THE WINNER HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED

It was a tight competition with Croatia and Switzerland reaching the top two.

After 25 acts performed live across Saturday night , all of the votes were calculated and the hosts confirmed the winner. As the scoreboard was placed up on the screen, it became clear who would be winning the contest this year.

The public clearly loved Switzerland and the entry, Nemo, won this year's Eurovision!

Congratulations Switzerland!

Huge blow for Olly Alexander after public votes

The jury and the public have voted!

While Olly Alexander gave his all for the competition, it wasn't enough for Eurovision viewers.

The singer received ZERO points from the public and 46 from the jury.

Eurovision Song Contest fans unleash loudest boos for show boss

The live studio audience at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest appeared to save their loudest boos of the night for one of the competition officials.

The 2024 event has been steeped in controversy many have complained about Israel ’s inclusion in the show, the Dutch contestant was disqualified after being investigated by police over a backstage incident, and other contestants kicked off over having their own complaints dismissed.

However, as the competition neared the end, those in the studio unleashed serious boos when cameras cut to Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl. He was shown sitting alongside a panel of other show bosses and was introduced by show host Petra Mede.

As cameras honed in on Martin, he could barely be heard over the deafening boos. Petra asked: “What can you tell us about the result?” Martin struggled to be heard over the venomous reaction as he said: “Good evening. So, the moment of truth has arrived and I can tell you we have checked and verified all of the results. And we are ready to start revealing the results of the grand final result.”

Netherlands jury gets cheers

The jury for the Netherlands got cheers as they cast their votes after Joost Klein was disqualified from the competition.

Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union's Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl was booed by the crowd as he spoke.

Loreen wows the crowd

Loreen, who won last year's Eurovision, took to the stage during the grand final on Saturday!

The star spent the entire performance glued to a chair as she belted out her song, with the crowd in Malmö Arena cheering her on.

Loreen won last year's Eurovision, which happened in Liverpool, with her song Tattoo.

ABBA returns as ABBAtars to perform!

Iconic band ABBA have returned as ABBAtars to perform their hit songs on stage following the 25 contestants' acts.

The group virtually reunited as the crowd cheered and sang along to Waterloo. Former Eurovision stars, including Conchita, Carola Häggkvist, and Charlotte Perrelli, joined in on the tune!

All 25 acts have performed

All the performances have ended after an eventful two hours. Austria ended the night with an upbeat song, going on after France entry's Slimane's powerful ballad.

Now we wait for everyone to finish voting before the winner is revealed. Traditionally, viewers have been able to pick up a phone and vote for their favourite performer once all participating contestants had finished singing.

But for the 2024 contest, the rules were radically changed so that fans could vote for their favourite before anyone had even taken to the stage.

Eurovision fans baffled by Olly Alexander's performance

Eurovision's UK entry Olly Alexander baffled fans at home with his performance.

Olly took to the stage to perform Dizzy but seemingly struggled with sound issues throughout his song. Taking to social media, fans questioned what went wrong. "Not only was that song and performance awful from Olly, but it wasn't in tune either. He'd have failed an X Factor audition," one user said.

Thankfully, most people loved his act with one user writing: "People saying Olly’s voice was off?? Like were we listening to the same Thing? Does he sound any worse than Finland this year or last? No! I’m so so proud of him!"

"Great performance by Olly for the UK," another said.

Ireland's Bambie Thug shouts defiant message

Ireland's Bambie Thug shouted a defiant message after their performance at the final.

After an incredible performance, they said to the crowd: "Love will always win over hate!" Fans were in awe and rushed to social media to praise their performance, which included witchcraft themes.

Eurovision 2024 viewers complain within minutes

Eurovision 2024 has begun!

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 has begun, with Graham Norton returning to host!

He joked that it has been 'quite an eventful Eurovision this year' amid the chaos behind the scenes at Malmö Arena.

Israel's delegation responds to Bambie Thug's allegations

When asked about Bambie’s post on Instagram , a spokesperson for the Israeli broadcaster KAN told the PA news agency : “We wish everyone the best of luck tonight.”

