Bulgarian singer Dara鈥檚 dance anthem 鈥淏angaranga鈥� won the held on Saturday in Vienna, her country鈥檚 first ever win in the competition. Tight security and rainy weather failed to dent the enthusiasm of the contest’s fans 鈥� or that of the critics who said to the party.
The up-tempo pop banger 鈥淏angaranga,鈥� was a mood elevator on the stage early in the night and earned 516 points while Israel followed in second place with 343.
Missing from this year鈥檚 spectacle were five countries 鈥� , Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, high-profile absentees who of Israel鈥檚 inclusion in the contest following the war in Gaza.
But after a week鈥檚 buildup, acts from 25 countries took the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle arena to battle for the continent鈥檚 pop crown in what was the 70th rendition of the contest.
Here is the latest:
Bulgarian singer Dara鈥檚 鈥楤angaranga鈥� wins the contest
Dara beat 24 other competitors in the grand final.. The song鈥檚 infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine was a hit with both viewers and national juries.
The song earned 516 points while Israel followed in second place with 343. Moments after she was named the winner, Dara launched into 鈥淏angaranga鈥� for a second time Saturday night.
As the announcement of the results gets underway, things can get confusing
Winners are decided by a mix of votes from national juries and the viewing public who vote online, by phone or by text message.
Juries award points to their favorite acts on a scale of 1 to 12. The hosts will go to a spokesperson from each of the 35 countries that competed, who will announce which country will receive the coveted 鈥渄ouze points鈥� 鈥� 12 points.
After that, the public vote from each country is added in, and the leader board can change dramatically. It鈥檚 a slow process that builds suspense and milks the tension of the competition.
Performances are over, now an interval, then the voting
Norway鈥檚 Jonas Lovv and his entry 鈥淵a Ya Ya鈥� offered simple, repetitive power chords, silky-smooth vocals and a chant-along chorus that spans nation and language as the crowd cheered along, 鈥淵a Ya Ya.鈥�.
Romania鈥檚 entry was a 鈥檚 nu-metal sister, Alexandra C膬pit膬nescu, with her 鈥淐hoke me.鈥� And for the final entry, Austria’s Cosm贸 with 鈥淭anzschein鈥� was a disco, techno-pop romp 鈥� and an ideal way to close the night鈥檚 performances.
After all 25 Eurovision finalists performed their songs, the audience is treated to a period of interval entertainment while voting lines remain open a bit longer while votes from across Europe and beyond are tallied.
Getting closer to the end
Finland鈥檚 entry electrified, an early favorite in the competition with 鈥淟iekinheitin,鈥� or 鈥淔lamethrower,鈥� an animated mashup of pop singer Pete Parkkonen鈥檚 anguished vocals and violinist Linda Lampenius鈥� fiery fiddling.
Alicja, the entry for Poland, was betting on voters awarding big points to big vocals with her song 鈥淧ray鈥� bringing up images of gospel music. Lion Ceccah, a prominent figure in Lithuania鈥檚 drag scene,iwas responsible for one of the more interesting entries with his trilingual 鈥淪贸lo Quiero M谩s鈥� (鈥淚 Just Want More鈥�), an emotive synth-pop that plays out like a film noir.
Sweden鈥檚 Felicia wore a facemask as she rendered her 鈥淢y System,鈥� which wasn鈥檛 for the faint of heart. Cyprus鈥� Antigoni delivered a joyous 鈥淛alla,鈥� a summery pop song that weaves in traditional Cypriot instrumentation, including 莽ifteli and lute, making it the perfect soundtrack to the beach vacation in your brain.
Italy’s classist vocalist Sal Da Vinci sand his heart out to a new love with 鈥淧er Sempre S矛,鈥� a fun vintage romp for those who miss the Eurovision of yore.
Goth-y folk, some goofy yet thoughtful critique and cheeky patriotism
Croatia鈥檚 Lelek channeled something ancient and powerful with their goth-y folk 鈥淎ndromeda.鈥� Their stacked harmonies were only emboldened by their physical appearance: The women wore marks on their face and body meant to look like the same used to repel the Ottoman Empire.
The U.K.鈥檚 Look Mum No Computer with its 鈥淓ins, Zwei, Drei鈥� was a thoughtful critique of the mundanity of labor but also catchy, synth-pop and goofy. Their stage design was also one of the most fun: soulless rectangular desks became imaginative platforms, like an alternative universe nightclub in space.
From France, Monroe鈥檚 鈥淩egarde!鈥� was strong on classism over all and judging by the cheers in the room 鈥� an effective one.
After the halfway mark, with just 10 performances remaining, Moldova鈥檚 rapper Satoshi performed the cheekily patriotic 鈥淰iva, Moldova!鈥� with his full heart, in several languages, in a chorus so addictive it almost recalls the anthemic work of anthemic Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap.
The glitz, the pomp, the extravaganza
Ukrainian singer Lel茅ka offered the ethereal, beautiful 鈥淩idnym,鈥� and Australian star showed what a diva should be like with her slick midtempo ballad 鈥淓clipse鈥� 鈥� and a bravura performance that saw her raised into the air above a glittery piano. Id she wins, a European country would likely host for Australia next year.
