Get the full coverage from the second dress rehearsal of the first semi-final, currently taking place on the Eurovision 2026 stage in Vienna. One by one, Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland and Serbia. We will be providing updates throughout the rehearsal with all the details received by our editorial team.

Photo: EBU

Today at 21:00 CET, the second dress rehearsal began ahead of the first semi-final broadcast, which will take place tomorrow at 21:00 CET (Thursday, May 15). Just before another dress rehearsal takes place tonight at 21:00 CET, we’re here to report everything happening on stage in real time from Vienna.

As a reminder, this year the countries that automatically qualify for the Grand Final will also perform during the semi-finals, but their songs will not be eligible for voting at this stage. In the second semi-final, Italy and Germany will take the stage.

Make sure to click the refresh button so you can continue following along during the rehearsals!

First Semi-Final – Initial Overview:

At the beginning of the show, a male couple who have been watching the Eurovision Song Contest since its inaugural year are projected onto the screen, alongside a variety of Eurovision hits from throughout the years. Among the hits is the Israeli entry – “Diva” by Dana International. At a certain point, one of the men in the couple passes away. On stage, Austrian dancers and actors are dressed in light blue and white.

The performers on stage sing “L’amour Est Bleu” by Vicki Leandros from the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest. The singer then joins them for the performance, which concludes with a waterfall of fireworks.

Following this, the hosts of Eurovision 2026, Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski, take the stage.

1. Moldova – Satoshi, “Viva, Moldova!”:

At the very beginning of the performance by Satoshi, the stage fills with the colors of the Moldovan flag, and the camera angle is from the stage itself with a shaky camera effect. Two backing singers join him, one of whom is Aliona Moon, the Moldovan representative at Eurovision 2013. Two electric guitarists and a drummer are also on stage. The members spread out across the stage as the camera pans between them, while Japanese-style characters appear on the LED screens. The camera shakes during parts of the act to simulate the audience dancing along with the singer and the band. Aliona Moon performs an amazing tribute to her 2013 entry; during her vocal part, she stands inside a giant red dress just as she did 13 years ago. She returns to the main stage, as fire and pyrotechnics accompany the performance. The artist sounds excited during the act, but the vocal performance is overall excellent, and the general level of the production is simply amazing—an excellent opening for the show.

2. Sweden – FELICIA, “My System“:

Felicia begins the performance completely alone, with a sparkling mask covering her face and a smoke-filled floor in red and white. Four dancers join the act and perform synchronized movements. Red lasers are projected from the stage ceiling, while white lasers draw a square around the singer on the floor. The entire stage is bathed in red and black colors. During the C-part, the camera films her from above. “Hey!” vocals have been added to the performance, which were not present in the original version. The artist switches from her mask to glasses, just as in the Swedish national selection, and appears as if she is emerging from the LED screens. A strong stage performance, and to our surprise, also vocally precise!

3. Croatia – LELEK, “Andromeda”:

LELEK take to the smoke-filled stage, starting with a close-up on the face of one of the members. Ancient symbols are painted on the faces of the band members. One member is dressed in white and sits on an exceptionally high chair (appearing as if she is levitating), while the other members stand on stage dressed in red. Magic that is difficult to explain in words unfolds on the LED screens, and the performance looks particularly impressive on camera. Three members of the band walk down the catwalk and back, and upon their return, they perform a “Hand of God” pose with each other. The “magic” from the beginning of the performance opens its gates on the LED screens and shatters. A massive amount of fire shoots from the arena floor at the end of the song. As the performance concludes, the singers are sucked into a sort of “wormhole” on the LED screens. One of the band members runs away from the others at the end of the act toward the center of the catwalk. The stage performance is on the verge of chilling, and it also sounds excellent vocally.

4. Greece – Akylas, “Ferto”:

Akylas begins the performance to loud cheers from the journalists in the press center. He is dressed in tiger-print clothing, and a video game featuring his character is displayed on the LED screens. As the song progresses, the game on the screens advances. The singer passes through a tunnel of mirrors, emerges from it, and pays tribute to the Greek Eurovision 2005 winner, Helena Paparizou, by playing “violin” strings made of threads extending from a dancer’s costume. He rides a scooter forward onto the catwalk, as various sweets surround him in the video art. Meanwhile, sets of different rooms have been prepared on stage. A grandmother is knitting in one, a Greek statue is in another, and a golden figure is in the third. He then ascends above the four rooms while singing the emotional part of his song. During this segment, he seems to get slightly tired vocally, but he literally slides down a pole back to the main stage toward the end of the track, and the characters from the rooms join him on the catwalk as the performance concludes. It looks extremely impressive; the press room (and especially the Greeks next to us) has not yet recovered.

