New and updated 2026 edition
Take an amazing journey through the history of a continent, told through the world's greatest song contest… Eurovision!
Do you think the world of the Eurovision Song Contest, with its crazy props, outrageous dancers and intense, emotional songs has nothing to do with serious European politics? Think again.
The Contest is watched by over 150 million viewers worldwide. It's one big party – but it's also a mirror for the enormous changes in society, fashion, politics, technology and ideas that have swept the continent since 1956, when the first contestants stood and sang in ballgowns and dinner jackets. It has beamed hope across the Iron Curtain, inspired new nations, given voices to silent minorities and once even triggered a national revolution.
Eurovision! tells the parallel stories of the Contest and of modern Europe. It shows how seamlessly they interact, and what a fantastic journey it has been.
This updated and revised edition takes in contests up to 2026 and discusses Eurovision in light of the Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza War.
