Vienna — The 70th Eurovision Song Contest reaches its grand final Saturday at the Wiener Stadthalle, with heavy security and rainy weather failing to blunt fans’ enthusiasm — even as demonstrations and boycotts shadow the event.
Twenty-five acts will perform in the arena for Europe’s pop crown in an anniversary edition that blends camp spectacle with geopolitics. The lineup ranges from a fiery Finnish violin-and-pop duet to a Moldovan folk-rapper, a Serbian metal band and more — acts that helped make the field diverse but also politically charged this year.
On the stage and in betting markets, Finland has emerged as a frontrunner. The duet ‘Liekinheitin’ (‘Flamethrower’) pairs pop singer Pete Parkkonen with classical violinist Linda Lampenius in a high-energy show that voters seem to favor. Other crowd-pleasers include Moldova’s Satoshi with the upbeat, pro-European-leaning ‘Viva, Moldova’ and Greece’s Akylas, whose tongue-in-cheek ‘Ferto’ criticizes conspicuous consumption.
Australia — a participant since 2015 — could be a wild card. Established star Delta Goodrem performed the midtempo ballad ‘Eclipse’ in a showy staging that lifts her above a glittering piano; her odds have climbed, and an Australian win would likely mean a European host city next year.
Winners are chosen by a mix of national juries and public televotes, converted into a points system that even longtime fans find confusing. The act with the highest combined score takes the trophy and the right for its country to host the following contest.
Protests over Israel’s participation have marked the build-up. Israeli singer Noam Bettan received warm applause in the arena, but four protesters were ejected after interrupting his semifinal performance. Street demonstrations in Vienna have been smaller than the protests that disrupted the 2024 and 2025 competitions, but a demonstration is planned ahead of the final and pro-Palestinian groups held an outdoor concert under the slogan ‘No stage for genocide.’
Congolese-Austrian artist Patrick Bongola, an organizer of the concert, said it aimed to show that “not all Austrians are happy with this decision,” calling Israel’s presence on the Eurovision stage an affront to those who “believe in humanity, who believe in love and togetherness.”
Five long-standing participants — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — have boycotted the contest in protest, a move organizers say has reduced revenue and viewership. The field this year numbers 35 contestants, the smallest roster since 2003. Still, the European Broadcasting Union is pursuing growth, planning a spinoff Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok this November.
Eurovision historian Dean Vuletic notes that politics and the contest have long intersected: the first Eurovision boycott occurred in 1969 when Austria declined to send a delegation to Spain under Francisco Franco. “Eurovision has never really been a contest for big stars. It’s largely been a contest for underdogs,” Vuletic said, adding that the show regularly becomes “very much mired in political controversy,” as in Russia in 2009, Azerbaijan in 2012 and Sweden in 2024.
Despite the disputes and the rain, organizers and fans alike say the spectacle endures. Saturday’s final will test whether music and performance can override politics — or whether the political tensions that have shadowed this edition will shape the outcome and the future of the contest.