Live Blog: Grand Final 2023

Loreen leads the press room in a singalong of Tattoo, and it's the perfect finish to the press conference.

And with that, Eurovision is done for another year. The whole experience has been incredible, and the city has opened its doors and hearts to the Eurovision community.  We’d just like to say a huge thank you to the amazing Eurovision digital team who have supported over 100 hours of Live Blog content in the past two weeks. It’s been so much fun, and very much a team effort.

Our beds are calling, maybe via the afterparty at Euroclub. We can’t wait to see you in Sweden in 2024 – До нових зустрічей!

What's the key to winning Eurovision twice, an online fan asks. Being authentic, says Loreen, and not listening to other people's advice. The support and awards she's received from the fans have given her serenity, but in the end she had to put that aside and focus on her performance. 

For the future, she's going to follow joy and happiness, because that's what Loreen does. She then sends a message to the Two Brewers in London, in response to a request to 'make the Clapham gays happy.' 

And yes, she would consider a collaboration with Ireland's Johnny Logan. It's 1.30am and this press conference is getting increasingly surreal. 

A journalist asks Loreen what the song Tattoo brought to the contest. She says that Euphoria was the moonlight, and Tattoo is the sunlight, which makes us think a Loreen/Pasha Parfeni duet might be nice. Although Moldova's Pasha has now taken part in two Eurovisions where Loreen has won, so maybe he needs a little time out?

Martin Österdahl has arrived to hand over the welcome pack to Sweden's Head Of Delegation, which contains everything they need to start planning for next year's contest. He congratulates Loreen on becoming the first woman to win twice, and making Sweden now tied with Ireland for the most wins.

The questions from journalists and fans begin, and Loreen shares how proud and overwhelmed she feels to have won the contest again. She plans to celebrate with her first glass of wine in six months.

She's asked how this experience compares to winning in 2012 - she says this has been more motherly and effortless, like coming back to a family she's known for 11 years.  

'It's got to be Stockholm' said Loreen, musing about next year's contest. I'm not sure winning Eurovision gives you the power to pick the host city, but let's go with it. 

...with all the info you need to sound VERY informed over breakfast tomorrow.

…to hear from Loreen, now a second time Eurovision champion. Don’t go away!

Sweden’s Loreen has won this year's Eurovision with  583 points, with Finland in second with 526 points! We'll share the full scoreboard on Eurovision.tv shortly, and the full jury/public voting breakdown later tonight. Congratulations Sweden!

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra hand over the Eurovision trophy to Loreen, and she goes off to get ready to sing her song again. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of ABBA's win, so that's kind of lovely. One more time for the fans, Loreen. 

Four countries left to announce...and another big shake-up with the public voting for Finland - they got over 300 votes and are now very much in the lead...but for how long? We still have three countries to announce....

It's not Italy, and it's not Israel...it all comes down to Sweden versus Finland...

Right, let’s do this thing. Deep breaths, everyone, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Germany are taking the bottom slot this year, but they’ve got 18 points so nobody is getting zero this year. This always makes us very happy.

The juries have all voted, and Sweden have won the jury vote, followed by israel, Italy, Finland and Estonia. Sweden's lead is over 160 points - but if there’s one thing the last few years have taught us, it’s that the public vote can change EVERYTHING. So don’t start booking hotels in various Swedish cities for May 2024 just yet...

Sweden are still well in the lead, with a margin of over 120 points Italy and Israel are still in second and third. Can Sweden be caught? 

...and Italy and Israel are closing the gap on Sweden, but only a bit. Could the public vote change everything? Top five is currently Sweden, Italy, Israel, Estonia, Finland. 

...but we can update that Sweden are still very much in the lead with the juries. Italy and Israel are second and third, but it's VERY close in that whole non-Sweden left hand side. 

And Sweden are currently in the lead by some margin, followed by Israel and Italy. But it's VERY early days. 

Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl has confirmed in his usual calm and collected manner that the jury votes are GOOD TO GO, which means it’s time to have slightly stilted conversations with people all over Europe and Europe-adjacent nations, as well as a very tired Australian. Let the voting fun begin…

It's not Eurovision unless somebody from ABBA pops up. We Love this chat with ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus about the way Eurovision can create stars - Armenia’s Rosa Linn and the UK’s Sam Ryder have both had an incredible year off the back of Eurovision 2022. Lovely to see the ABBA museum too – well worth a visit if you’re ever in Stockholm. 

The voting’s over, so put your phone down-didi-down-down-down. They wrote a song, but you chose not to stay despite your promise. If your queen of kings doesn’t win it’s all because of you. 

In unrelated news, Baileys is for life, not just for Christmas. 

...this by Duncan Laurence is really quite special, especially with the whole crowd waving their phone torches and Ruslana singing along in Kiev. United by Music, always. 

So, imagine if you could bring back some huge Eurovision stars – say, Mahmood, Netta, Cornelia Jacobs, Daði Freyr and Sonia  – and invite them to sing some of the biggest songs to ever come out of the city of Liverpool. That would be a fever dream, right?

No – it’s actually happening, right now, and it’s twelve minutes of the best TV you will see all year. Do NOT go away, and prepare for things to get a bit dusty at the end.
 

Graham Norton is chatting to Eurovision presenting legend Jan Leeming in the Green Room, whilst Julia is chatting to some of the Ukrainian fans watching in the arena this evening. They are given a huge welcome, and we really hope they’re enjoying the show.

Meanwhile Alesha’s up in the commentary boxes chatting to Ukrainian commentator Timur and Aussie commentators Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey. It’s currently 3am in Perth, Voyager’s home town. Reasonable to assume that nobody there has gone to bed yet. 

...of Teya from Austria feeding cupcakes to Käärijä from Finland. It's a moment. 

We’re kicking off this year’s interval in style, with Sam Ryder singing his latest single ‘Mountain’. It’s about overcoming adversity, so very much a song for our times. He’s has the most insane year since Eurovision 2022, but has retained his puppy-like enthusiasm for life and we can confirm he remains the Nicest Man On Earth. Also Roger Taylor from Queen on drums! Incredible.

…and the voting is OPEN! Only one act will get to perform again tonight, and that will be because they’ve just won the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. We’ll know who that is in about one hour and 40 minutes, but before that we’ve got a very long but extremely fun interval and a whole load of quite stressful voting to get through. Buckle in, everyone!

Incidentally, the easiest way to vote is via the Eurovision App – you can download it here! And if you’ve already forgotten everything that happened over the past two hours, there are going to be several reminders of all 26 songs.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom / Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song
Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song - 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

All our girls are out…

Is there any better way to wrap up an INCREDIBLE night of music than Mae Muller singing a massive break-up diss track in front of a home crowd? There is not. This is pure sass and attitude, and the audience are di-di-die-di-die-dieing along with her. It’s a great bit of staging too, and  it’s definitely one of the tracks in this year's contest that we're going to hear in bars all over Europe this summer. 

🇭🇷 Croatia / Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!
Let 3 - Mama ŠČ! - 🇭🇷 Croatia – Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Tractors, war, stripping…

All the songs since Finland have been relatively sane, but fear not – Croatia are here to remind us that moments of musical madness are a fundamental part of Eurovision’s DNA. Let 3 are another established band, known in Croatia for their incredible outfits and provocative punk stage performances that mostly involve taking their kit off. Look, if we can just get through this three minutes, we’ll all breathe a little easier, OK?

Oh thank goodness, we made it. Plenty of tractors, marching and fireworks…but no weapons unleashed. 

🇸🇮 Slovenia / Joker Out - Carpe Diem
Joker Out - Carpe Diem - 🇸🇮 Slovenia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

It’s our final band of the day…

Joker Out are five guys in their twenties, who are an established band in Slovenia with a big following and a huge amount of big stage experience. In these sustainable, low-waste times we don’t get as much delegation merch as we used to – so far we’ve only had some Gustaph Belgian chocolates and a tiny Vesna crown. But Slovenia have been handing out branded condoms around Liverpool - we appreciate their charisma, their performance, their velvet trousers and their commitment to Health & Safety.

