It is the most chaotic and political year of Eurovision ever after a raft of major crises unravelled just hours before the grand final.
And despite calls for a boycott due to the protests and political disputes, the stars descended on the show as they showed their support for the 68th edition of the competition.
Eurovision super fan Will Ferrell looked in great spirits as he arrived alongside his wife Viveca Paulin for the night of eclectic performances.
The Hollywood actor, 56, put on a stylish display in a green blazer jacket and blue shirt as he beamed beside his wife.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden also arrived at the contest after she welcomed fans to the show in a clip shown before the live show began.
The stars descend on Eurovision as die hard fan Will Ferrell and his wife attend the contest alongside Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in Malmo on on Saturday night
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was joined Scania Governor Annelie Hulthén, SVT CEO Hanna Stjärne and Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand (pictured L-R) for the event which is being held this year in Malmo Sweden
The Princess was joined Scania Governor Annelie Hulthén, SVT CEO Hanna Stjärne and Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand for the event which is being held this year in Malmo Sweden.
Victoria cut a sophisticated display in a black blazer jacket and dress as she accessorised the look with an array of elegant silver jewellery.
Will is a known die hard fan of the annual contest after he starred and co-wrote his Netflix film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga back in 2020.
The comedian plays Icelandic man Lars Erickssong in the film- who has been nuts about Eurovision since boyhood, when Abba’s performance of Waterloo dragged him out of his gloom over the death of his mother.
With his elf-obsessed best friend Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams), he forms a pop duo, Fire Saga. They yearn to represent Iceland in the forthcoming contest, which is being held in Edinburgh.
When all the other contenders mysteriously die in a huge explosion, they get their chance.
Lars’s fisherman father Erick (Pierce Brosnan) also joins the star-studded cast, along with Graham Norton gamely playing himself and Dan Stevens portraying the arrogant but fabulous Russian entrant Alexander Lemtov.
Despite the chaos of this year’s festival and his shaky semi final performance, Olly Alexander looked in great spirits as he strutted onto the stage proudly displaying the British flag.
Despite the chaos of this year’s festival and his shaky semi final performance, Olly Alexander looked in great spirits as he strutted onto the stage proudly displaying the British flag
The singer, 33, is representing the UK with his raunchy track Dizzy, and the star showed off his flirty side as he gave the camera a wink as he walked across the stage
Will is a known die hard fan of the annual contest after he starredand co-wrote his Netflix film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga back in 2020 (pictured with co-star Rachel McAdams)
Israel’s Eden Goal proudly held up her countries flag after it was revealed she is second in the running to win the contest
Eden was voted through in Thursday night’s semi final despite mass pro-Palestinian protests
Ireland’s entry Bambie Thug wrapped themselves in the Irish flag despite missing their final dress rehearsal after they said a ‘situation’ required ‘urgent attention’ from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
The singer, 33, is representing the UK with his raunchy track Dizzy, and the star showed off his flirty side as he gave the camera a wink as he walked across the stage.
Meanwhile Israel’s Eden Goal proudly held up her countries flag after it was revealed she is second in the running to win the contest.
Eden was voted through in Thursday night’s semi final despite mass pro-Palestinian protests.
She took to the stage having spent the whole day locked down in her hotel room by her country’s Shin Bet security agency after receiving death threats and amid terror-attack fears.
The Eurovision Song Contest has been left in turmoil after a raft of major crises threatened to spoil the grand final.
Ireland’s entry Bambie Thug missed their final dress rehearsal after they said a ‘situation’ required ‘urgent attention’ from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), who are organising the event.
This year voting has opened before the acts have performed
Hosts Malin Akerman and Petra Mede looked sensational for the evening
It could be bad news for British fans, with statistics suggesting the UK’s entrant Olly Alexander is unlikely to win the competition after his act was criticised for his ‘shaky voice’ and raunchy routine at the semi-finals on Tuesday night
German singer ISAAK (Isaak Guderian) will perform his song Always on the Run
Kaleen of Austria enters the stage during the opening ceremony
It came after it was revealed Dutch contender Joost Klein has been axed from the contest after being quizzed by police over an incident involving ‘a female member of the production crew’.
And France’s entry Slimane has interrupted his own performance to say the contest should be: ‘United by music, yes, but for love, for peace’ to the rapturous cheers of the audience.
Meanwhile, outside the venue 15,000 pro Palestine protestors gathered in Malmö demanding Israeli contestant Eden Golan be kicked out of the final.
Croatia is being tipped to win, according to betting company BetMGM.
The Balkan country is predicted to win with their artist Baby Lasagne, real name Marko Purisic with the odds of 4/5, making them the current favourite.
So it could be bad news for British fans, with statistics suggesting the UK’s entrant Olly Alexander is unlikely to win the competition after his act was criticised for his ‘shaky voice’ and raunchy routine at the semi-finals on Tuesday night.
Elsewhere, Eden of Israel is second-favourite, with the odds of 11/4, while Switzerland are also capturing hearts with their singer Nemo, at 15/4, despite finishing in 20th place last year.
Italy’s Angelina Mango follows closely behind at 7/1, having secured an impressive fourth position in 2023.
Meanwhile Ukraine, who won first place in 2022, have good odds with duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil and are currently predicted to come fourth at 9/1.
Ireland (12/1), The Netherlands (14/1), France (25/1) and Israel (30/1) complete the predicted top eight, followed by Finland and Greece (both 50/1) and this year’s hosts Sweden (80/1).
However, the UK’s Olly is a outsider to win, with unpromising odds of 150/1.
The UK last took the victorious title back in 1997 when Katrina and the Waves came in number one with the track Love Shine a Light.
It was the fifth time the UK had come in first place after Bucks Fizz previously won in 1981 with the hit Making Up Your Mind.
The Eurovision Semi Final concluded with some shock results as Ireland celebrated getting through to Saturday night’s final, while Australia were sadly sent home despite debuting the first ever Indigenous performance.
The first 10 acts were confirmed on Tuesday evening after half the countries representatives took to the stage in Malmo Sweden to fight for a place in the final.
Taking to the stage with an extraordinary performance, Ireland got straight through to the final with many viewers even predicting it could win the contest.
Bambie Thug, 31, a non-binary artist from County Cork, delivered a showstopping performance of their song Doomsday Blue as they sang while performing a ritual surrounded by candles and were joined on stage by a male dancer wearing demonic makeup and fake teeth.
Meanwhile, current favourite Baby Lasagna of Croatia immediately got the crowd’s attention with his song Rim Tim Tagi Dim.
The catchy tune is supposed to convey the stress of leaving home to search for a better opportunity, with some of it’s lyrics reading: ‘Ay, I’m a big boy now. I’m ready to leave, ciao, mamma, ciao.’
