With bold performances and eye-catching staging, the Eurovision Song Contest’s 70th anniversary edition in Vienna next week will take place under heightened security, amid controversy surrounding Israel’s participation.
The global live music spectacle will feature contestants from 35 countries — the lowest number since expansion in 2004 — with several nations, including Ireland, withdrawing in protest over Israel’s war in Gaza, reports RTE.
The semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday will determine which acts progress to Saturday’s grand final at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.
Around 95,000 tickets have been sold to fans across 75 countries, with particularly strong interest from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Japan and South Africa, according to organisers at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), reports RTE.
In 2025, approximately 166 million viewers tuned in to hear the opening notes of Eurovision’s iconic theme, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s *Te Deum*, based on EBU figures.
‘No politics’
Bookmakers have tipped Finland, Greece, Denmark, Australia and France as frontrunners to win.
While folkloric influences once used by Eastern European countries to express post-Soviet identity have diminished this year, Moldova remains one of the few exceptions, reports RTE.
Australia’s choice of established singer Delta Goodrem, aged 41, has generated considerable media interest.
Romania’s entry Alexandra Căpitănescu has sparked debate ahead of the event with her song *Choke Me*, which has drawn criticism over claims it promotes strangulation during sex, reports RTE.
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Căpitănescu, 22, said the song “was never intended to represent anything sexual” and that the lyrics “are about taking back control over anxiety and emotions that are choking you”, reports RTE.
Provocative elements are consistent with Eurovision’s so-called “Eurotrash” tradition, described by Cardiff University expert Galina Miazhevich as a “playful challenge of the good taste by the bad taste”.
As in previous years, many performers will sing in English, although a variety of languages will also be represented, reports RTE.
New regulations introduced in 2024 place responsibility on artists to avoid politicising the competition, Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic told AFP, warning that violations could lead to sanctions.
‘Complex challenge’
Although Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania are returning to the contest, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are boycotting the event in protest over Israel’s involvement, reports RTE.
More than 1,000 artists have also called for a boycott.
Demonstrations are expected outside the venue in opposition to the war in Gaza, following Israel’s military response to the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas, reports RTE.
Speaking at a Vienna rally last month, 67-year-old protester Ernst Wolrab said he opposed using this “international platform” to “legitimise” Israeli government actions.
Organising Eurovision presents a “complex challenge”, Vienna’s deputy police chief Dieter Csefan told AFP, as authorities prepare to secure delegations and oversee events throughout the city, reports RTE.
Austria, with a population of 9.2 million, last hosted Eurovision 11 years ago, but the global landscape has shifted since then, Csefan said, also highlighting increased cyberattack risks.
He said Austria is working in coordination with the FBI to counter potential cyber threats, reports RTE.
He added that Vienna police have substantial experience managing large-scale events, noting the city regularly hosts international conferences.
In 2024, US pop star Taylor Swift cancelled concerts in Austria after a terror plot was foiled with assistance from American intelligence, reports RTE.
For this year’s contest, authorities have conducted thorough background checks on around 16,000 staff members, and all equipment transported to the Wiener Stadthalle has undergone detailed security screening.
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