Here's a few facts that you may not have known about the contest, which remains one of the most-watched non-sporting events in the world:
1. The United Kingdom's first entry in the 1957 contest, All by Patricia Bredin, was, and remains, the shortest entry in the history of the contest, at 1:52 minutes. It didn't win.
2. Often the bridesmaid, hardly ever the bride: The United Kingdom has won Eurovision 5 times, but has also come second 15 times - a Eurovision record.
3. There was a four-way tie in 1969 which was unprecedented - the UK entry, Boom Bang-a-Bang by Lulu shared the title with France, The Netherlands and Spain. There were not enough medals to go round so only the singers received medals on the night - the songwriters had to wait until afterwards.
4. Israel has participated in the contest 33 times, even though it's geographically not in Europe. It qualifies as it is a member of the EBU and is within the European Broadcasting Area. Morocco has also competed, in 1980.
5. Ireland has won the contest seven times, a competition record — including three times in a row in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
6. French-Canadian singer, Céline Dion, won the contest for Switzerland in 1988 with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi", which subsequently helped launch her international career.
7. Many of us have sang Congratulations and Celebrations at some point in our lives. Performed by Cliff Richard at Eurovision 1968, it is probably the most famous UK entry never to win the contest, coming in second. Read our interview with Bill Martin, co-writer of the song.
8. Brotherhood of Man's entry, Save Your Kisses For Me, is the biggest-selling single for a winning Eurovision entry in the history of the contest. Read our interview with Martin Lee, Brotherhood of Man singer and co-writer of the song, who we spoke to just before last year's contest.
9. The most successful group of all time, ABBA, won the contest in 1974 with Waterloo and went on to have international success. The United Kingdom jury, however, thought their performance was worthy of 'nul points'.
10. The most covered Eurovision song is Domenico Mudugno’s 1958 entry for Italy, Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu, also known as Volare. Although it didn't win, the song has been covered by famous stars such as Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard, The Gipsy Kings, David Bowie and many more.
1. The United Kingdom's first entry in the 1957 contest, All by Patricia Bredin, was, and remains, the shortest entry in the history of the contest, at 1:52 minutes. It didn't win.
2. Often the bridesmaid, hardly ever the bride: The United Kingdom has won Eurovision 5 times, but has also come second 15 times - a Eurovision record.
3. There was a four-way tie in 1969 which was unprecedented - the UK entry, Boom Bang-a-Bang by Lulu shared the title with France, The Netherlands and Spain. There were not enough medals to go round so only the singers received medals on the night - the songwriters had to wait until afterwards.
4. Israel has participated in the contest 33 times, even though it's geographically not in Europe. It qualifies as it is a member of the EBU and is within the European Broadcasting Area. Morocco has also competed, in 1980.
5. Ireland has won the contest seven times, a competition record — including three times in a row in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
6. French-Canadian singer, Céline Dion, won the contest for Switzerland in 1988 with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi", which subsequently helped launch her international career.
7. Many of us have sang Congratulations and Celebrations at some point in our lives. Performed by Cliff Richard at Eurovision 1968, it is probably the most famous UK entry never to win the contest, coming in second. Read our interview with Bill Martin, co-writer of the song.
8. Brotherhood of Man's entry, Save Your Kisses For Me, is the biggest-selling single for a winning Eurovision entry in the history of the contest. Read our interview with Martin Lee, Brotherhood of Man singer and co-writer of the song, who we spoke to just before last year's contest.
9. The most successful group of all time, ABBA, won the contest in 1974 with Waterloo and went on to have international success. The United Kingdom jury, however, thought their performance was worthy of 'nul points'.
10. The most covered Eurovision song is Domenico Mudugno’s 1958 entry for Italy, Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu, also known as Volare. Although it didn't win, the song has been covered by famous stars such as Frank Sinatra, Cliff Richard, The Gipsy Kings, David Bowie and many more.
