Eurovision Song Contest 2020
Overview
The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual international song competition organised by the EBU. However, the event, which was scheduled to take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This marked the first time in the contest's six-decade history that it was not held.
Host Selection
Following the victory of Duncan Laurence at the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, with the song "Arcade", the Netherlands earned the right to host the 2020 edition. The Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS, in cooperation with the EBU, was responsible for organising the event. Rotterdam was chosen as the host city after a bid process involving several Dutch cities.
Venue
The contest was planned to take place at the Rotterdam Ahoy, a convention centre and arena located in Rotterdam. The venue has a capacity of approximately 16,000 attendees and has previously hosted several large-scale events, including the Junior Eurovision 2007 and the MTV Europe Music Awards 2016.
Format
The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was set to consist of two semi-finals, to be held on 12 and 14 May, and a grand final, scheduled for 16 May. The "Big Five" countries - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom - along with the host country, the Netherlands, were automatically qualified for the final.
Participating Countries
A total of 41 countries were confirmed to participate in the contest. Bulgaria and Ukraine returned after their absence from the 2019 contest, while Hungary and Montenegro withdrew from the competition.
Songs and Selection Processes
Each participating country was free to select their entries in a manner of their choosing. Some countries, such as Sweden and Norway, used long-established national selection competitions (Melodifestivalen and Melodi Grand Prix respectively). Other countries, like the United Kingdom and Spain, opted for internal selections by their respective broadcasters.
Cancellation
On 18 March 2020, the EBU announced that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was made after several participating broadcasters had expressed concerns about the ongoing health crisis and travel restrictions. The EBU explored alternative options, such as staging the contest without an audience or conducting it remotely, but ultimately decided that cancellation was the most appropriate course of action.
Aftermath and Legacy
Despite the cancellation of the contest, several broadcasters decided to honour the selected artists and songs. The EBU and its Dutch members NPO, NOS, and AVROTROS organised a non-competitive show, "Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light", which was broadcast on the day the grand final was supposed to take place. The show featured the artists who would have participated in the 2020 contest, performing from their respective countries.