We salute the politeness of this sign. Well done, Israel fans. 

🇮🇱 Israel / Noa Kirel – Unicorn
Noa Kirel – Unicorn - 🇮🇱 Israel - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Noa's got the power...🦄🦄🦄

Time for a super-polished performance from Noa Kirel, who is a pop superstar in Israel. There’s also another box on stage, so tick that off your bingo card. She has the power of a unicorn 🦄 – we checked what specific powers unicorns have, and it turns out their horns have healing powers. Perhaps she can take a look at Andrew Lambrou’s broken heart?

YOU WANNA SEE ME DANCE? yells Noa. Of course we do, it’s Eurovision. Give us ALL the unicorns 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

🇱🇹 Lithuania / Monika Linkytė – Stay
Monika Linkytė – Stay - 🇱🇹 Lithuania - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

It’s time for another Eurovision returner – Monika performed as part of a duet with Vaidas Baumila in 2015, but now she’s back as a solo artist. Stay is an empowering anthem and some fabulous gospel-style harmonies, and Monika has a HUGE voice. It also features the phrase ‘Čiūto Tūto’, which is a magical incantation in Lithuanian folk dances – she’s been casting that spell for all over Liverpool, and it’s taken her all the way to the Grand Final. 

How time flies when you're 98% blood and glitter. 

🇩🇪 Germany  / Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter
Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter - 🇩🇪 Germany - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

What we are is but a choice...🩸🪩

Ready for some genre-fluid German rock? 🤘 Blood and Glitter may SOUND quite angry, but the lyrics are actually quite uplifting, and Lord of the Lost are absolutely charming. The band has a huge following in Germany, and when they leave Liverpool they’re off to support Iron Maiden on tour. As you do. This performance uses more pyro than all the other acts put together, because 🤘🔥 🤘🔥🤘🔥

🇳🇴 Norway / Alessandra – Queen of Kings 
Alessandra - Queen of Kings – 🇳🇴 Norway - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Nothing in the world can stop Alessandra…👑

Ready for a Viking queen singing an operatic female empowerment battle cry?  This has all our favourite things – velvet corsetry, power shoulders, a thumping drumbeat, backing dancers with glo-sticks, and the kind of whistle note we haven’t heard since Israel’s Eden Alene in 2021. It’s lifting the roof off the Liverpool arena, and the whole crowd is singing along to the laidadadilaidas.

🇺🇦 Ukraine  / TVORCHI - Heart Of Steel
TVORCHI - Heart Of Steel - 🇺🇦 Ukraine - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

TVORCHI are playing for the win…

Heart of Steel is the only R&B at Eurovision this year, and it’s a brilliant way for Ukraine to defend their Eurovision title. It’s also one of most impactful uses of lighting and graphics – the staging is really clever, and it’s clear how much effort has gone into making it feel really polished. It’s also a really complex and orchestral musical composition - Jeffery’s vocals are supported by soaring strings, church organ-style keyboard effects and thumping bass. The whole thing comes together to create a really hypnotic performance – Ukraine always bring the goods to Eurovision, and this year is no exception. 

🇲🇩 Moldova / Pasha Parfeni – Soarele și Luna 
Pasha Parfeni - Soarele și Luna - 🇲🇩 Moldova - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Pasha’s back…

It wouldn’t be Eurovision without at least one huge ethno-banger, and this one from Moloda’s Pasha Parfeni is pounding through the arena floor. He’s another returner to Eurovision, having previously represented Moldova in 2012, which was the year Loreen lifted the trophy.

Soarele și Luna ☀️🌙 is sung in Romanian, and features Sergiu the epic flute guy, two horned dancers and some giant drums. It’s about the spiritual balance between the sun and the moon, and we’d very much like to go to a pagan rave with Pasha, please. Or Glastonbury. Same thing, really.

🇦🇲 Armenia / Brunette – Future Lover
Brunette – Future Lover - 🇦🇲 Armenia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Brunette just wants to make art…

You would be forgiven for thinking this is a melancholy orchestral ballad about what Brunette is looking for in her dream partner (art, book shopping, smoothies, just FYI). And that's exactly what it is, at least for the first half -  but then the whole thing goes OFF into a fierce rap with bonus dance break. It’s powerful and dramatic, and a showcase of the breadth of Brunette’s vocal talents.