Bambie Thug has said that they raised “multiple complaints” with Eurovision Song Contest organisers about a commentator from the Israeli broadcaster delegation following them missing rehearsals on Saturday ahead of the final. They wrote in an Instagram story: “I have raised multiple complaints to the EBU regarding instances I have experienced this week.

“Earlier today they confirmed to my delegation in front of others that KAN’s commentator had broken the rules of conduct during the Eurovision semi-final. I have been patiently waiting to hear what action is set to be taken by the EBU following this rule break. I have since seen a statement by EBU director general Noel Curran which contradicts this earlier confirmation. I am still waiting for an official update from the EBU.”

Finland's spokesperson steps down

Norway spokesperson withdraws from their role over Israel participation

Bambie Thug claims Eurovision agreed Israeli broadcaster 'broke rules' after complaints

Ireland's Eurovision entry, Bambie Thug, revealed they made 'multiple complaints' to the European Broadcasting Union over a few experiences they had this week with Israeli broadcaster Kan

The singer, who has previously told fans that they missed a rehearsal due to a 'situation' that needed 'urgent attention', took to their Instagram Stories to write: "Over the last few days I have raised multiple complaints to the EBU regarding instances I have experienced this week. Earlier today they confirmed to my delegation in front of others that Kan's commentator had broken the rules of the conduct during the Eurovision Semi-Final 1.

"I have been patiently waiting to hear what action is set to be taken by the EBU following this rule break. I have since seen a statement by EBU Director General Noel Curran which contradicts this earlier confirmation. I am still waiting for an official update from the EBU."

It comes after they first revealed there was a 'situation' that needed 'urgent attention' from the EBU. Israeli broadcaster Kan told viewers with children on Tuesday that Bambie's performance of Doomsday Blue would be 'the most scary of the night'.

"There will be a lot of spells and black magic and dark clothing, Satanic symbols, and voodoo dolls like we are at Cats Square in Jerusalem in the mid-90s," the commentator said, referring to a public square in Jerusalem.

French act Slimane halts performance to share defiant message of peace

The French entry for Eurovision Song Contest 2024 halted his own performance to share a message of peace.

During the third dress rehearsal for tonight's final, Slimane briefly stopped his performance to deliver a statement calling for peace and unity. The singer, 34, said the contest should be: "United by music, yes, but for love, for peace" which had the audience whooping and cheering.

It has been said that Eurovision confirmed they knew the singer wanted to speak out during his performance as he said he wanted to 'send a message of love', The Euro Trip reported. However, the European Broadcasting Union has forbidden political statements and lyrics in the competition.

Former Eurovision winner says Olly Alexander's song isn't 'good enough' to win

Petition to bring back Joost Klein almost reached 70k signatures

A petition was created to bring Joost Klein back into the competition.

The creator of the change.org petition wrote: "WE MAY NOT GET JOOST BACK, BUT BY SIGNING THIS WE SHOW THAT WE STAND WITH JOOST. SIGN NOW. Share this campaign with all the people you know, spread this! Get this to the EBU! Please, keep signing!

"Joost Klein has been disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest. We need to get the EBU’s attention to get them to see this. Please, sign the petition to have justice for Joost. STAND WITH US! SIGN THE PETITION NOW! Ceasefire now."

Almost 70,000 people have signed the petition.

Eurovision bosses 'holding crisis meetings'

The bosses at Eurovision are reportedly having crisis meetings ahead of the final starting.

Eurovision News on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted: "EBU hold another crisis meeting, that was reported by SVT & NRK. The reason still remains unclear." The competition have run into a number of issues this year amid Israel's participation in the show.

Statement from Netherlands' Songfestival about Joost Klein

The official page for the Netherlands' Songfestival, which sends contestants to Eurovision, released a statement about the incident that got Joost Klein disqualified.

They said: "An incident occurred after last Thursday’s performance. Against clearly made agreements, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the greenroom. At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This wasn’t respected.

Netherlands' Songfestival added: "This led to a threatening movement from Joost towards the camera. Joost did not touch the camera woman. This incident was reported, followed by an investigation by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and police. Yesterday and today we consulted extensively with the EBU and proposed several solutions. Nevertheless, the EBU has still decided to disqualify Joost Klein.”

