The next Eurovision Song Contest, which was set to take place in Rotterdam in May 2020, should be taking place in only a few months time. However, the ongoing coronavirus crisis means there are a number of questions about whether or not the event will be able to take place at all. But organisers have announced that a decision will be made in mid-February about what the contest will look like. 

Four plans for a corona-friendly event

Sietse Bakker, the organiser of the Dutch edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, is hopeful that the event will be able to take place without too many adjustments. In 2020, after the Eurovision was faced with the reality of a pandemic, organisers drew up plans for four different scenarios, ranging from a “normal” event to a “lockdown” event:

• A “normal” event: the Eurovision Song Contest that everyone knows and loves. Organisers say this will only be possible if enough people have been vaccinated, or if there are enough rapid tests available for everyone involved in the event. 
• A “one-and-a-half-metre society” event: a live event hosted in Rotterdam, but with a limited audience size. 
• A “restricted” event: this event would take any travel restrictions into consideration, thereby allowing contests to perform live from their home nation if they are unable to safely travel to the Netherlands. There would also only be a small audience in Rotterdam. 
• A “lockdown” event: the hosts present live from Rotterdam, but all participants take part via live stream, performing from their home countries. There is no live audience.

Bakker has said that no matter what happens with the event, vaccination will not be mandatory for the contestants: “Mandating or not requiring vaccination is really a political choice, and isn't up to us.”

Eurovision Song Contest 2021

In the end, the 2020 competition had to be cancelled completely, with a televised corona-proof event, Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light, taking place instead of the much-loved contest, featuring clips of all the competing songs and messages from the artists. This year, however, Bakker is optimistic that some version of the event will be able to take place but isn’t ready to make any predictions about what it could look like.

The event is set to take place in the week of May 17, with the final on Saturday, May 22 live at the Ahoy. Jeangu Macrooy, who was chosen to represent the Netherlands in 2020, will once again be taking part but with a different song. His new song is yet to be revealed. 

Thumb: EBU / KRIS POUW via Eurovision.