It’s that time of the year again. Eurovision is in the air and the organisers have decided the running order for the two semi-finals that take place in early May at the Sports Palace in the Kiev, Ukraine.
43 countries are down to enter this year, but six don’t have to battle for a place in the final. The five broadcasters who pay the most towards running costs (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK) get a free pass as does the host nation.
From each semi-final, ten countries qualify to make up a 26-song grand final on 13 May 2017.
The running order is decided not by a draw, but by the show producers. They have heard all the songs and seen the ideas for how each will be staged. Both factors influence who sings when. If a song has a complex set-up, it may go first or around a commercial break. The producers also aim to provide a flow to the evening and do the best they can with the songs on offer – not easy given the slim pickings of the first semi-final.
Russia’s place is still being used as a political football by people old enough to know better, so the running order here is, as they say, subject to change.
First semi-final – 9 May 2017
[table id=382 /]Second semi-final – 11 May 2017
[table id=383 /]The running order for the final is to be decided on Thursday, 11 May.