🇧🇪 Belgium / Gustaph - Because of You
Gustaph - Because of You - 🇧🇪 Belgium - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Huge Belgian bop incoming…

Gustaph is bringing the 90s house music revival to Eurovision, with a big old inspo-bop about celebrating the people who raise us up. Gustaph has backing vocals bridesmaid at Eurovision twice – for Sennek in 2018 and Hooverphonic in 2022, but now he’s very much the bride and absolutely living his best life. Also bonus points for the pink dancing trousers and the rather fabulous hat.

🇦🇺 Australia / Voyager – Promise
Voyager – Promise - 🇦🇺 Australia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

All hail the return of the keytar to the Eurovision stage, this time in the very capable hands of Aussie rockers Voyager. Promise a proper retro rock stomper, with 80s-style synths, glittery suits and a classic Toyota MR-2 on stage – the first car we’ve seen at Eurovision since…*checks notes*...umm, Malta’s The Busker. Last Tuesday.

Voyager have been performing together for over twenty years, and are huge Eurovision fans – we love how much they’ve embraced the Eurovision glitter 🤘🪩

🇨🇿 Czechia / Vesna – My Sister’s Crown
Vesna – My Sister’s Crown - 🇨🇿 Czechia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Czechia are choosing love over power…👑

Time for Vesna to sing their girl power anthem My Sister’s Crown - they're a well-known band in Czechia, and this track combines pop and rap with some traditional folk elements. It’s performed in a mix of English, Czech, Bulgarian and Ukrainian – with the six members of Vesna sporting the kind of floor-length hair braids we haven’t seen since Montenegro’s Slavko in 2017.

🇫🇮 Finland / Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha - 🇫🇮 Finland - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Finland’s Kaarija marks the halfway point of tonight’s performances, and if you haven’t heard this already, you may want to brace yourself. Cha Cha Cha is a heady mix of J-Pop, schlager and metal, sung by a man in an acid green bolero jacket accompanied by four demonic pink dancers. Everything about it is incredible, from the opening sequence his wooden box to the human caterpillar dance move at the end, which the dancers call the ‘piggy train’.

Kaarija has thrown himself into the world of Eurovision – he’s even brought his own Finnish sauna to Liverpool. It seems to be busy 24/7, weirdly.

...Jedward bopping to Sweden's Loreen.

🇪🇪 Estonia / Alika - Bridges
Alika – Bridges - 🇪🇪 Estonia - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Baltic power ballad incoming...

Alika co-wrote Bridges with legendary Dutch songwriter Wouter Hardy, who also co-wrote 2019’s winner Arcade with Duncan Laurence. She also has a haunted piano, which plays itself while she belts out every note. We’ve been singing this (badly) in the shower since it won the Estonian national selection in February, and we have no plans to stop now. 
 

🇮🇹 Italy - Marco Mengoni - Due Vite
Marco Mengoni - Due Vite - 🇮🇹 Italy - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Ready to fall in love with Marco?

Marco Mengoni is a huge star in Italy – this is his 69th platinum single, and he delivers every note with heart and soul and the kind of vocal light and shade that feels uniquely Italian. He also has a trampoline – not for him, obviously; that would be mad. ‘Due Vite’ means ‘two lives’, and his two dancers tell an emotional love story through the medium of bounce. The whole performance is captivating and stylish – even the sparkly vest is Versace, darling.

🇦🇱 Albania / Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje
Albina & Familja Kelmendi – Duje - 🇦🇱 Albania - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

We’re keeping up with the Kelmendis…

It’s a family affair for Albania this year – Albina is on stage with her parents AND her brother and sister. So firstly we should congratulate them for making it to the Grand Final without anyone slamming their dressing room door or being grounded for giving their sibling a dead arm.

Duje is a huge ballad about the role of love in the family, and overcoming every challenge that life brings – Albina delivers the lead vocal with passion and power, but the whole family brings some lovely vocal and dance harmony. 

