Eurovision fun facts to impress your friends with

The Eurovision Song Contest is an important event in the calendar each year for thousands of fans across the world. This year, for many fans in the UK, the event is set to be a special one as the contest is back in the UK for the first time in more than 20 years.

The music show has been drawing in millions of fans since its inception in 1956. And although it may have been a long time since the UK brought home the trophy, there’s always faith this year might be the one.

So, if you’re one of the lucky ones to get your hands on tickets for Liverpool or if you’re hosting a party of your own, then why not impress your pals with some of these Eurovision facts.

Hosting-duties

The UK has hosted the song contest a record eight times, rising to nine after the 2023 competition, despite only winning five times. On four occasions, the UK hosted Eurovision as a result of winning overall the previous year.

The UK has also stepped in to host the contest on behalf of the Netherlands in 1960, France in 1963, Monaco in 1972 and Luxembourg in 1974 due to the winning countries’ financial and capacity issues. In May, the UK will host Eurovision on behalf of another nation following Ukraine’s victory last year.

Second’s the best

Despite its reputation for landing nil points when it comes to voting, the UK actually holds the record finishing second, taking the runner-up spot for an impressive (and somewhat frustrating) 16 times.

The Bucks Fizz effect

In 1981 the UK act Bucks Fizz stunned viewers with their Velcro rip-away skirts and within 48 hours, Velcro had sold out across the country

Nil points

The United Kingdom gave zero points to ABBA in 1974

Barefoot

There have been five barefoot winners in Eurovision history: Sandie Shaw (1967), Sertab Erener (2003), Dima Bilan (2008), Loreen (2012) and Emmelie De Forest (2013).

Time is money

‘Corde Della Mia Chitarra’, the Italian entry from 1957, ranks as the longest Eurovision song on record at five minutes and nine seconds. Following this, organisers introduced a rule limiting the length of the song to three and a half minutes and then further reduced this to three minutes.

Top o’the charts

Ireland still holds the record for the most victories in the competition. They won the contest seven times in 1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1996.

Famous faces

The song competition has played host to some incredibly famous voices over the years.

Julio Iglesias, father of Enrique Iglesias, came fourth in the 1970 competition and went on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide.
Olivia Newton-John was selected to represent the UK in 1974 and came fourth. Four years later, she’d be on international cinema screens portraying Sandy in the musical Grease.
ABBA were just an up-and-coming band from Sweden prior to their Eurovision victory with Waterloo in 1974.
Celine Dion gained international recognition after she represented Switzerland in 1988, going on to claim the trophy with the winning track “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi”.

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