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After always watching the Eurovision Song Contest on screen, this year I was finally able to score what felt like a Golden Ticket, watching live from the stadium.
Being from Australia, I was only in my early 20s when I first heard about the song contest, but ever since, I’ve become utterly obsessed. Funnily enough, it was a university friend who introduced me to the contest… and years later, his brother Go-Jo went on to represent Australia.
Last year, I went to Basel and watched JJ take home the trophy for Austria. However, this year I was actually in the room when Dara secured Bulgaria’s first-ever win.
The atmosphere was electric, with fans singing and dancing throughout, and strangers holding hands in anticipation as the winner was announced.
Throughout the four-hour show, I was captivated by just how different the show is inside the stadium compared to what you see on screen.
One particular behind-the-scenes moment that I witnessed while watching the UK act Look Mum No Computer from a few metres away has stayed with me, even several days later.
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Here’s what it’s really like watching Eurovision along with 11,000 others inside the stadium – which the 166 million viewers worldwide don’t get to see.
Look Mum No Computer was the best sport
There now seems to be three guarantees in life – death, taxes, and the UK being snubbed at Eurovision each year.
After Sam Ryder secured second place at the 2022 contest, it seemed as though the UK’s tides had turned.
However, over the past year, voters from other nations have awarded our acts barely any points.
That trend unfolded again this year, with the UK finishing in last place – receiving its only point in the jury vote, from Ukraine.
Our previous lowest score was in 2021, when James Newman received the dreaded ‘nul points’. The singer was supported in the arena when the result was announced, with a standing ovation and rapturous cheers.
While many UK acts go into the contest dodging questions about how they’ll react to shocking scores, Sam remained positive and made jokes about how he’d make ‘Look Mum No Points’ T-shirts if he received nul points.
A few days before flying out to Vienna, I was able to speak to Sam about competing in the contest. He was warm, funny and genuinely seemed to excited to just have a chance to represent his country and showcase his work to the world. When I asked about the potential to walk away with no points, he laughed and said his approach was to ‘go in with an open mind’.
Having been invited to be a guest at the Grand Final by EasyJet, I was able to watch the results of the votes unfold while sitting right next to the Green Room.
This provided me with an insight that you don’t usually see on screen – and Sam’s response tugged on my heartstrings.
Even as each country’s votes were announced one by one and he was overlooked by nearly all of them, Sam was the only act I saw standing and cheering for his competitors as they received points and celebrated.
Although I was heartbroken seeing him snubbed time and time again, his sportsmanship was genuinely heartwarming – a sentiment that many around me also shared as we cheered him from the stands.
The work behind-the-scenes was incredible
This year, 25 acts took to the stage for the Grand Final, with many having huge props that had to be rolled on and off with incredibly tight time limits.
The crew only had 45 seconds to move the sets on and off the stage, at most, and their hard work genuinely left my jaw on the ground.
From a large glass box for Denmark, a giant geometric flower-like structure for Israel, a piano with an internal lift for Australia and 12 desks and a synthesiser for the UK, the crew had their jobs cut out for them.
But even with four seconds to go at one point, they still managed to get the job done. You’d have no idea, watching on TV, how close to the wire it really was! Even many seasoned journalists who have attended the contest multiple times remarked how impressive it was watching the crew this year as they raced around with various props.
Although watching the show live was a bucket list experience for me, it was notable that the whole running of Eurovision relies on the broadcast being made to look its best for TV, with more than 166 million people expected to have tuned in this year.
On Friday night, I sat in on the dress rehearsal for the Grand Final, and I was fascinated by seeing how many people were actually involved in the production.
During winner Dara’s performance of Bulgaria’s song Bangaranga, there were not only four camera people on stage with her, but several other crew members also moved the set around her as she sang and danced.
It was mostly a seamless operation (except during Czechia’s performance in the Grand Final, when there was a camera malfunction).
During Saturday night’s spectacle, one section of the stadium had its view of Moldova’s act completely blocked by a massive camera as it panned over them.
I was also impressed by Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, who had originally been favourites to win the contest, as they ran across the stage during their dramatic, fiery performance.
For those of us in the stadium, there weren’t many screens where we could see how the broadcast looked on TV – but the screens that were in the arena went blank at times anyway, meaning we had to focus on what was happening on stage.
It was a non-stop party from start to finish
As soon as the competing acts wrapped up their performances, they were able to relax with their delegations and other countries in the green room… and they wasted no time in letting their hair down.
With a perfect view of the area, I giggled seeing multiple waiters turning up with trays of champagne, with many of the acts grabbing a glass as soon as they arrived.
Many also moved between the sections chatting and socialising, almost appearing to forget an intense competition was unfolding. One particularly sweet moment was seeing Sam hug France’s Monroe after she’d finished performing and come up into the Green Room.
Putting aside the competitive nature of Eurovision and how much fans at home are rooting for their countries to win, it was lovely to see them celebrating how hard they’d worked and mingling amongst themselves.
The same can be said for the crowd. I was sitting in a stand of super fans that EasyJet had flown over – which made the excitement of being at the show even more palpable. One woman sitting behind me knew fun facts about every single song and act.
Ahead of the show, we’d also been treated to hospitality tickets, receiving free-flowing drinks and a selection of food before heading to our seats. With bottles of champagne in buckets by each table, we felt incredibly treated upon discovering we could eat and drink we wanted (the dessert table was a personal favourite of mine with a selection of small cakes and a strawberry dumpling with rhubarb compote).
The Grand Final felt united by love
Throughout the Grand Final, it was incredibly endearing seeing so many of the acts jumping out of their seats to sing and dance throughout other countries’ performances.
I burst into laughter several times at the never-ending energy of Greece’s Akylas, who didn’t seem to sit down at all throughout the show.
Meanwhile, everyone was up on their feet shouting ‘Jalla Jalla’ as Cyprus’ Antigoni performed, who you might recognise for her stint on Love Island in 2022.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Australian pop sensation Delta Goodrem headbanging to Moldova’s performance. An apt response.
Watching this all unfold summed up the atmosphere that the performers and fans of Eurovision have facilitated over the years, creating a united environment that is considered a safe space for many.
Boos erupted across the stadium
Despite the feeling of unity in the arena, there was an elephant in the room: the controversy over Israel’s ongoing participation and the boycott of five countries.
During Noam Bettan’s performance, I scanned the room to see if anyone was waving Palestinian flags, after many had done so in previous years, but instead, I saw a handful of Israeli flags being held up in the crowd.
But when it got down to the pointy end of the contest, and Israel soared to the top of the leaderboard, the mood in the stadium switched. Boos erupted immediately, resounding for what felt like minutes.
When the time came for Bulgaria to find out if they’d received enough points to win the contest, it seemed as though the majority of the crowd were backing Dara, and cheering her name, country and song.
AFP via Getty Images)
When her win was announced, the stadium went wild, with thousands jumping to their feet, screaming excitedly, clapping and hugging.
Like last year, there were concerns among Eurovision fans and the media over what a win for Israel could look like, and the likelihood that an even bigger boycott could unfold if the contest were held there, given the ongoing war in Gaza.
Over the past week in Vienna, Eurovision officials became increasingly brusque when asked about Israel being allowed to participate, with some media and fans citing a double standard, given that Russia was banned from the contest in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.
However, acknowledging critics, Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green admitted that while the contest was experiencing ‘challenging times’, he defended Israel’s inclusion.
Describing the Grand Final as a ‘brilliant, wonderful, heartfelt show’, he suggested that viewers should ‘close the curtains to the outside world and dream that something else is possible’.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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