Eurovision 2024: Full Line Up & New Rules Set

If it's the end of March, then the final National Contests have wrapped up, and the Eurovision lineup for the year has been set. Barring any last-minute changes, the semi-final performance orders have been confirmed for the Tuesday and Thursday shows, and the Grand Final is set for Saturday, May 11, 2024, broadcasting around the world. However, as always, there are a few new rules in place for this year's contest, and a few rules that didn't make the cut, despite best efforts. Let's run down everything we know about Eurovision 2024 as the contest kicks into high gear.

Sweden won Eurovision 2023, giving the country its seventh win and tying Ireland for the most wins by a country. It beat out Finland, which was poised to win for only the second time in the country's history with a massive chunk of the popular vote until the jury vote cut it off at the knees. Finland demanded the Eurovision organizers consider reweighting the voting process to keep juries from undermining the popular vote. Though it was heavily considered, that rule change was not adopted this year.

However, there are changes to this year's show, including one that was way overdue: Having the "Big Five" + Last Year's Winner perform in the semi-finals. This was initially pushed as a way to get rid of the "Big Five" getting an automatic pass to the Grand Final just because they spent more money than everyone else. However, it's been evident for years since the popular vote was introduced (and now unavoidably so with the "rest of the world vote") that not performing in the semis is a massive disadvantage since they don't get to build a fanbase among voters prior to the big day. So the organizers agreed to have the Big Five perform as part of the semis, even though they are still shoo-ins for the Grand Final. This has actually satisfied everyone, as those who deserve the boost will get it, and those who should not be given a pass will be pointedly obvious.