Serbian metal band Lavina provided a dramatic change of pace with the angst 鈥淜raj Mene.鈥�
Aidan鈥檚 big-feelings 鈥淏ella,鈥� Malta鈥檚 Eurovision entry, was all about romance: strings, big belts, swooning instrumentation. It was also one of few Eurovision entries from Malta to feature the Maltese language.
The Czech Republic put their hopes in Daniel 沤i啪ka鈥檚 鈥淐rossroads,鈥� a restrained pop ballad that builds to a triumphant chorus. Bulgaria鈥檚 Dara, a veteran pop performer at this stage, delivered an up-tempo pop banger 鈥淏angaranga,鈥� easily one of the most animated tracks of the bunch this year. And on stage, it was a mood elevator.
Vocals, sure. But stunning visuals, too
Even before the show鈥檚 halfway mark, there was already fire, smoke, animal prints and lots of sunglasses worn inside. Lavina, a metal band from Serbia, performed in a digital rainfall as well as burst of flames in studded leather, 鈥淢ad Max鈥�-looking costumes.
Albania鈥檚 Alis used a smoke-filled stage with digital wings and a clock, inviting a woman depicting a mother onto the stage in a traditional folk dress for his driving, gloomy track, 鈥淣芒n.鈥� Sarah Engels of Germany added pyrotechnics to her 鈥淔ire,鈥� naturally, and Delta Goodrem of Australia added a shimmering golden piano, fire and enough wind machines to power a small town.
Greece鈥檚 Akylas was playful with his pounding house track 鈥淔erto,鈥� dressed in tiger-striped shorts and a knit hat and using a scooter to glide along the stage, adding human statues. Ukraine needed only beams of light, a blowing curtain effect and Leleka鈥檚 powerhouse vocals as she delivered 鈥淩idnym.鈥�
First performers take the stage
Denmark鈥檚 all-Danish-language Eurovision entry was first with S酶ren Torpegaard鈥檚 鈥淔酶r Vi G氓r Hjem,鈥� which he delivered with the specific skillset of someone who has starred as Tony in 鈥淲est Side Story,鈥� Angel in 鈥淜inky Boots鈥� and Romeo in 鈥淩omeo & Juliet.鈥�
Sarah Engels followed, representing her home country of Germany with 鈥淔ire.鈥� As the second performer of the night, she took the opportunity to bring pyrotechnics to the stage.
Then came Noam Bettan鈥檚 鈥淢ichelle鈥� 鈥� Israel鈥檚 inclusion in Eurovision, which has drawn criticisms. Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland withdrew from the competition this year, choosing not to participate to protest Israel鈥檚 inclusion.
Most recently, Bettan鈥檚 performance was disrupted by protesters during the first semifinal on Tuesday; chants of 鈥淪top the genocide!鈥� were heard in the crowd. At the final, it wasn鈥檛 immediately clear if that continued.
Belgium鈥檚 Essyla took the stage with 鈥淒ancing on the Ice鈥� 鈥� a cool ride with its chilly vocal performance and production, followed by Albania鈥檚 Alis.
Protesters call for Israel鈥檚 exit from Eurovision ahead of the show
Protesters called for Israel to be excluded from Eurovision demonstrated near the contest arena ahead of the final. Several hundred marched, with chants of 鈥渁ll of Vienna hates the ESC,鈥� a reference to the Eurovision Song Contest.
They were kept well away from the venue which lies behind a police security cordon.
Demonstrator Echo Vinasha Lex said it was 鈥渋mportant to protest against that idea that the song contest is not political. The song contest is a very political event.鈥�
A tribute to the host as the Eurovision final kicks off
At the start, a filmed opening montage showcased Austria鈥檚 majestic scenery as a paper boat made its way to Vienna 鈥� a reference to 2025 Eurovision winner JJ鈥檚 storm-tossed performance of 鈥淲asted Love.鈥�
The show opened with a performance by last year鈥檚 winner, the operatically trained Austrian singer JJ, and an Olympic-style flag parade of the 25 finalists. Then it was on to performances by the musicians, who have just 3 minutes to win over millions of viewers who, along with national juries of music professionals, pick the winner.
The hosts for the extravaganza on Saturday are Michael Ostrowski, an Austrian actor best known for German-language comedy films, and Victoria Swarovski, a model, singer, TV presenter and heir to the Swarovski crystal and luxury goods business.
Eurovision director hails 鈥榖rilliant鈥� show amid protests
The head of the Eurovision Song Contest has urged viewers to put politics aside and enjoy the 鈥渂rilliant, wonderful, heartfelt show鈥� that is the competition鈥檚 grand final.
As the contest turns 70 with calls for Israel to be kicked out over the conduct of its war in Gaza and a five-country boycott, Eurovision director Martin Green said the contest is a chance for a few hours to 鈥渃lose the curtains to the outside world and dream that something else is possible.鈥�
He told a news conference that for 70 years Eurovision has given 鈥渧oice to the voiceless鈥� and celebrated marginalized communities.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 to the next 70 years,鈥� he said.
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