The Eurovision Song Contest 1961 was the 6th in the long running annual show. Because of Jacqueline Boyer's win with Tom Pillibi, the contest returned to Cannes for a second time. Jacqueline Joubert hosted for a second time, the last time being in 1959 when the contest was held in Cannes before.
The number of participating delegates is rising, so the aura and atmosphere of the competition is increasing. This led to the contest, and the following ones being held on a Saturday night as more and more families started to tune in to the show - with a television! Spain, Yugoslavia and Finland made their debuts. The United Kingdom placed second for the second time in a row with Are You Sure? by The Allisons. This contest was the first to have multiple last placers.
