JOY Eurovision

1 Sep 2014

Update: Good evening. Vienna calling.

JOYpride-heart It’s Eurovision season once again, and time to do a quick update of all things Eurotastic that have happened over the last couple of months.

Of course, you can still keep up to date by connecting with JOYEurovision through Facebook and Twitter.

Getting Fresh

The EBU announced a newer, fresher version of the Eurovision Song Contest’s official logo in July. After 11 years of use, the Eurovision Heart is still in place, but the whole wordmark has been given a tidy up. What do you think?

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Welcome to Vienna

Early last month, Vienna was announced as the host city of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 by host broadcasters ORF. The Contest will be held in Wiener Stadthalle, one of Vienna’s premier venues. Holding about 16 000 people, the venue was chosen for its ability to hold large events and its location.

Mark your diaries

The dates for next year’s Contest have been finalised by ORF and the EBU. They vary from the preliminary dates set by EBU after Austria’s win at this year’s Contest. For those playing at home:

Semi Final 1: Tuesday, 19 May 2015
Semi Final 2: Thursday, 21 May 2015
Grand Final: Saturday, 23 May 2015

Already in

A number of broadcasters have already confirmed their participation in next year’s Contest. So far, the following countries will be off to Vienna:

: Portugal

: Sweden

: Denmark

: Iceland

: Norway

: Finland

: Germany

: Austria

: Switzerland

: Malta

: Belgium

: The Netherlands

: Greece

: Lithuania

: FYR Macedonia

: Estonia

: Ireland

: Cyprus

Belarus, Montenegro and Latvia have also suggested that they will be in the mix come May next year.

Sadly, Turkey and Slovakia have confirmed their non-attendance in Vienna.

Broadcasters have until 15 September to lodge their application for 2015 and the final list of participants is due to be released by EBU in late January.