{"id":443006,"date":"2026-05-24T13:23:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T13:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/443006\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T13:23:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T13:23:12","slug":"eurovision-song-contest-celebrates-70-years-of-being-united-by-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/443006\/","title":{"rendered":"Eurovision Song Contest celebrates 70 Years of being United by Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
\n EBU celebrates 70th anniversary of very first Eurovision Song Contest on 24 May 1956 in Lugano, SwitzerlandDigitally restored and remastered footage of the first Eurovision winner, Lys Assia performing Refrain released in 4K70th anniversary tribute film features emotional moments from 70 years of the Contest highlighting seven decades of being \u201cUnited by Music\u201dBiggest-ever feedback initiative launches: Eurofan Voice, Eurovision\u2019s largest global fan survey, invites fans to help shape the future of the Contest through feedback on experiences, content and communityDiscover \u201c70 Fabulous Facts from 70 Years of Eurovision\u201d<\/p>\n

70 years ago, on 24 May 1956, artists representing seven broadcasters gathered at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland, for a bold new experiment in live television and cultural collaboration: the very first Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n

Today, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and its public service broadcasters across Europe and beyond proudly celebrate the 70th anniversary of what has grown to become the world\u2019s largest live music event – a Contest that has united hundreds of millions of viewers through music, creativity and shared moments for seven extraordinary decades.<\/p>\n

From black-and-white broadcasts transmitted across a fledgling Eurovision satellite network to today\u2019s spectacular ground-breaking hi-tech productions watched by audiences on every continent, the Eurovision Song Contest has continually pushed the boundaries of broadcasting technology, live production and international cooperation.<\/p>\n

Over the past 70 years, the Eurovision Song Contest has:<\/p>\n

Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 70 years, the Eurovision Song Contest has shown what\u2019s possible when public service broadcasters come together with a shared purpose: to create moments of joy, emotion and connection that transcend borders.<\/p>\n

From a small theatre in Lugano in 1956 to stadiums and screens across the globe today, the Eurovision Song Contest continues to evolve while remaining true to its founding spirit – bringing audiences together through music.\u201d<\/p>\n

To mark the anniversary, the EBU is releasing two special pieces of content celebrating the Contest\u2019s remarkable history.<\/p>\n

Footage of First Winner from 1956 Restored<\/p>\n

In collaboration with Swiss broadcaster RSI, part of SRG SSR, the EBU has digitally restored and remastered the only known surviving footage of the winning entry from the very first Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n

Shot by photographer Vincenzo Vicari, the footage captures Switzerland\u2019s Lys Assia reprising her song Refrain<\/a> on stage at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano on 24 May 1956, giving a rare and precious glimpse into the birth of the Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n

The film negatives have been carefully preserved in the archives of RSI but have not been digitized since the 1990s. Since technology has advanced since then, the EBU approached RSI to have the negatives rescanned, graded and digitally restored in ultra-high definition (4K) allowing audiences to experience one of the Contest\u2019s most historic moments with unprecedented clarity.<\/p>\n

“Preserving the history of the Eurovision Song Contest is something very close to my heart. I\u2019m proud that the EBU was able to commission this restoration, so that fans can enjoy Lys Assia\u2019s winning reprise in the best possible quality for years to come,\u201d said Chris Fox, Senior Producer on the Eurovision Song Contest\u2019s Digital Team who worked on the restoration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe film footage of Lys Assia\u2019s 1956 performance is a landmark piece of Switzerland\u2019s audiovisual heritage. With this new digitization, carried out in collaboration with the EBU, SRG SSR once again demonstrates the vital role of public service broadcasting in safeguarding such iconic moments in history,\u201d said Brecht Declercq, Head of Archives at RSI.<\/p>\n

The search<\/a> also continues for the full broadcasts of the 1956 and 1964 Eurovision Song Contests launched ahead of the 70th competition in Vienna.<\/p>\n