5. Portugal – Bandidos Do Cante, “Rosa”:

Bandidos do Cante begin their performance a cappella, dressed in very simple clothing relative to the extravagant Eurovision stage. The five members are positioned on the arch surrounding the stage rather than on the main stage itself. They perform impressive vocal harmonies. Four band members continue to the other side of the arch while one remains to sing. Afterward, three members are on the catwalk while the remaining two walk toward each other on the arch. White flowers appear on the stage floor and the LED screens. A violinist dressed in white joins at the end of the performance; the playing sounds entirely recorded despite a microphone being attached to her violin. The band moves to the main stage for the conclusion of the act as the flowers bloom on the LED screens. The performance is not particularly captivating in terms of staging, but the vocal harmonies are hypnotic. The song may stand out specifically due to its simplicity all the way to the final.

There is a break following the Portuguese performance as the host Michael takes the stage while the Georgian act is being prepared.

6. Georgia – Bzikebi, “On Replay”:

The band Bzikebi takes the stage dressed in yellow-and-black outfits, a tribute to their winning Junior Eurovision 2008 entry, “Bzzz…”. The band is situated within a sort of “Matrix,” with computer chips visible on the LED screens. During the chorus, three “cyborgs” or holograms of the band members appear behind them. The band members are not vocally precise at all, and in certain parts of the song, they are even out of rhythm. They perform the familiar choreography from the music video during the chorus. Toward the end of the performance, they advance to the catwalk and dance there before the C-part. The singer does not perform the high note before the final chorus, relying instead on a faint recorded backing track. At the end of the performance, there are fireworks from the stage floor. A disappointing performance, and with all due respect to the band, it might be worth checking for flights from Vienna to Tbilisi in two days.

There is a break following the Georgian performance, with the host Victoria in the green room presenting a video featuring Eurovision fans, past artists, and crew members sharing their experiences from the contest. The video also features Will Ferrell, who starred in the Eurovision movie. As a transition, the Eurovision heart turns gold and flowers emerge from it. Victoria then introduces the Italian entry, which is not competing in this semi-final but is performing during it.

* Italy – Sal Da Vinci, “Per Sempre Si”:

Sal Da Vinci is dressed in a white suit, with a clothes rack in the background. A “groom” is dressed only in his underwear alongside two companions. The groom gets dressed during the performance, which looks exactly like a scene from a musical. The two companions dance with each other, and then they join the groom to perform ballroom-style dances behind Sal during the chorus. The groom is nearly ready as a mirror is shown on the side of the stage. The wedding floor changes to black and white checkered tiles while the trio performs impressive acrobatic movements (though one of them, for some reason, does not complete his flip). The bride arrives at Sal’s side and continues toward the groom. She spins, shedding part of her gown to reveal the Italian flag hidden within her dress. The bride and groom kiss and dance together. At the conclusion of the performance, Sal’s iconic gesture and the ring movement are performed. The vocal performance is not precise but is better than it was during the afternoon rehearsal.

7. Finland – Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen, “Liekinheitin”:

The Finnish stage is not ready on time, and there are several shots of the audience.

Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen take to the stage, with Pete appearing terrified inside a confessional booth on the catwalk, while Linda stands on an elevated platform with upside-down chairs. Linda plays live during parts of the performance. Pete’s vocal performance is not precise, but it is much better than what was seen in the clip from the second rehearsal. It is almost an exact replica of the performance from the national selection. The elevated platform Linda stood on bursts into flames, and there are napkin-like fabrics on the stage ceiling that catch fire, as does the confessional booth. Linda joins Pete on the other side of the booth and runs back to the main stage to finish the song, alongside Pete. It is very possible that we just watched the winners. The vocal performance is overall good, except for the final high note.

8. Montenegro – Tamara Živković, “Nova Zora”:

Tamara Živković begins the performance as the dancers lift her up, and she then falls to the floor. At the start of the performance, she is out of rhythm. Four dancers accompany her, and they make excellent use of the catwalk. The stage changes to orange colors, and there is great use of the stage lighting. Tamara is much better vocally than during the afternoon rehearsal, but she is still not precise.

