Only a few days remain until the winner is crowned and the crystal microphone is handed to the champion of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. On Saturday, May 13, Blanca Paloma will take the stage at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool to defend Spain’s entry, a song titled Eaea, which has been a strong favorite in the competition and is remembered for its memorable performance and cultural significance. The final brings together the best from the semi finals and the automatic qualifiers to determine this year’s Eurovision crown. [attribution: Eurovision Song Contest]
This grand final, as with previous editions, follows two semi finals in which participants compete for a place in Europe’s most-watched musical event. A total of 31 countries are in the running for a spot in the final, including the automatic qualifiers from the so-called Big Five nations and the host country, along with Ukraine, the reigning contest winner. The five nations that directly qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest final are Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. [attribution: Eurovision Song Contest]
first semi final
The first semi final opened the competition. It took place on Tuesday, May 9. Fifteen countries performed in this initial round, which was broadcast on television and online platforms such as La 2 in certain regions. From this lineup, ten entries were selected by public voting and juries to advance to the grand final. After the votes were tallied, the following countries earned their place in the final: Czech Republic, Croatia, Israel, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland. [attribution: Eurovision Song Contest]
second semi final
The second semi final occurred on Thursday, May 11, and viewers across Spain could watch the performances from 21:00 local time. In this round, one more country from the first semi final joined the 15 remaining contenders, leading to a total of 16 participating nations. Ten finalists were then chosen to join the final on Sunday. The show opened with Denmark and featured acts from Armenia, Romania, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, San Marino, Austria, Albania, Lithuania and Australia closing the semi finals. Viewers in Spain, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and other participating nations were eligible to vote for the finalists. [attribution: Eurovision Song Contest]
Eurovision 2023 final
The Eurovision 2023 Grand Final was scheduled for May 13 and could be watched via regional broadcasts and official streaming options from 21:00. In the final, the 20 finalists selected from the two semi finals were joined by the Big Five and Ukraine. While the exact running order was not fixed at the time, it was known that the Big Five artists would perform in a defined half of the final, and Blanca Paloma was anticipated to perform in the first half with Eaea. [attribution: Eurovision Song Contest]