Eurovision time

It’s that time of year again. When elements of traditional national costume form an uneasy alliance with pop music resulting in the extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest.

The final is on Saturday night and is expected to be watched by a television audience of over 100 million people. It’s the world’s largest non-sporting event.

It takes place in Germany, last year’s winner of the contest with the song “Satellite” and the singer who won it, Lena, will also represent Germany this year.

In the past Eurovision has been a launching pad for international careers. Notably, Swedish group Abba became world stars after winning the contest in 1974 with the song “Waterloo”.

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