Eurovision Song Contest Rotterdam 2021
Friday, March 29, 2024
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The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 will take place in Rotterdam. The Dutch city was due to host the Contest in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Semi-Finals will take place on 18 and 20 May 2021. The Grand Final takes place on 22 May 2021. The slogan ‘Open Up’ was intentionally incomplete when it was chosen for Eurovision 2020. “Feel the freedom to complete the slogan in your own way. We found it was important to choose a theme that reflects the spirit of our times. With the slogan we warmly invite people to open up to others, to different opinions, each other’s stories and of course to each other’s music." The logo of Eurovision 2021 was inspired by the world map with Rotterdam as the beating heart of Europe in May 2021. “The logo connects Rotterdam with the capitals of the participating countries and symbolises coming together, regardless of the form,” says Sietse Bakker, the Executive Producer of the event.

 

 

"Arcade” by Duncan Laurence is the winning song of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Tel Aviv, Israel, where the singer represented The Netherlands. The victory was the first for the country since 1975 and brought the total to 5.

 

“Arcade” was inspired by the story of someone I loved deeply, who died at a young age. The words, chords and melodies came to me automatically as if they fell from the sky. “Arcade” is a song about longing... longing for love... longing for something that seems out of reach. And it speaks of hope. Hope, that you will find what you need in life.  It feels good to now step into the light and share my story. I want to reach out to people with my music, possibly even help them. The song is a word of advice to myself and who knows... Maybe it helps someone, somewhere... I truly hope so."

                                                                                        Duncan Lawrence

       

Congratulations ITALY

 

Italy wins Eurovision 2021

Måneskin Won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for Italy - Song Zitti E Buoni

 

Maneskin’s win was only Italy’s third victory in the immensely popular contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990. Italy, the bookmakers’ favorite, trailed Switzerland, France and Malta after the national juries delivered their votes but were propelled to victory by votes from the viewing public. A crowd of 3,500 fans, who all tested negative for the coronavirus, watched the finalists perform live. Maneskin is Danish for moonlight, a tribute to the home country of bassist Victoria. The band won with a total of 529 points from second-placed France. Switzerland, which led after national juries had voted, finished third. United Kingdom singer James Newman's song, “Embers,” failed to ignite any love at all and did not score a single point, finishing last, just as the U.K. did at the previous Eurovision two years ago.

 

 

 

Presenters Chantal Edsilia Jan Nikkie

Eurovision 2021 Presenters Chantal, Edsilia, Jan & Nikkie

 

Chantal Janzen is a famous actress and presenter, Edsilia Rombley a presenter, singer and two-time Eurovision participant, Jan Smit is a successful singer, presenter and Eurovision commentator for the Netherlands, and Nikkie (NikkieTutorials) is a professional hair & makeup artist and beauty guru and the biggest Dutch internet star of the moment.

 

stage from above

 

‘Live-on-Tape’ Backup Videos - In many ways, the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 is a unique edition where a creative mind and can-do attitude are essential. Everyone involved is doing their best to produce three incredible television shows live from Rotterdam Ahoy where all 39 participating countries will be performing live on stage. In the unfortunate event that an artist or act is not able to perform live on stage, ‘Live on Tape’ backup videos will be used. These recordings are a ‘plan B’ initiated by the EBU and Host Broadcaster. Together with all 39 delegations, backup performance tapes were introduced to ensure continuity for the competition in any given scenario. If an artist or act cannot travel to Rotterdam or has to go into quarantine or isolation during their stay, the Live on Tape backup video will be used during the live show. This way all entries get their moment to shine during the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The show must go on!

 

launge for guests

 

Voting -  Since 2016, both professional juries and televoters from participating countries award contestants a number of points from 1 to 8, 10 and 12. Starting in 2019, the order in which the televoting results are revealed is determined by the ranking of the jury result. The announcement of the televoting results starts with the country receiving the fewest points from the juries and ends with the country that received the highest number of points from the juries.

 

Rotterdam Ahoy

 

 

Voting in the Semi-Finals -  Viewers at home and professional juries both determine the outcome of the two Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest. 16 contestants in the first Semi-Final and 17 in the second Semi-Final vie for one of the 10 tickets per Semi-Final giving access to the Grand Final.

