Eurovision season is about to begin! Well, unofficially, that is.
Today (Tuesday January 31) the Song Contest Insignia handover will take place in Liverpool - and fans will be able to watch it all happen on TV for the first time in UK history. The event marks the unofficial start of Eurovision season with representatives from the previous and current nation's host city meeting to "handover" the event.
Later this evening, the Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, will personally see to this year's exchange which will be welcomed by Liverpool's mayor, Joanne Anderson, reports the ECHO.
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The ceremony will be broadcast live on BBC Two at 7pm where fans will discover this year's slogan, new logo and the all-important semi-final allocations. It takes place in St George's Hall with a guest list of industry experts from around the world with a key part to play in the upcoming show.
This year 37 countries will take part but 'The Big Six' will be exempt from the draw and automatically qualify for the final. They are the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and last year's winners, Ukraine. They act as the European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) biggest financial contributors and therefore obtain a free pass to the grand final.
After the exchanging of keys, presenters Rylan Clark and AJ Odudu will announce the semi-final allocation to see which countries will battle it out to progress to the grand final on May 13.
The Eurovision Song Contest: Insignia Handover will be broadcast on BBC Two at 7pm.
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