Coming up: 43 contestants will walk the glamorous Blue Carpet
06 May 2018 at 13:31 CESTThe red carpet, appropriately blue this year, is the annual highlight ahead of the live shows of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is an important moment for the participating artists — they meet press and fans alike, and it is the last chance to party before the more serious business of dress rehearsals and live shows.
With the theme of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest revolving around the oceans, the organisers chose to replace the traditional red carpet with a spectacular blue carpet, as you can see in the sneak peek below:
The 43 acts taking part in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will walk down the Blue Carpet, along the banks of the Tejo River, where accredited media and fans will be able to see and interview them.
From the Blue Carpet, the contestants walk straight into the official opening reception, hosted by the City Of Lisbon.
Where to watch?
The Blue Carpet ceremony will start at 17:00 local time (18:00 CEST), and will be broadcast live by RTP1 in Portugal and on the Eurovision Song Contest's official YouTube channel.
Don't forget to check out the Eurovision social media platforms, where we'll keep you posted on all the fun stuff happening on the Blue Carpet:
Meet the Blue Carpet hosts
Cláudia Semedo is a Portuguese actress and TV host. Born in Lisbon in 1983, she completed her studies in theatre and has a degree in journalism. After starting her career in radio, she made her cinematic debut in 2000. Just one year later, she acted in her first play in Portugal's national theatre. In 2002, she began working as a TV host.
Radio host of RTP's Antena 3 morning show, Inês Lopes Gonçalves is also TV host of the weekly talk shows Traz Pr'á Frente on RTP Memória and 5 Para a Meia Noite on RTP. In 2017, she was part of the jury of Festival da Canção, when Salvador Sobral was chosen as the Portuguese entry for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.
Actor and TV host Pedro Granger started his career at RTP in 1999. Since then, he's starred in theatre plays, cinema and television. Being a Eurovision fan since childhood, he presented the Portuguese national selection and was the Portuguese commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.
Pedro Penim is a founding member and the artistic director of Teatro Praga, the company with which he has won several awards and prizes in theatre. His main work as a stage director and actor extends to the areas of writing, translation, TV presenting and education. He has had his works presented in France, Italy, Brazil, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Spain, Slovakia, Turkey, Israel, Slovenia and Hungary.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the show!