u/Ok-Macaroon-5533

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By July 31, it should be clear which city will host Eurovision, after Dara brought victory to our country in May. Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas are in the running. This is outlined in the action plan for the preparation of Eurovision, which was adopted on Wednesday. All tasks in it have specific deadlines.

The show must have an appointed executive producer, creative director and show manager by August 30.

A contract with the hall must be signed by September 10. By September 30, the spaces in and around the selected hall must be allocated: press center, dressing rooms, costume rooms, VIP area, etc. By the same date, the preparation of the technical specifications for public procurement should also begin, market consultations should be launched to determine the current estimated value and schedule of the tenders. And the public procurement itself will start in January.

By October 10, an estimated budget and financing model (state, municipality, ESRT, sponsors, tickets) will be made.

A creative concept and visual identity should be determined by December 15.

At the end of November, the schedule provides for signed contracts with hotels. And a website should be launched in early 2027.

April is the deadline for the transport plan - airport arrivals, shuttles, providing a fleet.

The selection of presenters and a script team starts in November and ends in April.

Ticket sales start from January to May.

Exercises and training simulations will be held from mid-March to the end of April. During this period, the equipment will also be imported and the stage will be installed.

Improvements to the hall will be made in the first 20 days of April.

From April 13 to May 31 is the deadline for the construction of temporary facilities (tents, fences, signage), a plan for Eurovillage.

The dismantling and handover of the hall is from May 18 to May 24.

Martin Green has given an interview with Variety. I've listed some highlights here:

• Reports that Eurovision was facing financial difficulties due to the boycotting broadcasters was "bollocks".

• He is not aware of any other broadcasters intending to boycott and expects "there to be a few more [participating countries] next year."

• When asked if there's likely to be another vote on Israel's participation, he said: "No, that's done."

• There will be a ROTW vote in Eurovision Asia.

• When Green took up his role, he "stopped all the conversations that were going on about one-country Eurovisions".

• Asked if there are any other big projects in the works, Green said he hopes there'll be "some really fun and interesting stuff before the year is out".

I asked VRT if they had made any decisions about #Eurovision 2027 after last week's General Assembly, and I was informed that "there are no updates nor final decision."

They also clarified something that many of us had misunderstood: "I do want to clarify one point: you wrote that VRT stated that it would not send an artist to the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 if the EBU did not allow its members to vote directly on Kan’s participation. That’s not entirely accurate.

"VRT is criticizing the EBU’s overall approach and is asking for direct voting procedures in the future, not specifically regarding Kan/Israel’s participation. VRT finds it illogical that there is 'first a vote on whether or not there will be a vote', as was indeed the case for Kan/Israel’s participation. VRT is requesting direct member voting for all decisions within the EBU, not only those related to Israel."

Yasmine Van Der Borght, VRT Communications

The 10 finalists for Druk Dra (Bhutan's national final) have been announced:
• Drukbi Tshompapo
• Sangay Lhaden
• Pema Lhamo
• Nyendra
• Tashi Choden
• Dechen Pem
• Karma Drubchu
• Dorji Wangchuk
• Jigme Drukpa
• Baeyul 301

More details will be revealed soon.

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The Swiss Eurovision Song Contest season 2027 is officially open: SRG confirms its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Bulgaria. In cooperation with the regional broadcasters RSI, RTR, RTS and SRF, the Swiss delegation will once again participate in the world's biggest music competition with its own song.

Switzerland will also compete in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) is maintaining its open submission process: songs can still be submitted by anyone interested. The application period on the platform [LINK REMOVED BY ME] is open from August 20, 2026, at 10:00 AM until September 7, 2026, at 11:00 PM .

The SRG is building on its successful internal selection process of recent years and is further developing it. This process combines the assessments of a national and international expert jury with an international Eurovision Song Contest fan jury. Both are being deliberately made younger to meet the current requirements of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The process is supplemented by AI-supported analyses. The research-based component will be implemented by the new partner, puls market research.

“Our goal remains unchanged,” says Yves Schifferle, Head of Delegation Switzerland. “We want to find songs and artists that are internationally compelling and, at the same time, authentically represent Switzerland. To achieve this, we are continuously developing our processes – based on our experience, with new ideas and modern tools.” The slightly revised regulations for selecting the Swiss Eurovision entry are now available here: https://www.srf.ch/article/file/urn:srf:file:6a2a68c457206/Reglement_ESC%202027_CH_en.pdf

Two​ songwriting camps in the summer of 2026

The SRG is placing particular emphasis on finding artists and songs. This is due to the strategic realignment of the SUISA Songwriting Camp, which will no longer focus exclusively on the Eurovision Song Contest. Therefore, the SRG will be running two of its own camps this summer: the Eurovision Songwriting Camps Switzerland 2026 – one in Switzerland and one with an international focus.

The aim is to bring together international songwriters, artists, and producers with Swiss creatives, while simultaneously opening up access to international networks for Swiss talent. The number of places will be deliberately limited. In addition to targeted invitations, there will also be the possibility to apply for participation. This is intended to give new, unknown talents the opportunity to take part in the process.

Lasse Nymann as the new musical director

Lasse Nymann is now responsible for the expanded artist and song search. The songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist was part of the international songwriting and producing team behind "The Code" by Nemo, which won the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in Malmö in 2024.

At the same time, Lasse Nymann knows the Swiss music scene very well. In recent years, he has regularly traveled to Switzerland for songwriting projects, including several songwriting camps such as the SUISA Songwriting Camp and the Montreux Songwriting Camp. He has collaborated with numerous Swiss creatives during this time.

“Switzerland has developed into one of the most exciting and successful Eurovision nations. I look forward to discovering new talents, songs, and creative partnerships together with SRG – both in Switzerland and beyond,” said Lasse Nymann. Yves Schifferle added: “Lasse Nymann combines Eurovision experience, modern pop expertise, and a strong international network with a genuine understanding of the Swiss music scene. It is precisely with this combination that we intend to further strengthen Switzerland’s Eurovision strategy in the future.”

Lasse Nymann is taking over from Pele Loriano, who, after twelve successful years, has decided to focus more on international projects in the future: “My time as Music Director of the Swiss delegation has been a unique journey. I am proud of what we achieved as a team for Switzerland and Eurovision Switzerland, especially Nemo’s ESC victory and the fantastic team performance at the 2025 ESC in Basel. I am very grateful to the SRG for their trust and long-standing collaboration, and I am delighted that our paths will remain closely intertwined in the future.”

Yves Schifferle thanks Pele Loriano: “Over the past twelve years, Pele Loriano has been one of the driving forces behind Switzerland’s development at the Eurovision Song Contest and a major reason for our continued international success. He deserves our sincere thanks for this. At the same time, we look forward to continuing our collaboration with him as a producer and label owner.”

All news and information about the Swiss ESC project can be found continuously at www.srf.ch/eurovision .

Four cities (Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas) have expressed interest in hosting.

The host city is expected to be decided by the end of July.

Mitch, who helps out at Sam's museum, takes us behind the scenes of LMNC's music video

Bulgaria's lyrics 'channels his cat's personality', San Marino "has all the fizz of a Capri Sun", Serbia is "what they play in hell before the demons feast on your cindered skin", and Sweden will "frighten your gran." Yep, Mark Savage is back!

(As a reminder, to prevent any confusion, this is just the opinion of the journalist who wrote the article, not some official BBC take on all the entries)