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.

Speaking of which, now that all the contestants are in, here's a look at what's coming in May.

This year's contest will be held in Malmo, Sweden, who are expected to put on a good show. In general, Sweden's entertainment game is high, and their music scene is robust, supported by government-funded music classes from school age onward. It's one reason Swedish producers are in high demand by pop stars, and it's why, even though they are the host country and have the dreaded opening slot in the Grand Final, Sweden actually has a decent shot at back-to-back wins this year. The country's submission for the contest is almost perfect in its Eurovision camp to catchy pop ratio. Marcus & Martinus are a teen boyband duo who are also identical twins who can sing, dance, and have a perfect early 1990s era throwback staging for their song "Unforgettable."  

Alongside Sweden, there are 36 other participating countries, with Luxembourg returning for the first time since 1993, while Romania decided to sit this year out. This means the show will net out at 37 participants, the same number as 2023, and the lowest since the Great Recession years of the late aughts. Since October 2024, there have been multiple calls for Israel to be barred from this year's contest under the same auspicious as Russia was in 2022; as the aggressor in an ongoing war, they were violating Eurovision's mission of peace and unity. However, Russia attacked fellow Eurovision member Ukraine with zero provocation giving Eurovision organizers a more black-and-white choice, one it took them more time than it should have to reach, as fans may recall. With October 7 being a more complex situation, Eurovision has simply refused to act. As of this writing, Israel will compete this year, with protests and boycotts expected as a result.

Thankfully, the song they submitted isn't worth listening to or voting for anyway, and the chances of the country making the Grand Final are slim at best unless they are forcibly pushed through my jury vote. Currently, they are in the second semi-final, competing against two of my favorites, including this fantastic submission from Estonia which is actually two acts, 5miinust and Puuluup, with their song, "(Nendest) Narkootikumidest Ei Tea Me (Küll) Midagi."

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First up is Semi-Final 1 on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, starting at 9 p.m. in Sweden, and streaming at 3 p.m. ET on Peacock. Semi-Final 2 is on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at the same time, on the same networks. This year, for the first time, the "Rest of the World" will be able to vote for the Semi-Finals (last year, that was only for the Grand Final). This is a major change because it means the countries in the other semi-final can vote (usually, you are restricted to only the semi-final where your country participates). However, those countries will be aggregated into the "Rest of the World" vote.

The first semi-final will kick off with one of Eurovision's biggest heartstring tugger stories, Marko Purišić, aka Baby Lasagna, an alternate contestant who wasn't even supposed to perform in his national contest, who got the call when a major favorite dropped out and had barely a day and a half to get his act, "Rim Tim Tagi Dim," together. The song is a total bop, and he's now one of the leading favorites going into the contest, and not just because his official video features a picture of an orange cat.

Semi-Final 1

First Half:

1. Croatia: "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" by Baby Lasagna
2. Cyprus: "Liar" by Silia Kapsis
3. Ireland: "Doomsday Blue" by Bambie Thug
4. Lithuania: "Luktelk" by Silvester Belt
5. Poland: "The Tower" by Luna
6. Serbia: "Ramonda" by Teya Dora
7. Ukraine: "Teresa & Maria" by Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil

Second Half     

1. Australia: "One Milkali (One Blood)" by Electric Field
2. Azerbaijan: "Özünlə Apar" by Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov
3. Finland: "No Rules!" by Windows95man
4. Iceland: "Scared of Heights" by Hera Björk
5. Luxembourg: "Fighter" by Tali
6. Moldova: "In the Middle" by Natalia Barbu
7. Portugal: "Grito" by Iolanda
8. Slovenia: "Veronika" by Raiven

Acts Inserted 

1. Germany: "Always on the Run" by Isaak    
2. Sweden: "Unforgettable" by Marcus & Martinus
3. United Kingdom: "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander

It goes without saying, but the U.K. ain't winning this year.

Semi-Final 2

First Half

1. Albania: "Titan" by Besa
2. Armenia: "Jako" by Ladaniva
3. Austria: "We Will Rave" by Kaleen
4. Czechia: "Pedestal" by Aiko
5. Denmark: "Sand" by Saba
6. Greece: "Zari" by Marina Satti
7. Malta: "Loop" by Sarah Bonnici
8. Switzerland: "The Code" by Nemo    

Second Half

1. Belgium: "Before the Party's Over" by Mustii    
2. Estonia: "(Nendest) Narkootikumidest Ei Tea Me (Küll) Midagi" by 5miinust & Puuluup 
3. Georgia: "Firefighter" by Nutsa Buzaladze
4. Israel: "Hurricane" by Eden Golan
5. Latvia: "Hollow" by Dons
6. Netherlands: "Europapa" by Joost Klein
7. Norway: "Ulveham" by Gåte
8. San Marino: "11:11" by Megara

Acts Inserted

1. France: "Mon amour" by Slimane
2. Italy: "La Noia" by Angelina Mango
3. Spain: "Zorra" by Nebulossa

As always, the BBC will air the Semis and the Grand Final live, with Graham Norton on commentary. There will also be a live YouTube stream with zero commentary for those who cannot stand his snark. The same will be true for American viewers, but instead of Norton, we'll get Johnny Weir. 

As the Grand Final, for those who want to truly call it a day of British telly, please remember that the new season of Doctor Who has been given the prime lead-in spot on Saturday, May 11, with two episodes airing back to back, ahead of the BBC One airing of the Grand Final, which starts at 8 p.m. BT. For Americans, those episodes will drop at 7 p.m. ET the night before, Friday, May 10, on Disney+, timed to the episodes' arrival on iPlayer on Saturday, May 11, at 12:01 a.m. BT. Since I won't have to recap, I will save them and watch the two episodes back-to-back at 1 p.m. ET and then swap to Eurovision on Peacock at 3 p.m. ET for the full experience. 

The 2024 Eurovision Semi-Finals will stream live on Peacock on Tuesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 9, at 3 p.m. ET, with the Grand Final streaming live at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 11, 2024.