During the third part of the performance, the stage changes to blue colors with lightning and thunder; the dancers and the artist are crouched on the floor, and the camera shots are very good. A sunrise appears behind her on the LED screens at the end of the act, followed by a black hole in the background. The performance is not captivating enough, and my colleagues fear that Montenegro will once again find itself out of the final, despite our love for the song.

9. Estonia – Vanilla Ninja, “Too Epic To Be True”:

Vanilla Ninja begin the performance with the lead singer facing away from the audience, while the other two play electric guitars, and the stage is illuminated in black and white. One of the members is not vocally precise, and the harmonies between them are not perfect. The lighting changes to red, black, and white. The band is also accompanied by a drummer. The three members interact with each other; the lead singer moves to the catwalk while the words “Too Epic” appear on the LED screens, returns, and the stage is illuminated in gold. A very cute performance but not particularly captivating; fireworks from the stage at the end of the song. For those interested, there is no Kiss-cam during the performance.

10. Israel – Noam Bettan, “Michelle”:

Noam Bettan takes the stage accompanied by boos from the arena, though not as intense as in the last two years. He starts inside a spinning diamond, and there is a close-up on him against a particularly sparkling background. The diamond begins to open, and he is joined by the dancer Lihi Freud. The camera operator is frequently seen during the beginning of the act. The rest of the dancers join the stage as Noam and Lihi step out of the diamond.

The diamond constantly rotates and is illuminated. Behind the singer, the dancers stand in a line, and then everyone advances to the catwalk, where the stage floor appears scorched and is lit in gold. During the Hebrew section at the end of the song, many diamonds appear on the LED screens as Lihi joins him and then abandons him.

An excellent vocal performance, which is very different from the other songs and therefore may stand out positively. During the performance, there is also a shot of the crowd with Israeli flags in the background. To our great surprise, we heard no boos at all during the quiet part of the song.

There is a break following the Israeli song in order to introduce the second country performing without competing tonight: Germany.

* Germany – Sarah Engels, “Fire”:

Sarah Engels lies on the elevated Eurovision stage in a white dress, with a sparkling gold bodysuit underneath. It truly seems as if she is starting a ballad, as the song is so different from its original version (at least at the beginning). Four dancers join the artist on stage, remove her dress, and then exit the stage.

The vocal performance is not precise. A massive amount of fire shoots from the stage floor, and at one point, Sarah falls backward off the high platform and is caught by the dancers. There is fire on the stage at the end of the act as she and the dancers perform a dance break that is wonderfully filmed. At the conclusion, she climbs back onto the high platform.

She is an excellent performer and looks amazing; the vocal performance is better than it was during the afternoon rehearsal, but it still requires further improvement.

There is a break following the German performance, featuring a video of host Victoria delivering a futuristic lecture on key Eurovision facts. The segment includes orange television screens maneuvered by robotic arms and highlights songs that historically received “nul points.” Notably, Israel was excluded from this list – as they say, for all the right reasons.

11. Belgium – Essyla, “Dancing On The Ice”:

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2026 version of the Ice Queen (according to our correspondent Chacha Asido). Essyla begins the performance with her back to the audience at the center of the catwalk. There is a sort of snow machine operated by a person (much like a leaf blower) pointed at her as she walks toward the main stage. A slight vocal slip was noted during the walk. Four dancers join her, all dressed in white and wearing masks. At the beginning of the performance, the stage is in white and light blue tones like ice, and then it transitions to orange like fire. Toward the end of the performance, the stage is split 50/50 between these two colors, just like heat and cold. At the conclusion of the act, Essyla and the dancers move to the catwalk, and a smoke machine is activated on her again. Although the vocal performance was not precise, she successfully hit the high notes.

12. Lithuania – Lion Ceccah, “Sólo quiero más”:

The Lithuanian stage is not ready on time, and there are several shots of the audience before the performance.

Lion Ceccah takes the competition stage dressed inside a sort of doll wearing an enormous black cloak. There is an extremely haunting zoom-in on his silver face, with one blue eye and one brown eye (which might contribute to nightmares at night). It looks exactly like a horror movie.

Lion emerges from behind the cloak and performs robotic movements while significantly singing out of tune. Subtitles appear on the screen during certain parts of the performance, and the stage is occasionally in black and white. The cloak doll collapsed (intentionally) during the act.

