The next Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Rotterdam in May, will again have 41 participants. All countries that registered this year for the edition that was canceled due to corona will return. The organization of NPO, NOS and AVROTROS announced this on Monday.
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Of the 41 participants, 35 countries will participate in the two semifinals on May 18 and 20. The Netherlands is already in the final because of Duncan Laurence’s win in 2019, along with the so-called ‘big five’ – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
“It is fantastic that the same 41 countries that would participate this year want to come to the Netherlands in May 2021,” says executive producer Sietse Bakker. “They have every confidence that our country will be able to organize a successful Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam next year after the cancellation of the 2020 edition.”
Behind the scenes, according to Bakker, the bar is set high to “also make three amazing live shows in these challenging times”. “To make this possible, we are currently working on an extensive protocol that guarantees the health of employees, participants, the press and visitors as much as possible.”
Last month, the organization announced that it is working on four scenarios. One of them is a Eurovision song contest without an audience. In the first months of 2021, it will be decided in what form the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be held.
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