🇸🇪 Sweden / Loreen – Tattoo
Loreen – Tattoo - 🇸🇪 Sweden - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Loreen is stuck on Eurovision…

Loreen is back! Having won the contest in 2012, she’s hoping to do a Jonny Logan and take the Eurovision trophy for the second time. It’s another euphoric dance number, but this time she’s singing it from inside a giant illuminated box. Everything about this is distinctively Loreen, from the huge vocals to the unique dance movements and fabulous nails. The Eurovision community is delighted to welcome her back to the stage, and this, by any standards (Eurovision or otherwise), is a proper banger. 

While they’re wheeling out Sweden’s giant prop, Timur Miroshnychenko is taking a moment to tell us all about Junior Eurovision. Last year was in Yerevan in Armenia, and this year it’s in Nice in France. You can find out more about the contest below (but read it later, you don't want to miss the singing).

🇪🇸 Spain / Blanca Paloma – EAEA
Blanca Paloma – EAEA - 🇪🇸 Spain - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

¡Reina! ¡Guapa! It’s Blanca Paloma…🕊️

We’ve already heard ALL KINDS this evening – Portuguese cabaret, French disco, trippy Serbian techno, Polish pop, a Swiss ballad – and now it’s time for a dance remix of traditional flamenco from Spain’s Blanca Paloma. It’s three minutes of passion and power, again big on the red theming, with a vocal performance that’s lifting the roof off the Liverpool Arena. 

🇨🇾 Cyprus / Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
Andrew Lambrou – Break A Broken Heart - 🇨🇾 Cyprus - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

You can't break Andrew Lambrou...

Australia haven’t just given us Voyager, they’ve given us Andrew Lambrou too – he’s a Cypriot-Australian who lives in Sydney, singing a ballad about how you can’t break a heart that’s already broken 💔💔, which is undeniable science.

It’s told through the medium of smoke 💨 and water 💦 and flames 🔥, and the whole performance is stirring and dramatic. Andrew also has the most effortless vocal range for someone who's offloading that much emotional baggage. 

We love a best bits montage, and the semi-finals were PACKED with brilliant stuff. If you missed them, you can watch all the highlights on YouTube.

🇫🇷 France / La Zarra – Évidemment
La Zarra – Évidemment - 🇫🇷 France - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
 

Maintenant nous allons à la discothèque…🪩

It’s time France’s La Zarra, atop her giant sparkly plinth like a human Eiffel Tower, belting this disco banger out like Edith Piaf has been possessed by Lady Gaga. The whole performance is entirely fabulous, featuring more sequins and sparkles than the rest of the contest put together. La Zarra’s vocal is incredible - more French disco at Eurovision, s'il vous plait.  It’s going VERY big in the hall 🪩🇫🇷🪩🇫🇷🪩

🇷🇸 Serbia / Luke Black – Samo Mi Se Spava 
Luke Black – Samo Mi Se Spava - 🇷🇸 Serbia – Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

We just wanna sleep forever…

…and so does Serbia’s Luke Back. Sadly he has to leave his alien flower bed to spend three minutes in a post-apocalyptic video game with robots and masked dancers wearing smoking backpacks. It’s surreal and atmospheric and brilliantly hypnotic – we never imagined we’d see something even more intense and strange from Serbia than last year’s hand-washing from Konstraktor, but Luke has taken it to another level. The manic laugh at the end is ART. Hang it in Tate Liverpool, no notes.

🇵🇱 Poland / Blanka - Solo
Blanka – Solo - 🇵🇱 Poland - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Bejba, it’s kinda krezja...

Ready for a girl power summer bop? Poland’s Blanka is going solo, because she never lets herself down-didi-down-down-down. It’s a perfect slice of Eurovision sunshine, from the tropical graphics to the costume reveal and the dance break. We love that’s she’s leaned into all the ‘bejba’ memes about her opening lyric, and we’re fully expecting to hear this in bars all over Europe this summer 🍹🌴

🇨🇭Switzerland / Remo Forrer - Watergun
Remo Forrer – Watergun - 🇨🇭Switzerland - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

In 2021 Switzerland gave us G’Jon’s Tears, and in 2022 it was Marius Bear – this year’s Switzerland have gone for the heartfelt ballad hat-trick with Remo Forrer singing Watergun, a song about the futility of war and a universal call for peace. But what makes this stand out in a field of bops and bands is how connected Remo clearly feels to the song, and how much work has gone into building the atmosphere and perfecting the choreography. A moment of reflection in the madness. 