In addition, the Eurodex archive<\/a> on eurovision.com has been updated with a collection of Vicari\u2019s photographs of the 1956 Contest, provided by the historical archives of the City of Lugano.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u00dcber die Br\u00fccke gehn\u201d – A Celebration of Unity Across 70 Years<\/p>\n

The second anniversary release is a specially produced tribute film<\/a> celebrating seven decades of artists and audiences being truly \u201cUnited By Music\u201d.<\/p>\n

Set to the original live performance of Germany\u2019s 1986 Eurovision entry \u00dcber die Br\u00fccke gehn by Ingrid Peters, the film intercuts emotional moments of artists embracing on stage and backstage throughout Eurovision Song Contest history – from the earliest broadcasts of the 1950s and 60s through to last week\u2019s victory for Bulgaria\u2019s DARA in Vienna.<\/p>\n

The song\u2019s title – \u201cCrossing the Bridge\u201d – and its lyrics about connection, hope and moving forward together resonate powerfully with the Eurovision Song Contest\u2019s story and values today.<\/p>\n

Across changing decades, technologies and generations, the Eurovision Song Contest has continued to build bridges between countries and cultures, artists and audiences, through the universal language of music.<\/p>\n

The film uses the original performance of \u00dcber die Br\u00fccke gehn, courtesy of Norwegian Member NRK, and culminates with scenes from the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, where Bulgaria\u2019s BNT celebrated its first-ever Eurovision victory, with the competition\u2019s highest ever winning margin, bringing the Contest\u2019s story full circle into a new era.<\/p>\n

The film will premiere on the Contest\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a> at 12:00 CEST on the precise 70th anniversary \u2013 Sunday 24 May.<\/p>\n

Eurofan Voice Launches in Eurovision\u2019s 70th Year<\/p>\n

As the Eurovision Song Contest celebrates its 70th anniversary, the iconic event is also looking firmly toward the future.<\/p>\n

The EBU has just launched Eurofan Voice<\/a>, the Contest\u2019s largest ever fan feedback initiative, inviting audiences around the world to help shape the Eurovision experience for the coming years.<\/p>\n

The survey explores how Eurovision can become even better connected with fans – from live experiences and digital content to community participation and year-round engagement.<\/p>\n

Fans of every kind are encouraged to take part:<\/p>\n

passionate long-time followers,viewers who primarily engage through social media,and those who are simply \u201cEuro-curious\u201d<\/p>\n

The survey takes approximately 5\u201310 minutes to complete, closes on 7 June 2026 and can be accessed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Martin Green added: \u201cIn our 70th year, it feels especially important not only to celebrate Eurovision\u2019s history, but also to listen to the people who make this Contest what it is – the fans.<\/p>\n

Through Eurofan Voice, we\u2019re opening our biggest ever feedback loop, inviting everyone from lifelong Eurovision enthusiasts to first-time viewers to help shape the future of the Eurovision Song Contest experience for the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

70 Fabulous Facts<\/p>\n

To accompany the anniversary celebrations, Eurovision.com has also compiled 70 Fabulous Facts from 70 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, featuring iconic milestones, and surprising statistics from the Contest\u2019s rich history.<\/p>\n

Fans can explore the collection here<\/a> from Sunday 24 May.<\/p>\n

The anniversary content, restored footage, tribute film and Eurofan Voice survey are available now across Eurovision\u2019s digital platforms.<\/p>\n

As the Eurovision Song Contest enters its eighth decade, the Contest continues to stand as one of the world\u2019s most ambitious and enduring examples of international collaboration in broadcasting – powered by the creativity, innovation and partnership of public service media organisations across Europe and beyond.<\/p>\n

70 years on from that first evening in Lugano, the world\u2019s largest live music event remains driven by the same idea that inspired its founders in 1956: being United by Music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EBU celebrates 70th anniversary of very first Eurovision Song Contest on 24 May 1956 in Lugano, SwitzerlandDigitally restored…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[156,157,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-443006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}