From boycotts to Boy George, Eurovision is back

Culture & TrendsFrom boycotts to Boy George, Eurovision is backThe dizzying annual song contest that captivates Europe and beyond finds itself facing a geopolitical firestorm over Israel’s participation that threatens to eclipse the onstage pyrotechnics.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Swiss singer Nemo, representing Switzerland with the song "The Code," celebrates after winning the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on May 11, 2024, in Malmo, Sweden.Tobias Schwarz / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 12, 2026, 1:43 PM EDTBy Andrew JonesVIENNA — New voting rules. A boycott. But still a camp cavalcade of pop music.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The annual contest that captivates Europe is back, but this year’s Eurovision Song Contest finds itself facing a geopolitical firestorm that threatens to eclipse the onstage pyrotechnics.Security is high in the Austrian capital, Vienna, where this year’s contest is taking place this week. Police say they expect both authorized pro-Palestinian protests as well as unauthorized attempts to try to disrupt the event.Eurovision can be a befuddling spectacle — a viewer tuning in to Tuesday’s semifinal will see a heady mix that includes a Moldovan rapper extolling the virtues of his country, a silver-painted Lithuanian singer dancing robotically, and ‘80s new wave star Boy George, seemingly inexplicably, competing for San Marino.That chaos is part of the appeal, contest director Martin Green told NBC News in an interview.“Some people love it as a piece of spectacle. Some people love the songs. Some people love when it’s a bit silly and camp. Some people love when it’s emotional. But what it always is annually is an excuse for friends and family to gather together to argue about which song is best and just enjoy the whole spectacle,” he said.Israeli singer Noam Bettan at the opening ceremony of the Eurovision Song Con...