We're now a month into the new year, so it's time to start getting excited about Eurovision 2023!
The Eurovision Song Contest is back again this year for the 67th edition of the world's biggest and boldest singing competition after all the excitement from Turin in 2022.
This year's slogan has been revealed as 'United By Music', reflecting both the unique partnership between the UK and Ukraine to bring the Eurovision Song Contest to audiences across the globe and the incredible power of music to bring people together.
Following the handover draw for the two Semi-Finals held on January 31, we've now learned who will be presenting the series in the UK, as well as most of the entries for the competition (including the UK!). Here's everything you need to know about Eurovision 2023.
Eurovision 2023 air date
The three main shows of Eurovision 2023 competition will play out in early May. For the first time in the UK's Eurovision Song Contest history, both Semi-Finals will be shown live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Scott Mills and Rylan providing commentary.
Below you can find the confirmed dates for both Semi-Finals and the Grand Final. All three will be held at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
- Semi-Final 1: Tuesday, May 9
- Semi-Final 2: Thursday, May 11
- Grand Final: Saturday, May 13
Since we've already had the Allocation Draw for our two Semi-Finals, we know which countries will be taking part in both shows.
Semi-Final 1:
Croatia, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Czechia, Finland, Israel, Moldova, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland
Semi-Final 2
Armenia, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Romania, Albania, Australia, Austria, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, San Marino, Slovenia
Who's the UK entry for Eurovision 2023?
After a long wait, the UK entry for Eurovision 2023 has been announced. Singer Mae Muller, 25, has been chosen to represent the UK on home turf in Liverpool later this year with "I Wrote A Song".
Talking about her involvement, Mae said: "I'm SO excited to participate in Eurovision this year and represent the UK! I've loved watching Eurovision all my life, so to compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant.
"I’m a huge fan of so many of the artists that have found success at Eurovision, from ABBA to Måneskin! Sam Ryder was so amazing last year and proved the UK can be back on the left-hand side of the leaderboard! I wrote the song 'I Wrote A Song' a few months ago when I was going through a hard time and wanted to feel empowered about relationships, so for it to be chosen for this year’s UK Eurovision song is honestly a dream!”
You can watch the official music video for Mae's track below:
Which countries are taking part in Eurovision 2023?
A total of 37 nations are taking part in this year's competition. Of those nations, 31 will compete in the two Semi-Finals, with 10 successful acts from each night joining 4 of the big five countries (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), the host nation (UK), and Ukraine for the Grand Final.
Below is a full list of the countries taking part. We'll add in the remaining confirmed artists and songs as and when they are revealed:
- Albania - Albin and Familja Kelmendi, "Duje"
- Armenia - Brunette
- Australia - Voyager, "Promise"
- Austria - Teya & Salena, "Who the Hell is Edgar?"
- Azerbaijan - TuralTuranX, "Tell Me More"
- Belgium - Gustaph, "Because of You"
- Croatia - Let 3, "Mama ŠČ!"
- Cyprus - Andrew Lambrou, "Break A Broken Heart"
- Czechia - Vesna, "My Sister's Crown"
- Denmark - Reiley, "Breaking My Heart"
- Estonia - Alika, "Bridges"
- Finland - Käärijä, "Cha Cha Cha"
- France - La Zarra, "Évidemment"
- Georgia - Iru
- Germany - Lord of the Lost, "Blood & Glitter"
- Greece - Victor Vernicos, "What They Say"
- Iceland - Diljá, "Power"
- Ireland - Wild Youth, "We Are One"
- Israel - Noa Kirel, "Unicorn"
- Italy - Marco Mengoni, "Due Vite"
- Latvia - Sudden Lights, "Aijā"
- Lithuania - Monika Linkytė, "Stay"
- Malta - The Busker, "Dance (Our Own Party)"
- Moldova - Pasha Parfeni, "Soarele şi Luna"
- Netherlands - Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper
- Norway - Alessandra, "Queen Of Kings"
- Poland - Blanka, "Solo"
- Portugal - TBC
- Romania - Theodor Andrei, "D.G.T. (Off and On)"
- San Marino - Piqued Jacks, "Like An Animal"
- Serbia - Luke Black, "Samo Mi Se Spava"
- Slovenia - Joker Out, "Carpe Diem"
- Spain - Blanca Paloma, "Eaea"
- Sweden - TBC
- Switzerland - Remo Forrer
- Ukraine - TVORCHI, "Heart of Steel"
- United Kingdom - Mae Muller, "I Wrote A Song"
Who's hosting Eurovision 2023 for the UK?
The star-studded hosting team for the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final has now been revealed!
UK Eurovision fans will be pleased to know that our usual commentator (and all-around Eurovision legend) Graham Norton will be on hand as one of four stars bringing the action to the global audience of 160 million viewers.
Graham said: "It's no secret how much I adore Eurovision, I truly believe it's the greatest show on earth and every year that I'm involved it's a huge honour. This year is even more special and I personally feel a big responsibility to make our Ukrainian colleagues proud. Alongside presenting the Grand Final to the world, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to get back into the commentary box for those watching in the UK"
Joining him is a trio of superstars who will also be bringing us all the action from the two Live Semi-Finals: Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon.
Julia Sanina is a Ukrainian singer, composer and frontwoman of The HARDKISS alt band, whilst Hannah Waddingham is an Emmy Award-winning actress whom Ted Lasso fans will no doubt recognize (though she's no stranger to the stage herself!), and Alesha Dixon is a UK popstar, former Mis-Teeq member and experienced BBC presenter and judge. In short, we're in very good hands!
On the commentary front, Graham Norton will be sharing the commentary box with fellow presenter, Mel Giedroyc. Meanwhile, Ukrainian broadcaster Timur Miroshnychenko will serve as the Eurovision Correspondent in Liverpool, appearing in VT segments during the live shows, offering insight from the Ukrainian commentary box in the Liverpool Arena and fronting the Opening Ceremony live stream on the Eurovision YouTube Channel with Liverpudlian presenter, Sam Quek.
What happened at this year's Handover Ceremony?
The 2023 Handover and Allocation Draw took place in front of a live audience in Liverpool on January 31. Presenters AJ Odudu and Rylan conducted the live draw to see which countries will be participating in each Semi-Final. They were assisted by young people from a local school and members of the Ukrainian community who had settled in the city since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The show also saw Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills presenting a look back at the top hits from the last few years of the show. Plus, some famous faces from Liverpool helped welcome the contest along, and the Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo, handed over the official keys of the contest to Joanne Anderson, the Mayor of Liverpool.
If you'd like to watch the event, you can stream it on BBC iPlayer. Outside of the UK, you can catch up with the Eurovision 2023 Handover and Allocation Draw on YouTube (opens in new tab).
Where is Eurovision 2023 being held?
Traditionally, the Eurovision Grand Final is hosted by the winning country, though this year the event is being hosted in honor of last year's winners in the UK, who were the runners-up last year.
Within days of the announcement, 20 cities from across the UK had put in bids to be the next host of the show, but it was decided in late 2022 that Eurovision 2023 would be held in Liverpool.
Who won Eurovision 2022?
The 66th Eurovision Song Contest was won by Kalush Orchestra with their song, "Stefania", which became the first winning song to feature rap. They scooped an incredible 631 points, including a total of 439 from the public vote.
The UK's entry, Sam Ryder, delivered a stellar performance of his song "SPACE MAN", and earned the second place slot. He was award the most points from the international juries (283), with a total of 466 points including 183 from the public.
