If you haven’t watched the Eurovision Song Contest before, you’re missing a spectacle like no other. Countries from Europe — and beyond — compete with fiery performances and elaborate sets amid a sea of fans, flags and national pride.
Tens of millions around the globe will watch Saturday’s Grand Final from Basel, Switzerland, while casting votes for their favourite song and country. The cultural phenomenon, which debuted in 1956 and is now in its 69th edition, is a week-long affair with musicians from 37 countries vying for the top prize.
Canadians have competed on behalf of other countries and even won, but we’ve never officially taken part. An earlier push to have Canada compete languished due to concerns about cost and appetite, but it’s garnering attention again, especially in light of a recent groundswell of national pride following U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st state.
“It is literally The Hunger Games of music,” said Laurell Barker, a Canadian songwriter who wrote songs for the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland that made it to the 2019 final, which was won by The Netherlands.
“I think it would be so massive for Canada to be involved,” Barker said. “There’s so much talent here and we have so much to say and so much to share and so much love to give.”
Canadians compete for others — but not Canada
Though many Eurovision competitors don’t go on to become international sensations, there are some notable exceptions, including Sweden’s ABBA. They won in 1974 with the song Waterloo, and their victory contributed to their everlasting popularity.
Then there’s Canada’s claim to Eurovision fame — Céline Dion who competed on behalf of Switzerland in 1988 and won with her performance of Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don’t Leave Without Me). She was 20 at the time and has credited Eurovision with helping catapult her to global superstardom.
For artists, the chance to be featured in front of a huge international audience is priceless.
“I don’t think there is a better live televised venue than Eurovision,” said Barker. “To have people singing the words and singing along and to be in the arena watching this all happen was so exhilarating.”
Karen Fricker, a Eurovision expert based in Toronto who’s been covering the contest for more than 20 years, says the argument for Canada to compete is bolstered by our strong presence in the contest throughout its history.
“If we’re good enough to sing and win for another country, why aren’t we making the effort to field our own act,” she asked.
“It’s going to come down to the will of a broadcaster and the pressure of a public on that broadcaster to be pushing to say ‘It’s about time that Canada compete,’ ” Fricker said in an interview from Basel.
Eurovision attracts global audiences as the biggest international music competition in the world. Some Canadians want to take part, but it comes down to cost and broadcasting rights.
Canada isn’t in Europe — but neither is Australia
Eurovision is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public broadcasters and public service media. It has also included countries in Europe-adjacent countries in western Asia — including Israel, which has participated in the contest since 1973, as well as Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Australia, some 14,000 kilometres away from Europe, began taking part in the competition 10 years ago when the EBU gave it special approval to participate.
Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an associate member of the EBU, has been airing Eurovision since 1983, which Fricker says contributed to its huge following there.
“There has to be a will to join,” Fricker said.
And though she’s not sure how strong that will is in Canada, Fricker notes that the current level of Canadian pride in the face of U.S. aggression could help revive interest in Canada taking part.
“I mean, the United States has never competed in Eurovision either. And so this question of how can we as North Americans play on this stage, I think, is something that really needs to be seriously considered.”
Canada’s Eurovision quest
Toronto-based production company Insight Productions attempted to bring Canada into the Eurovision fold in 2022, pitching a Eurovision Canada competition where musicians from each province and territory would compete nationally, with the winner representing Canada in Europe.
But there wasn’t buy-in at the time from Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC is also an associate member of the EBU, which noted that it would be the only Canadian broadcaster “that could hypothetically hope to participate” in Eurovision.
Lindsay Cox, co-chief content officer at Insight Productions, told The Canadian Press recently that after announcing their plans in 2022 her team realized “the complexity of a Canadian going to Europe and competing.”
However, she says the company hasn’t given up and is reworking its pitch.
Montreal singer La Zarra has made it to the Eurovision song contest final while performing for France. Canadians are now allowed to cast votes in the contest, which attracts an immense international audience.
CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson told CBC News the broadcaster considered the possibility and met with the stakeholder, but ultimately decided it was “prohibitively expensive.”
“In the end, [we] just couldn’t make it work for us,” he said in a statement.
But a national televised competition isn’t necessary in order to submit an entry. According to the EBU, broadcasters can invite submissions or solicit artists and/or record labels. There can also be a mixed format where the broadcaster chooses the performer, but the public votes on the song.
Thompson confirmed to CBC News that the public broadcaster has never considered these options.
The economics of Eurovision
Taking part in Eurovision does come with a large price tag.
Entry fees vary from year to year and country to country, with the “strongest shoulders carrying the most weight,” according to the Eurovision website.
The EBU told CBC News it does not release the fees it charges, but Irish public broadcaster RTÉ recently released the cost of its participation.
Last year, the broadcaster doled out 389,999 euros (about $575,000 Cdn), which included its participation fee, production costs, transportation and accommodation.
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The country that wins tends to host the next competition, and that’s where costs really mount.
Last year, Switzerland’s Nemo won, so the Swiss city of Basel is hosting Eurovision 2025. Basel approved public funding equivalent to $55 million Cdn for hosting — a move backed by just under 67 per cent of municipal voters in a November referendum.
But there can be a financial upside for host cities as well.
In 2023, the British city of Liverpool took over hosting duties from Ukraine, which won the competition in 2022 months after Russia’s invasion and wasn’t able to host due to the war.
The cost of hosting was estimated at about $24 million GBP (about $40 million Cdn,) but according to an assessment commissioned by Liverpool city council, it resulted in an economic boost of £55-million GBP (about $92 million Cdn).
A chance to build relations with Europe
Fricker says participating in Eurovision is a bit of a “chicken and egg situation” because a broadcaster can’t know how big of an audience they can attract until they try.
But she also points to Eurovision’s roots in post-Second World War unity and says there are parallels today with the shift in relations between the U.S. and allies like Europe and Canada.
“A great way to build a relationship with Europe is to participate in the song contest,” she said.
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