Duncan Laurence on the orange carpet at the 2019 contest opening ceremony in Tel Aviv
The Opening Ceremony of the annual Eurovision Song Contest marks the official opening of the contest. First held in 2009,[1] it usually takes place on the Sunday before the contest proper, with the venue being the host city's town hall or another location of cultural significance.
Participants of the Opening Ceremony would receive a welcome by the mayor of the host city, the contest's Executive Supervisor and Executive Producers. Participants include the contestants of the particular year's contest, as well as special guests, mostly consisting of the edition's presenters, past winners or other prominent artists.
The prominence of the event gradually improved over the 2010s, with the contestants appearing in extravagant costumes.
Proceedings[]
Prior to the Opening Ceremony, contestants will be invited to walk along a red carpet in which they may receive interviews from the press as well as the opening ceremony presenters. On 2010 and since 2018, the carpet has adopted a different color theme:
- The 2010 and 2018 contests adopt a "Pink" and "Blue Carpet" respectively, to match the theme of the contest.[1]
- The 2019 contest adopts an "Orange Carpet" as a reference to the contest's Presenting Partner, MyHeritage.[1]
- From 2021 onward, the contest adopts a "Turquoise Carpet" as a reference to the Presenting Partner of those editions, MoroccanOil.
Proceedings of the Opening Ceremony proper include performances of past winning songs, followed by speeches from the mayor of the host city, and the contest's Executive Supervisor.
The allocation draw for the Big Five during the 2016 contest was conducted during the Opening Ceremony, prior to each of them walking the red carpet.
List of Opening Ceremonies[]
| Year | Location | Date/Time (CEST) | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 11 May 2011 | ||
| 2012 | 19 May 2012 | ||
| 2013 | Malmö Opera | 12 May 2013 | |
| 2014 | 4 May 2014 | ||
| 2015 | Vienna City Hall | 17 May 2015 | |
| 2016 | Stockholm City Hall | 8 May 2016 | Jovan Radomir, Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson |
| 2017 | Mariyinsky Palace | 7 May 2017, 16:00 | |
| 2018 | Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia | 7 May 2018, 18:00 | Cláudia Semedo, Inês Lopes Gonçalves, Pedro Granger, Pedro Penim |
| 2019 | Habima Square | 12 May 2019 | |
| 2021 | Rotterdam Cruise Terminal | 16 May 2021, 18:00 | |
| 2022 | Reggia di Venaria Reale | 8 May 2022, 16:00 | Carolina di Domenico, Gabriele Corsi |
| 2023 | Walker Art Gallery | 7 May 2023, 16:00 | Timur Miroshnychenko, Sam Quek |
| 2024 | Malmö Live | 5 May 2024, 15:30 | Elecktra, Tia Kofi |
| 2025 | Basel Messe | 11 May 2025 | TBA |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Looking back: How the Opening Ceremony became a Eurovision tradition. eurovision.tv (10 May 2020).