A hologram of Lion appears on the LED screens. The singer walks toward the catwalk at the end of the performance. The vocal performance is very disappointing.

13. San Marino – Senhit feat. Boy George, “Superstar”:

Did you miss the tunnel of mirrors? Senhit begins the performance inside a tunnel of mirrors/diamonds, which definitely reminds us of several songs from this semi-final. The diamond opens, and four dancers join her.

The stage sparkles, as do the outfits of Senhit and the dancers. The dancers lift Senhit, and she is filmed from above. The camera angles are excellent, as is the exaggerated colorfulness on stage.

Boy George suddenly appears from within the doors, and even Senhit seems surprised by his presence. They advance toward the catwalk, and the performance is truly wonderful and energizes the crowd.

Fireworks mark the end of the act. It can already be declared – this is a song for the final.

14. Poland – Alicja, “Pray”:

The Polish stage is not ready on time, and several shots of the audience are seen during the performance.

Alicja takes the stage, starting on the catwalk dressed in a metallic silver top. There is a camera angle from above showing her praying.

As Alicja returns to the main stage, the dancers emerge from behind a raised diagonal platform, climb onto it, and perform a synchronized modern dance. A silver hand is displayed on the LED screens.

Alicja joins them toward the end of the performance. The dancers fall onto the main stage as the singer performs the high note at the end of her song with impressive precision. Overall, the vocal performance is a pleasant surprise—not a bad chance of qualifying for the Grand Final.

15. Serbia – Lavina, “Kraj Mene”:

Lavina begins the performance with a faint recorded female backing vocal, with the lead singer on the catwalk with his back to the stage, wearing a black cloak with giant silver shoulder spikes.

The lead singer returns to the main stage as the microphone stand mimics a sword. The shots so far are very focused on the singer’s face, and then the singer removes the cloak. The other band members are also on the main stage.

Lighting descends from the stage ceiling. During the screamo performed by the lead singer, a massive amount of fire shoots from the stage floor, the lighting changes from blue to orange, and the camera shakes completely.

The performance ends with the lead singer crouched on the floor. An excellent vocal performance. A slightly strange and chaotic ending to the show.

The contest hosts take the stage after all the songs have concluded and remind the audience of the voting rules, recommending to “spread love and vote for more than one song” – and those who know, know.

A recap of all the competing songs was broadcast afterward. The hosts then move to the green room and speak with some of the delegations.

In the following interval act, an extremely impressive acrobatic performance takes place on stage with numerous participants. Another recap of all the participating songs is projected on the screen.

After the voting is closed, two pairs of Eurovision commentators compete against each other in a Eurovision quiz.

Afterward, the hosts take the stage, and the 2025 Australian Eurovision representative, Go-Jo, is seen in the audience. He comes up to the stage and explains that he accidentally landed in Austria instead of Australia. A short recap of Go-Jo’s song from last year is shown.

Following that, the hosts appear in another interval segment together with Go-Jo regarding the differences between Austria and Australia.

Host Michael mentions after the song that there will never be a kangaroo in Australia, while a human-sized kangaroo mascot takes the stage and continues to dance with them. In my opinion, this is one of the most disappointing interval segments in recent years.

A recap of the second semi-final is now being projected on the screen, and we are getting a glimpse of the songs that have not yet competed.

The fake qualifiers from the first semi-final:

• San Marino

• Greece

• Lithuania

• Serbia

• Finland

• Croatia

• Moldova

• Montenegro

• Sweden

• Poland

In the list of countries participating in the semi-final, the countries qualifying for the final were illuminated in white, while the non-qualifiers were colored gray. It is a somewhat controversial display.

EuroMix team members’ bets for the finalists after watching the rehearsal (in alphabetical order):

Avi: Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden.

Noy: Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden.

Shahar: Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Moldova, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden.

Tal: Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden.

Thank you for staying with us!

Join us at 15:00 CET for the third dress rehearsal!

Eurovision 2026: the 70th edition of the contest will take place in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026. The Wiener Stadthalle arena, which will host the event, is expected to accommodate around 16,000 spectators per show. The contest returns to Austria following the nation’s third historic win with the song “Wasted Love”, performed by JJ. It will be Austria’s third time hosting Eurovision, after previous editions held in the country in 1967 and 2015.