 

Cameras for show

 

 

Televoters -  Viewers in all countries taking part in one of the Semi-Finals are invited to vote via the official app, or by telephone and/ or SMS. Also, the Big Five countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) as well as the Host Country (the Netherlands) vote in one of the Semi-Finals. For Germany, Italy and the Netherlands that will be the first Semi-Final. France, Spain and United Kingdom will vote in the second Semi-Final. The voting window opens after the last song has been performed and ends approximately 15 minutes later. Televoters determine 50% of the outcome.

 

launge for guests

 

Professional Juries -  Professional juries in all countries taking part in or assigned to one of the Semi-Finals are required to vote. They determine the other 50% of the outcome. The jury, which consists of five members (including a chairperson), is the same jury that will vote in the Grand Final. The ten qualified countries are announced at the end

of each Semi-Final in the order decided by the Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest. This order does not reflect the actual ranking on the scoreboard.

 

stage in red

 

Voting in the Grand Final -  In all participating countries, televoters and professional juries will each award 1 to 8, 10, and 12 points. Televoters can vote via the official app, telephone and/or SMS. The voting window opens after the last song has been performed and ends 15 minutes later. These votes determine 50% of the outcome and are counted by Digame, the EBU’s voting partner. The vote of the professional juries determines 50% of the outcome. The jury, which consists of five members (including a chairperson) is the same jury that voted in one of the Semi-Finals. They will be watching live and will rank all songs based on the second Dress Rehearsal, the so-called Jury Final. After the televoting window has closed, the results of the juries are presented in the usual format by national spokespersons. During this time the EBU, its voting partner and an independent observer compute and verify the televoting results. After all the jury points have been awarded, the total points from the televote for each country are added up. These totals are then added to the scoreboard, starting at the bottom and working up to the top. The country at the top of the scoreboard is declared the winner. Televoters and juries cannot vote for the country they represent. The full results, including the televoting and the jury result in every participating country are published on Eurovision.tv after the Grand Final.

 

Testing testing Masks 

"Testing, testing..." How Eurovision is Keeping Everyone Safe  

 

Uniting Europe on one stage during a global pandemic isn't without its challenges, and everyone in Rotterdam Ahoy is playing their part. How many COVID-19 tests does it take to go to Eurovision? The answer depends on how long you’re staying in Rotterdam. For the Eurovision.tv team, who are in the host city for just over two weeks, it amounts to at least eight rapid tests, plus whatever PCR tests are required to leave and re-enter their country of origin. That’s a LOT of nasal swabs.

 

test pavillion

Eurovision Test Pavillion for Covid-19

 

It’s all part of Eurovision’s commitment to make this year’s contest as safe as it possibly can be, and nobody is exempt from the rules.  Testing is carried out by COVID-19 experts Lead Healthcare, who have supplied all the testing staff and equipment in a purpose-built facility that ensures the process is as quick and inconvenient as possible. The testers come from all kinds of backgrounds – so far we’ve been tested by students, graphic designers and medical assistants, but they’ve all undergone extensive training in the testing protocol and are tested themselves every day.

 

Social Distancing at the Press center

Eurovision Press Center Following Social Distancing and Covid-19 Community Mitigation to Prevent Transmission and Spread of the Pandemic

 

But testing is only part of the protocol – hand sanitising and social distancing are both required (and rigidly enforced) throughout the venue, and everyone must wear a mask whenever they’re moving around the arena, even the performers on the way to the stage. Numbers of press have been reduced too, with only 500 being giving full accreditation that allows them access to the venue. Rather than the bustling press rooms of previous years, the press centre at Rotterdam Ahoy includes individual socially-distanced workspaces that are sanitised throughout the day.

 

First Semi Final May 18 2021

The First Semi-Final Live Show

 

Until six weeks ago there was a question mark over whether an audience would be permitted, but now a reduced audience of 3,500 has been confirmed for each of the live shows. Masks will not be required, but everyone who attends must have a negative COVID-19 test before they’re allowed in the venue. Because of travel restrictions, only Dutch residents will be able to attend, but of course that audience is likely to include nationals from other nations who currently live in the Netherlands. It's great for the delegations to perform in front of a live audience, and exciting for Rotterdam to be one of the first to stage an indoor event with a large audience.

 

 

 

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