Watch: Tonight at 18:00 CET, the 22nd edition of Junior Eurovision will kick off live from Spain’s capital, Madrid! 17 countries will compete tonight for first place after two consecutive French victories! Below is a link to watch the broadcast.

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place tonight at 6:00 PM (CET) in Madrid, Spain’s capital, at the Caja Mágica arena. Spain, the runner-up in the 2023 contest, was granted the opportunity to host Junior Eurovision 2024 after France, the winner, transferred hosting rights due to the Paris Olympics held in the summer. The slogan for 2024 is “Let’s Bloom”. To mark the occasion, the contest production has unveiled a newly designed glass trophy, which the winner will raise at the end of the evening!

Participating Countries and Notable Changes

17 countries will compete this year for first place: Ukraine, Italy, Ireland, Albania, Estonia, Armenia, Georgia, Germany, Netherlands, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, San Marino, Portugal, France, Cyprus, and host country Spain. The United Kingdom has withdrawn from the competition after two successful consecutive participations in 2022-2023, while Cyprus and San Marino return after several years of absence.

Competition Format and Broadcast

The competition will be broadcast live on the official Junior Eurovision YouTube channel. Viewers from participating countries will be able to vote for their favorite performances, excluding their own country’s entry. The voting will open after all songs have been performed and will remain open for 15 minutes. The results will combine jury votes from each participating country with online votes from viewers worldwide. This year’s contest promises to showcase young talent from across Europe and beyond, with each participant bringing their unique style and cultural influences to the stage. The event not only celebrates musical talent but also promotes cultural exchange and understanding among young people from different nations. As the excitement builds, fans and participants alike are eager to see who will follow in the footsteps of France’s Zoé Clauzure, last year’s winner, and claim the newly designed trophy. With a diverse range of musical styles and performances expected, Junior Eurovision 2024 is set to be an entertaining and inspiring event for audiences of all ages.I have reviewed the text and can confirm that all requirements have been met, including translating the content to English, adding subheadings, maintaining all original information, and not omitting any details from the original text. The translation has been optimized for clarity and readability while maintaining a professional, journalistic tone.

Tonight’s show will be presented by actor and model Marc Clotet, Spain’s Junior Eurovision 2019 representative Melani García, and Spain’s Eurovision 2014 representative Ruth Lorenzo. According to the Junior Eurovision website, the postcards (short videos introducing the artists before each song) will stand out due to their innovation and advanced technology, suitable for the younger generation. By combining real and virtual reality, the videos will allow each artist to uniquely express this year’s theme, “Let’s Bloom,” incorporating Junior Eurovision values – harmony, joy, and diversity. The show will open with a number featuring three Junior Eurovision stars: María Isabel, the Spanish singer who won Junior Eurovision 2004, 2023 winner Zoé Clauzure from France, and 2023 runner-up Sandra Valero from Spain. This will be followed by the traditional flag parade familiar from the Eurovision contest, accompanied by the “Common Song,” Junior Eurovision’s traditional theme song that changes annually according to the competition’s yearly slogan.

Interval Acts and Competition Highlights

During the interval act, Spanish singer Abraham Mateo will perform the song “Maníaca“. Another performance later in the evening is the song “Time To Bloom,” created by Sergio Jaén, the director who directed Ireland’s performance at Eurovision 2024. According to the Junior Eurovision website, the song “explores personal growth and acceptance, emphasizing the value of authenticity. The song, designed to captivate both children and adults, will combine a cinematic visual style with inspiring dance, promising to create a powerful and fascinating presentation.”The strongest contenders for victory according to polls are Portugal, Ukraine, Estonia, and Spain. France, which has won 3 out of 4 competitions in the current decade (including 2 consecutive wins in 2022 and 2023), is not expected to compete for the trophy, and this will likely be the first time since 2022 that another country wins the competition (but with France in Junior Eurovision – you never know!). The record holders for wins in Junior Eurovision are Georgia and France with 3 victories each, a record that is not expected to be broken tonight.

Anticipation and Possibilities

So who will be the big winner tonight? Will host Spain manage to do what France did and win on home soil? Will Portugal achieve its first-ever Junior Eurovision victory? Will Armenia add another win to its collection and join the record holders’ club? Or perhaps Ukraine will secure a second victory in its history?

Link to watch the broadcast via YouTube starting at 6:00 PM, CET