A record high 43 countries will participate in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, equalling the total set in 2008 and 2011. The list includes Romania and Portugal who are returning to the competition after a year’s absence. The 62nd Contest will be organised by the European Broadcasting Union and Ukrainian national broadcaster NTU following Jamala’s win with 1944 earlier this year in Stockholm.
Australia is set to make a third appearance in the Eurovision Song Contest. Earlier this year Dami Im finished second with her song The Sound of Silence and in 2015 Guy Sebastian took fifth place in Vienna. Unfortunately Bosnia & Herzegovina will not participate in 2017 due to restructuring within the national broadcaster BHRT. The 2017 contest will be a special one for Austria, Denmark and the United Kingdom which are celebrating the 60thanniversary of their first participation in 1957.
The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Ukraine’s capital city, which previously hosted the competition in 2005, as well as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and 2013. The International Exhibition Centre, the venue for the contest, has capacity for up to 11,000 spectators. More details on tickets will be announced in the coming months.
Jon Ola Sand, the EBU’s Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said: “We are delighted that 43 national broadcasters have signed up for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest equalling our record highest participation. We have not had this many countries in one contest since 2011 in Düsseldorf. The Eurovision Song Contest still unites audiences like no other show, reaching over 200 million people in 2016. We’re looking forward to three fantastic shows in Kyiv next May”.
The countries represented in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, F. Y. R. Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
The Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 will take place on Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th May, with the Grand Final on Saturday 13th May.
