Planets, among them the soprano Lesley Garrett, the violinist Vanessa-Mae, the Sutherland Pipe Band, the Canoldir Male Voice Choir and the Grimethorpe Colliery Band

The contest Saturday, 3 May 1997

opened by

• Good-luck messages from past winners and hosts to that night’s contestants

in the interval

• Boyzone “Let the Message Run Free”, with the co-presenter Ronan Keating singing lead

The contest Saturday, 18 May 1996

opened by

• Morten Harket the co-host sang “Heaven’s Not for Saints”

in the interval

• “Vardebrenning” (Beacon Burning) a ballet and film created by Petter Skavlan

The contest Saturday, 13 May 1995

opened by

• Forty years of the contest a four-minute film of clips and performances from earlier years, directed by Pat Cowap

in the interval

• “Lumen” a new piece by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin joining Gregorian chant and sean-nós singing to contemporary music

The contest Saturday, 30 April 1994

opened by

• Macnas the Galway theatre company: a Viking longship on the Liffey and masked performers across Dublin, on film and in the hall

in the interval

• Riverdance seven minutes by the composer Bill Whelan: the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the choir Anúna, and Irish dancing led by Jean Butler and Michael Flatley. It grew into a stage show that toured the world

The contest Saturday, 15 May 1993

opened by

• An animated film by Gary Keenan, drawn from Celtic myth, with the uilleann piper Davy Spillane

in the interval

• Linda Martin and Johnny Logan Martin reprised the winning song “Why Me?”; Logan sang “Voices (Are Calling)” with choirs from the Cork School of Music and children from Millstreet

The contest Saturday, 9 May 1992

opened by

• Rome to Malmö a computer animation of the journey from last year’s host city, past giant models of European landmarks

in the interval

• “A Century of Dance” David Johnson, Teresa Ibrahim, the Crazy Feat troupe and dancers from the Nöjesteatern on a hundred years of dance in Sweden and beyond

The contest Saturday, 4 May 1991

opened by

• Sara Carlson a video of “Celebration”
• Toto Cutugno and Gigliola Cinquetti the two presenters sang their own winning songs, “Insieme: 1992” and “Non ho l’età”

in the interval

• Arturo Brachetti the Italian quick-change artist and illusionist

The contest Saturday, 5 May 1990

opened by

• “Zagreb: City of Music” a film of the city and its many kinds of music

in the interval

• “Yugoslav Changes” a film of the country’s cultures, landscapes, food and industries

The contest Saturday, 6 May 1989

opened by

• A film of Switzerland seven minutes by Jean-Marc Panchaud setting Swiss landscapes against Swiss paintings, with a child playing Heidi

in the interval

• Guy Tell a stunt artist in the manner of William Tell, hitting targets with crossbows

The contest Saturday, 30 April 1988

opened by

• A film of Ireland from prehistoric Celtic monuments to modern Dublin

in the interval

• Hothouse Flowers the video for “Don’t Go”, introduced from the stage in Irish and English by the singer Liam Ó Maonlaí at the piano

The contest Saturday, 9 May 1987

in the interval

• Marc Grauwels the flautist

The contest Saturday, 3 May 1986

opened by

• Åse Kleveland the presenter sang “Welcome to Music” in several languages

in the interval

• Sissel Kyrkjebø and Steinar Ofsdal a tour of Bergen in song with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, starting with the city’s own song

The contest Saturday, 4 May 1985

in the interval

• Guitars Unlimited the jazz guitarists Peter Almqvist and Ulf Wakenius, playing Swedish evergreens

The contest Saturday, 5 May 1984

in the interval

• The Prague Theatre of Illuminated Drawings

The contest Saturday, 23 April 1983

in the interval

• Marlène Charell the presenter led a dance number to a medley of German songs that became famous abroad, “Strangers in the Night” among them

The contest Saturday, 24 April 1982

opened by

• “Where is Harrogate?” a map of Europe with the question popping up in the language of each country taking part

in the interval

• A film of Yorkshire scenes of the county, Castle Howard among them

The contest Saturday, 4 April 1981

in the interval

• Planxty “Timedance”, Irish music through the ages, danced by the Dublin City Ballet

