Malmö 2024: Your backstage pass ahead of Eurovision week

28 April 2024 at 07:00 CEST

The stage lit up during at the First Rehearsal of the First Semi-Final at Malmö Arena

A roundup of all the ways you can tune in to what's going on inside Malmö Arena, before it opens its doors to the world for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

Croatia's Baby Lasagna backstage at Malmö Arena ahead of his first rehearsal EBU / Alma Bengtsson

We've got three Live Shows to look forward to on the week commencing Sunday 5 May (and you know all about them, right?). But ahead of the First Semi-Final, the Second Semi-Final and the Grand Final, our artists are already touching down in Malmö and making their way to the arena - to practice precisely how they'll be strutting their stuff on stage.

First rehearsals got underway on Saturday 27 April, with 7 performances from the First Semi-Final being played out inside the arena for the very first time. But you don't need to wait until Tuesday 7 May (or beyond, in the cases of the Second Semi-Final and the Grand Final) to catch your first glimpses of what your faves are up to in their performances.

alyona alyona & Jerry Heil rehearsing Teresa & Maria for Ukraine at the First Rehearsal of the First Semi-Final at Malmö Arena

Across the official Eurovision Song Contest platforms, we're bringing you an exclusive look inside Malmö Arena - both on that impressive stage and what's going on behind it. Here's what you can see and where:

TikTok: Rehearsals and More

Over on our TikTok channel, we're giving you a look at not just each artist's performance, but also what they've been getting up to before that all-important first big moment on that stage. The videos tell a story of each performer's unique experience up there, and they're going to be available as a TikTok exclusive.

Silia Kapsis prepares backstage ahead of her first rehearsal for Cyprus EBU / Alma Bengtsson

Then, once they've had their initial run-throughs, our acts will be heading to our backstage studio to give us another rendition of their refrains. They'll be performing a bit of good ol' fashioned shower karaoke - see, they're just like the rest of us! And you'll also be able to tune in to these performances on our Instagram account too.

There'll be plenty more Song Contest stuff coming out on our official TikTok channel beyond these first few days, but we'll leave some of that as a surprise...

Photo Galleries

Each of our rehearsals will be caught on camera, so you can have a sneak peek at what every performance is going to look like once the Live Shows roll around. The LEDs, the lewks, the luscious locks... The lot!

Not only will the full galleries be published onto Eurovision.tv, a selection of them will also be posted onto our Instagram account., so you'll be the first to catch what's been happening as you scroll. And even at this early point, we can promise that the visuals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 are going to be unmissable!

Eurovision Live Blog: now on Reddit

In 2024, you can now follow the Live Blog of the first rehearsals via the Reddit community. The Eurovision Song Contest has its own subreddit where you can follow along for the insights and info, plus you can join in on the chatter too.

The Eurovision Live Blog will be your as-it-happens guide to what's going on during each of the very first performances from all 37 participants. And as well as reading about what's being witnessed on stage (from outfits to outlandish choreography), the Live Blog will also be posting a few backstage shots that you won't see anywhere else.

Beyond the first rehearsals, the Reddit Live Blog will be a go-to place to talk directly with some of the people behind the Eurovision Song Contest, as well as some of the folk participating in it - via the platform's famous AMA (ask me anything) sessions. So keep an eye on the subreddit for more info on that as it gets announced.

Silvester Belt rehearsing Luktelk for Lithuania at the First Rehearsal of the First Semi-Final at Malmö Arena Corinne Cumming / EBU

The Eurovision Song Contest Podcast

Our podcast host Steve Holden will be bringing us a wealth of new episodes of the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast throughout his two weeks in Malmö.

As always, Steve will be on-site on an access-all-areas basis, speaking to our participants as they process their performances on stage - both rehearsals and Live Shows. Steve also has a few special episodes planned, and some exciting names lined up to offer a different insight into the Contest. The man on the mic will also be speaking to some of the artists after the Semi-Finals, to get their reactions on the results. And of course, he'll be the very first to interview our 68th Eurovision Song Contest winner.

New episodes of the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast are made available right here. And all previous episodes featuring this year's acts (and plenty of Eurovision legends) are always there to be caught up on too, if you've yet to.

The App: Behind-The-Scenes Photos

Download our official app to check out some app-exclusive backstage images - as the 37 participants prepare to see the inside of the arena. Backstage, they are testing their tech equipment, learning the ropes of where they need to be and when, and doing some final vocal warm-ups before they take their very first steps towards that stage.

On the official Eurovision Song Contest app you can also get to know the participants, rank your favourites, and eventually cast your vote during the Live Shows too. You can download via: Dynamic Link / iOS / Android

Serbia's TEYA DORA rehearsing RAMONDA backstage at Malmö Arena EBU / Alma Bengtsson

Second Rehearsals Roundup

For (ooh, aah) a little bit more of a glimpse into the rehearsals, the first few days of May will be where it's at.

We'll be sharing 'as-seen-on-TV' preview clips of each performance after the second rehearsals. For all 37 songs, these rehearsals will be taking place across the 4 days between Wednesday 1 May and Saturday 4 May.

The second-rehearsal previews will be shared on our YouTube channel via a compilation show each evening.

LUNA rehearsing The Tower for Poland at the First Rehearsal of the First Semi-Final at Malmö Arena Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Turquoise Carpet

The glamorous gala that is the Turquoise Carpet is happening on Sunday 5 May, taking place at the newly constructed harmony of halls that is Malmö Live. On it, the artists of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will be wandering up the walkway in all their fashion-forward finery, and stopping to chat along the way - as they prepare to enter one of the most important weeks of their lives.

The carpet catwalk - which is the official opening ceremony of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest - will be broadcast live via both the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel and a TikTok live on the Eurovision account on the platform.

Loreen from Sweden attending the Turquoise Carpet event at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool. Corinne Cumming / EBU

You can listen to all 37 songs of Eurovision 2024 via your favourite streaming service or watch the music videos on our YouTube channel.

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö, Sweden on Tuesday 7 May (First Semi-Final), Thursday 9 May (Second Semi-Final) and Saturday 11 May (Grand Final) 2024.

Don't forget to download our app (for iOS / Android), sign up to the official Eurovision Song Contest newsletter, and subscribe to the official podcast!