They went on to say that Dutch radio and broadcaster AVROTOS found Joost's disqualification to be 'disproportionate' and 'very heavy'.

“We stand for good manners – let there be no misunderstanding about that – but in our view, an exclusion order is not proportional to this incident," they said. “We are very disappointed and upset for the millions of fans who were so excited for tonight. What Joost brought to the Netherlands and Europe shouldn’t have ended this way."

Eurovision bosses break silence on Bambie Thug future

Eurovision Song Contest organisers hope that Ireland entrant Bambie Thug will perform on Saturday’s final.

A spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union said: “Bambie Thug did not perform in dress rehearsal three and the footage of their performance in dress rehearsal two was used in its place.

“They missed the dress rehearsal due to a situation that is currently being discussed with the EBU and song contest organisers. We hope that this will be resolved shortly and Bambie Thug will appear in the grand final show as planned.”

What does disqualification of Dutch entry Joost Klein mean for Eurovision final?

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced a number of changes to the grand final after the disqualification of Dutch act Joost Klein.

The organisers of Eurovision have said that all contestants will keep their official running order. The outcome of the contest is determined by a jury of music industry professionals and viewers’ votes, which each make a 50% contribution to the result.

Each country has its own jury and juries vote on the basis of the second dress rehearsal of each show, which takes place the night before each live show. According to the EBU, the jury results received after dress rehearsal number two on Friday have been recalculated, so that the Netherlands will not receive any points.

Jury members rank all songs from one to 26 – there are now 25 performers. This means that if the Netherlands was ranked ninth by a national jury in any country, the 10th ranked song has now moved down to number nine.

During the grand final no points will be awarded to the Netherlands from the viewing public and the country will not appear on the scoreboard. Dutch viewers are still allowed to vote in the grand final and the Dutch jury result is still valid.

Ireland's Bambie Thug misses dress rehearsal

Ireland’s Eurovision Song Contest entry Bambie Thug said they missed their dress rehearsal following a “situation” which required “urgent attention” from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

On their Instagram story, they wrote: “Dear Coven, There was a situation while we were waiting to go to stage for the flag parade rehearsal which I felt needed urgent attention from the EBU – the EBU have taken this matter seriously and we have been in a discussion about what action needs to be taken. This means I have missed my dress rehearsal – I am really sorry to the fans that have come to see me. I hope to see you on the stage tonight.”,

Following Bambie Thug withdrawing from the dress rehearsals, the organisers of Eurovision confirmed they are looking into what the Irish contestant called an “urgent situation”. A statement from the European Broadcasting Union said: “We are just looking into it.”

Dutch viewers still able to vote

Viewers from the Netherlands are still allowed to vote in the Eurovision Song Contest grand final following the disqualification of Dutch act Joost Klein, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has said.

All contestants will keep their number in the official running order and there will be no song in position number five, the statement said. The jury results received after dress rehearsal two on Friday May 10 have been recalculated so that the Netherlands will not receive any points.

“No points will be awarded to the Netherlands from the viewing public,” the EBU said. “Dutch viewers are still allowed to vote in the grand final and the Dutch jury result is still valid. The EBU will inform all telecommunications partners that the Netherlands is no longer participating, and we will endeavour to block the lines for song five.”

The EBU previously announced the 26-year-old rapper and singer would not be competing at the event following a Swedish police investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

'Sam Ryder struck it lucky with Eurovision, Olly Alexander proves it's still career suicide'

"While many will feel sorry for Olly Alexander's Eurovision stint unwittingly coinciding with Israel's war on Palestine, arguing that he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't, the former Years & Years singer can't be afforded the same grace Eurovision presenters Rylan Clark and Scott Mills have been granted, mainly thanks to his past activism and previous politics.

"In Olly Alexander's Road to Eurovision '24, the It's A Sin actor sobbed as he addressed the calls for him to boycott this year's contest over Israel's inclusion, saying he "wasn't qualified to speak on" the heartbreaking scenes coming out of Palestine, referring to it as an "incredibly complicated political situation."