The contest Saturday, 19 April 1980

in the interval

• The Dutch Rhythm Steel & Show Band “San Fernando”, with the Lee Jackson Dancers

The contest Saturday, 31 March 1979

in the interval

• Shalom ’79

The contest Saturday, 22 April 1978

in the interval

• Stéphane Grappelli and Oscar Peterson with Yehudi Menuhin, Kenny Clarke and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

The contest Saturday, 7 May 1977

in the interval

• Mr. Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Men
• Film of the contestants at a party the BBC gave in a London nightclub, first shot for the postcards

The contest Saturday, 3 April 1976

in the interval

• The Dutch Swing College Band led by Peter Schilperoort, live on stage, cut together with green-room interviews by Hans van Willigenburg

The contest Saturday, 22 March 1975

opened by

• A film about Sweden a montage playing with the clichés about the country and its people

in the interval

• “The World of John Bauer” the Swedish illustrator’s pictures, set to music from the orchestra

The contest Saturday, 6 April 1974

in the interval

• The Wombles a film of the novelty pop band, in costume, around Brighton

The contest Saturday, 7 April 1973

in the interval

• Charlie Rivel the Spanish clown, in a comic turn as an operatic prima donna

The contest Saturday, 25 March 1972

in the interval

• The Edinburgh Military Tattoo four minutes of film from the 1968 tattoo: the massed pipes and drums of eight Scottish regiments marching to “The Inverness Gathering”

The contest Saturday, 3 April 1971

in the interval

• Shannon Castle Entertainers

The contest Saturday, 21 March 1970

opened by

• A film of Amsterdam a long opening sequence shot around the city

in the interval

• The Don Lurio Dancers

The contest Saturday, 29 March 1969

opened by

• The Teatro Real organ and the orchestra the Eurovision theme on the organ, then the previous year’s winner, “La, la, la”, from the orchestra

in the interval

• “La España diferente” a surrealist documentary film by Javier Aguirre, with music by Luis de Pablo

The contest Saturday, 6 April 1968

in the interval

• Impressions of London a film of the city in pictures and sound

The contest Saturday, 8 April 1967

in the interval

• Vienna Boys’ Choir

The contest Saturday, 5 March 1966

in the interval

• Les Haricots Rouges a French Dixieland jazz group

The contest Saturday, 20 March 1965

in the interval

• Mario Del Monaco the tenor mimed to a recording of “’O sole mio”

The contest Saturday, 21 March 1964

in the interval

• Dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet Solveig Østergaard, Niels Kehlet, Inge Olafsen and Mette Hønningen in a ballet by Niels Bjørn Larsen, to music by Hans Christian Lumbye

The contest Saturday, 23 March 1963

in the interval

• Ola and Barbro

The contest Sunday, 18 March 1962

in the interval

• Achille Zavatta the French clown, in a sketch as the contest’s seventeenth entrant, singing for “Zavattaland”

The contest Saturday, 18 March 1961

in the interval

• Tessa Beaumont and Max Bozzoni a dance piece, “Rencontres à Cannes”, to music by Raymond Lefèvre

The contest Tuesday, 29 March 1960

Our sources don’t record how this one opened or what filled the interval.

The contest Wednesday, 11 March 1959

opened by

• The orchestra under Franck Pourcel the prelude to Charpentier’s Te Deum, the theme of Eurovision broadcasts

The contest Wednesday, 12 March 1958

in the interval

• Metropole Orkest played twice: the “Wedding Dance” from Jacques Press’s suite Hasseneh after the first five songs, to give the juries a break, and a set that included “Cielito lindo” before the voting

The contest Sunday, 3 March 1957

Our sources don’t record how this one opened or what filled the interval.

The contest Thursday, 24 May 1956

in the interval

• Les Joyeux Rossignols and Les Trois Ménestrels songs to fill the wait for the result; Les Trois Ménestrels sang “Guerre de Troie” and “Ma mie, ma caravelle”