After being held for the second and last time in 2019 and cancelled in 2021, the EBU announces that the Eurovision Choir competition will not take place in 2025 either. The future of this Eurovision spin-off competition is unclear.
In 2017, the first Eurovision Choir competition took place in Riga, Latvia. Two years later, in 2019, the contest was held in Gothenburg, Sweden. Originally planned as a biennial event, similar to the Eurovision Young Musicians, the 2021 edition was unfortunately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has now announced that the competition will not return in 2025 either. This decision raises questions about the future of Eurovision Choir.
Eurovision Spin-offs: A Mixed Bag of Success
Eurovision Choir is one of several spin-off competitions created by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) following the success of the Eurovision Song Contest. Other notable spin-offs include:
- Junior Eurovision Song Contest (ongoing since 2003)
- Eurovision Young Dancers (held periodically between 1985-2017)
- Eurovision Young Musicians (held biennially since 1982)
Among these, only the Junior Eurovision Song Contest and Eurovision Young Musicians have managed to survive, with the former being particularly successful. The Junior Eurovision is held annually since 2003 and will take place next month in Madrid.
The inaugural Eurovision Choir in Riga saw Slovenia emerge victorious, while Denmark claimed the top spot in the second edition held in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The Uncertain Future of Eurovision Choir
After the cancellation in 2021, Eurovision Choir was scheduled to return to Latvia in 2023. However, it was cancelled again due to financial issues. The EBU has now decided to cancel the 2025 edition as well, citing a lack of interest from various national broadcasters. While it seems that the small and modest institution of Eurovision Choir may be coming to an end, the EBU has not officially announced the complete cancellation of the format.
Nevertheless, it appears unlikely that Eurovision Choir will return in the near future due to the lack of interest from EBU member national broadcasters, for whom Eurovision Choir is apparently not a top priority and they are unwilling to invest financial and other resources in it.
Source: eurofestivales
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