🇵🇹 Portugal / Mimicat - Ai Coração
Mimicat - Ai Coração - 🇵🇹 Portugal - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023

Oh heart ❤️, it’s Mimicat! 🐱

Time for something completely different from Portugal’s Mimicat – the big piano glissando at the beginning teases a big disco number like I Will Survive, but her performance is actually a riot of red feathers and hand-clapping cabaret.

Ai Coração means ‘oh heart’ ❤️  – there are quite a few songs not sung in English this year, but we’ve got you covered. Just go to Mimicat’s page on the official Eurovision website and scroll to the bottom, and you’ll find the lyrics in both the original Portuguese and the English translation. But not until you’ve enjoyed the fabulous CHA CHA CHA finish to this song – there are plenty more of those coming up later.

🇦🇹 Austria / Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar? - 🇦🇹 Austria - Official Music Video – Eurovision 2023
 

What the heck is this about? 🎶

So if you’re just joining the Eurovision party for the first time, welcome! And yes, Austria’s Teya and Salena are singing an absolute STOMPER about being possessed by the ghost of American lyricists Edgar Allan Poe, because why the heck not?

But it’s also a song with a message, about the poor treatment of songwriters by the music industry – the ‘zero dot zero zero three’ refers to the paltry $0.003c paid to the writer for each stream. So it’s deep, but also a banger, featuring the immortal line ‘oh mio padre, there’s a ghost in my body’. Go WILD with the dance moves and the Poe-Poe-Poes, it’s Eurovision. 

26 countries. 26 songs. MANY emojis. Buckle in, everyone. It’s going to be a RIDE. 

Our hosts confirm what we announced yesterday - Luxembourg are returning to Eurovision next year, having last taken part in 1993. We’ve already committed their flag 🇱🇺 to memory, and can’t wait to welcome them back to the Eurovision family. 

Alesha, Julia and Hannah are back, accompanied this time by UK TV legend Graham Norton. He’s also multi-tasking on the UK commentary this year, so presumably he’s going to get his steps up this evening. 

We LOVE a flag parade, and this one mixes great British music from The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Eurythmics and S-Express with interludes provided by Ukrainian Eurovision legends Go_A,  Jamala, Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka. It manages to be incredibly cool and splendidly camp at the same time, which is all we ever want from Eurovision.

Time for a big opening film, featuring a banging version of Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania performed by the band and other musicians and dancers around Liverpool. It's also not the same film we've seen in rehearsals, because this one features...Catherine, Princess of Wales. When royalty start getting involved in Eurovision, you know you've created something really special. 

This performance takes what was already a brilliant song to a new level, and now Kalush are on stage in the Liverpool Arena reprising their winning song with crew of amazing dancers. It’s been on our repeat playlist for the past twelve months, and it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

Our amazing photographers have been capturing all the action backstage, to give you a flavour of how the crew puts this show together. If behind the scenes is your thing, it's fascinating - enjoy! 

The countdown has begun, the atmosphere backstage is ELECTRIC, and we all can't wait to get started. Now would be the time to do all your last-minute preparations, including downloading the Eurovision app so you can vote later! Just click on the link below for all the info you need.

It’s not Eurovision without keeping an eye out for this year's themes – so decide whether you’re drinking or eating snacks or scoring points for whenever you spot any of the following:

• 🔴 Red – last year was all about black and white, but this year it’s all gone a bit sexy/angry/hot
• 💃 Dance breaks – three went into the Semis, and all three made it into the Grand Final. Gracias, Chanel 🇪🇸
• 🔥 PYRO – flames, fireworks, smoke jets, fog, on-stage firepits
• 📦 Boxes. Last year was all about the circles, but this year we’ve added corners
• 💪 Bare skin – bare feet, toned arms, six packs, outfits being ripped off – this year at Eurovision, clothing is optional
• 🎶 Non-English lyrics – we count 17 different languages being showcased tonight – see if you can spot them all! 