"Yet in October, before being unveiled as the UK entry for Eurovision two months later, Alexander called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the governing body in Gaza. An open letter from LGBT charity Voices4London signed by Alexander referred to Israel as an 'apartheid regime' aiming to "ethnically cleanse" Palestine."

READ THE FULL OPINION PIECE HERE.

Artists create alternative Eurovision in response to Israel’s participation

An artistic group in Ireland has created an alternative Eurovision event amid calls to boycott Israel’s participation in the contest while raising money for Palestinian organisations.

Apartheid-Free Arts, a group of artists supporting human rights and advocacy groups in Palestine, hosted an event called Shine On Palestine: The Alternative Eurovision featuring Irish and Palestinian musicians and poets.

The alternative event was live-streamed from the Axis in Ballymun, Dublin, and Leisureland in Galway on Friday but will be rebroadcast from 7.30pm on Saturday during the Eurovision final in Malmo, Sweden.

Dutch viewers may not be able to vote in the final

Following Joost being booted out of the final, it's not yet known if Dutch viewers will be able to vote in this evening's Eurovision Song Contest final.

Taking to Twitter (X) moments ago, James Rowe wrote: "One big question remains for tonight: Will Dutch viewers be able to vote as usual? If not, will they be able to vote and have their say in the Rest of the World vote? I have asked the EBU for comment. #Eurovision."

In an additional update, he told his followers: "The EBU tell me that a decision on whether or not Dutch viewers can vote tonight will "hopefully be made in the next 30 minutes". #Eurovision ."

Dutch act out!

Dutch act Joost Klein will not compete in the Eurovision Song Contest grand final while Swedish police investigate a complaint of inappropriate behaviour, the European Broadcasting Union said.

A statement from the EBU said: “The Dutch artist Joost Klein will not be competing in the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final.

"While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest. We would like to make it clear that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member.

“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are committed to providing a safe and secure working environment for all staff at the Contest. In light of this, Joost Klein’s behaviour towards a team member is deemed in breach of Contest rules. The Grand Final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will now proceed with 25 participating songs.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Olly Alexander told 'do the right thing'

Olly Alexander has been told “once you take the stage on Saturday there is no going back” just hours ahead of tonight’s final.

The singer's fans have pleaded with him to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest and begged the under-pressure star to “do the right thing”. Olly's Eurovision journey has been clouded by controversy due to Israel's participation in the contest amidst ongoing military actions by Benjamin Netanyahu against Palestine.

The UK's hopeful, who had previously signed a letter denouncing Israel as an "apartheid regime" before his December reveal as the UK's contestant, has faced backlash from fans and activists for not pulling out of this year's event.

Within a lengthy statement shared on social media, Queers For Palestine told Olly: “Olly, as a beloved queer icon you have substantial influence. As drag queen @crystal.will.see.you.now said on BBC Newsnight yesterday to all of us, 'This is something you can do. Boycott.' We will be boycotting Eurovision until Israel is banned. You can still join us. You will be rich in our love and admiration, and in your heart for having done the right thing.”

READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE.

Man questioned by police over Eurovision incident as Dutch act misses rehearsals

A man has been questioned by police over allegations of threats at the Eurovision Song Contest.

It is not known whether the Netherlands’ act Joost Klein will perform in the final on Saturday, having missed two scheduled dress rehearsals on Friday while an investigation into an incident was carried out.

The 26-year-old rapper and singer qualified in the semi-final on Thursday with his up-tempo song Europapa, a tribute to his late parents. Swedish news outlets have reported that he is being investigated after an incident involving a television production worker.

A spokeswoman for the Swedish Police Authority said in a statement to the PA news agency: “A man is suspected of unlawful threats. The crime is said to have been committed at Malmo Arena on Thursday evening. The man is questioned by the police but not detained. The plaintiff is an employee at Eurovision.

“The police have taken all essential investigative measures and questioned the suspect, plaintiff and witnesses. The investigation has been completed by the police. The case follows the normal legal process. The police have used faster prosecution and the case will now go to the prosecutor within a few weeks.”

Police confirmed the plaintiff is not a Eurovision act. READ THE FULL STORY HERE.