Whether you watch because you enjoy the signing, the cheesy dancing or the inevitable voting controversy, there’s no doubt that the Eurovision Song Contest is one of the highlights of the year. So, here’s everything you need to know about the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.

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When is it?

The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will take place on Saturday 12th May and will be held in last year’s winning country of Portugal. Before the main event, there will be two semi-finals that will take place on the 8th and 10th May where it will be decided which countries will join Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Portugal in the final.

What can we expect?

Portugal will be hosting the event for the first time and have chosen four female presenters to be on hosting duty: actress Daniele Ruah, TV host Silvia Alberto, 2017 Portuguese Jury spokesperson Filomena Cautela and TV presenter Catarina Furtado. Although the schedule has yet to be announced, it is expected that the contest will be broadcast on BBC1, as in previous years. There will be a dual voting system in place, allowing juries and viewers from each country to vote for their favourite act.

Each year, the contest makes headlines for funny, or sometimes even controversial, reasons. At the 2017 event, a man interrupted 2016 winner Jamala’s performance by baring his bottom live on stage. You can also expect to hear some of the most unusual lyrics, which makes the contest even more entertaining!

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Who will be representing the UK?

The official UK Eurovision representative has yet to be chosen, with the BBC asking the public to choose. Eurovision: You Decide will be broadcast on 7th February on BBC2 and will see six hopefuls perform new songs. It will then be put to a public vote, with the winner representing the UK.

With this show set to be broadcast next month, now is the time to make sure that you are all set to watch. If you are having issues with your TV it might be worth looking into TV aerials in Swansea through companies such as One Vision Ltd to make sure that nothing stops your guilty viewing pleasure!

So, for those who love the Eurovision Song Contest, make sure that you tune in on the 12th May.