We would say that Liverpool has never looked this good, but that would be unfair - this city has ALWAYS known how to dress up for a night out. 

The arena is filling up, and the Eurovision clock is counting down. Here are some things you can do to get ready.

• Download a scorecard. You’ll thank us later when you’ve listened to 26 songs in 17 languages and can’t remember which country was the one about being possessed by the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, which one had the six women with the hair, and which one was the punk guys singing about tractors. 
• Get your costume ready. Tonight we’ve got glitter, sparkles, spandex, leather, feathers, hats, exposed abs, bare feet, tiny dresses, ponchos, bolero jackets and Belgian jodphurs. Go wild in your wardrobe. 
• Top up your drinks and snacks. Tonight’s show is nearly four hours’ long, so strap in for a long haul. Anything uniquely British or vaguely Ukrainian gets you extra points. Tiny Chicken Kievs from your local supermarket definitely count.  
• Read about each Grand Finalist's fave Eurovision song of all time - we asked, and they answered...
• Watch Be My Guest - Rylan and Clara Amfo interviewed each 37 of this year's contestants, asked them fan questions, then played daft games. You can find all the highlights here. 
   

...and they've definitely made an effort. Two of the most glamorous Verkas we've ever seen (not including the original, obviously).

Here's the running order for tonight's show - 26 brilliant bops, bangers, bands and ballads. 

🇦🇹 Austria / Teya & Salena - Who The Hell Is Edgar?
🇵🇹 Portugal / Mimicat - Ai Coração
🇨🇭Switzerland / Remo Forrer - Watergun
🇵🇱 Poland / Blanka - Solo
🇷🇸 Serbia / Luke Black – Samo Mi Se Spava 
🇫🇷 France / La Zarra – Évidemment
🇨🇾 Cyprus / Andrew Lambrou - Break A Broken Heart
🇪🇸 Spain / Blanca Paloma – EAEA
🇸🇪 Sweden / Loreen – Tattoo
🇦🇱 Albania / Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje
🇮🇹 Italy - Marco Mengoni - Due Vite
🇪🇪 Estonia / Alika - Bridges
🇫🇮 Finland / Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha
🇨🇿 Czechia / Vesna – My Sister’s Crown
🇦🇺 Australia / Voyager – Promise
🇧🇪 Belgium / Gustaph - Because of You
🇦🇲 Armenia / Brunette – Future Lover
🇲🇩 Moldova / Pasha Parfeni – Soarele și Luna 
🇺🇦 Ukraine  / TVORCHI - Heart Of Steel
🇳🇴 Norway / Alessandra – Queen of Kings 
🇩🇪 Germany  / Lord of the Lost - Blood & Glitter
🇱🇹 Lithuania / Monika Linkytė – Stay
🇮🇱 Israel / Noa Kirel – Unicorn
🇸🇮 Slovenia / Joker Out - Carpe Diem
🇭🇷 Croatia / Let 3 - Mama ŠČ!
🇬🇧 United Kingdom / Mae Muller - I Wrote A Song
 

...although obviously it's also about the joy of music and representing their country on a huge global stage. But mostly it's about this very blingy trophy.

You can find out everything you need to know about how to watch the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final on the link below, AND how to vote. You're so welcome!

Good evening and welcome to the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final Live Blog! After two weeks of closely watching every rehearsal and live show, we’ve reached the Grand Final. Who will add their name to the Eurovision history books for the 67th contest? By the end of tonight we’ll know, and the planning for next year’s show will begin. 

It’s Heidi keeping you company once again this evening, from now until the press conference is finished and the afterparty begins (although we probably won't live blog that bit). We’re backstage at the Liverpool Arena, excited to be your essential companion for tonight’s show, so please stay with us.

It’s the biggest live entertainment event in the world, and it starts at 20:00 GMT / 21:00 CEST. Are you ready to do this one last time?