Eurovision 2022 – all you need to know about the contest in Italy

Italy last hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1991. As we haven’t had a ‘normal’ Eurovision since 2019, the interest for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will be high. Italy as host country will be popular due to its reputation as a great holiday destination and the expected comfortable climate in May. Let’s not forget either that most of us love Italian food 🍕

Do you want to go to the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest? Or are you just curious about how it will be? Here’s all you need to know about Eurovision 2022 host city, dates, the participating countries, slogans – and how to get tickets.

Where will Eurovision 2022 be held?

The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Italy. The country won the right to host the contest as their rock band Måneskin won the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.

Turin, or Torino as it’s called in Italian, will host the Eurovision Song Contest. The PalaOlimpico arena has been chosen as venue.

To select the 2022 Eurovision host city, the process was as follows:

  • Italian broadcaster RAI received information from the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) about the specific requirements to the host city and the venue. These were things like hotel capacity, infrastructure, number of audience etc.
  • RAI sent that material to the cities interested in hosting the Eurovision Song Contest.
  • The cities submitted an official proposal, a so called Bid-book, in which they specify how they could live up to the requirements. They also told about what other ideas they have in terms of city branding, Euro Village and perhaps some early theme art suggestions.
  • The Italian broadcast and EBU together decided which city should host the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.

Click on me to read more about the cities that were in play as Eurovision 2022 host cities. We listed pros and cons for the cities that seems to match the requirements.

When will Eurovision 2022 be held?

The 2022 Eurovision will be held in May 2022. The two semi-finals will be on the 10th and 12th of May, and the final on Saturday the 14th of May 2022.

Several factors were taken into considerations when setting the dates:

  • The availability of the arena. Due to preparations the arena will need to be available from 12 weeks prior to the Grand Final of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. It takes time to take down a stage and prepare for the next arrangement, so the arena will have to be available for 1-2 days afterwards too.
  • Dates for other big events already scheduled can influence too. The EBU do not want to collide with larger TV events which will be broadcast in the participating countries. This can be sporting events, but it can also be larger elections and such.
  • It might not be much of a factor for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest held in Italy, but we have seen before that the expected weather will be taken into consideration too. This is probably more of an issue when it’s a Nordic country to host the contest.

How to get tickets for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest?

Tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest will not go on sale before all major details regarding the stage, green room facilities etc. have been sorted out. Now that we know the arena, they will start working on those details – and as such be able to conclude how large an audience will fit. A few things to keep in mind:

  • Tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest will usually go on sale at the end of the year, typical in November or December. In special circumstances, ticket sale might be postponed to January.
  • Through official OGAE fan-clubs, members will be able to buy a ‘package’ with Eurovision tickets. This will be a bundle of tickets which usually includes tickets for all nine shows. (3 live shows + 3 Jury shows + 3 Family show dress rehearsal). Each fan club only has a limited amount of packages available, and you will need to register or otherwise express an interest in them in good time.
  • We recommend that you only buy Eurovision tickets through the official sale or the fan-clubs. Be aware of that demand is high. Tickets usually sell out within an hour or two.
  • Eurovision tickets are often released over several rounds. The first round will often have the largest amount of tickets for sale. Once the seating have been finalised, an additional amount of tickets will be put up for sale.
  • If you can’t get tickets for the three live shows, do consider getting for the Jury shows the evening before the live shows – or the Family shows. The participants will be just as focused for the Jury shows as half of the points are decided these evenings. The Family shows takes place in the afternoon on the days of the broadcast shows. This is the last rehearsal before the live shows. The show will be the exact same on as in the evening just without the proper voting. It’s often a lot easier to get tickets for the Jury and the Family shows.
  • Tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest are quite expensive. For the cancelled 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, the prices were €175 for a semi-final ticket and €260 for the final. Tickets for Jury shows and family shows were cheaper.

Who will take part in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest?

39 countries took part in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. It is expected that all these countries will also compete at the 2022 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The final list of participants is likely to become higher than 39.

  • Armenia withdrew from the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. Due to the special circumstances with the Covid-19 pandemic, they found it impossible to organise an entry in due time. If the broadcaster wish to, they will be able to return for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
  • Belarus was excluded from the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest as their song was deemed too political. Following a recent dramatic situation with an airplane on the way from Greece to Lithuania being ‘forced‘ to land in Belarus, upon which journalist Roman Protasevitj, who is in opposition to president Aleksandr Lukasjenko, was arrested the country was met with international sanctions. On the 28th of May 2021, EBU’s Executive Board suspended the broadcaster’s membership. Belarus will therefore not be able to take part at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.
  • Other recent participating countries are not unlikely to return. Montenegro and Hungary last took part in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. None of the countries have specifically said that they don’t want to return. During 2020, there have been initiatives in place to secure that Andorra will return for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. It’s however still uncertain what the status is for the country we last saw on the Eurovision stage back in 2009.
  • Bosnia & Herzegovina last took part in the 2016 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The broadcaster has depth to the EBU and is unlikely to return for the 2022 edition. Many fans would like to see Turkey return to the Eurovision Song Contest. That’s however unlikely too. In recent years, there have been talks between the Turkish broadcaster TRT and the EBU. What the latter describes as ‘non interest from Turkish side’, the broadcaster describes as ‘major disagreements and unwillingness from EBU to solve them’.

How to take part at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest?

Officially broadcasters, not countries, participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The EBU have requirements regarding the song the broadcasters submit for the contest. The songs must not be longer than three minutes. They must not have been released before the 1st of September the year before the contest they are submitted to. Finally, the songs must not be political.

There however is no involvement from the EBU in how the songs are selected. It’s up to the broadcasters themselves to decide that. Some broadcasters select their artists internally, others have big televised national selections where the public have a say. In some countries, it’s a requirement that you have citizenship or strong connection to the country, but it’s not the case in all countries.

At EuroVisionary, we often receive emails from artists who want to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest. We can not help with that. If you want to take part at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, this is what you should do:

  • Which country do you want to represent? Contact the participating broadcaster in that country to ask about their selection process. Follow the procedures in that country and submit your work by their set deadline.
  • If you are selected as Eurovision participant as singer or as songwriter; congratulations. You are in for a journey which wil be hard work, but also a lot of fun. We’ll follow your journey, and we wish you all the best of luck.

Click on me to read the latest news from the national selections.

The slogan and the logo for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest are not yet in place. Once the host city is know, preparations for these will go into its final stages. Below, you find a list of recent Eurovision slogans:

  • Eurovision 2020/2021 held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Open Up
  • Eurovision 2019 held in Tel Aviv, Israel: Dare to Dream
  • Eurovision 2018 held in Lisbon, Portugal: All Aboard
  • Eurovision 2017 held in Kyiv, Ukraine: Celebrate Diversity
  • Eurovision 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden: Come Together
  • Eurovision 2015 held in Vienna, Austria: Building Bridges
  • Eurovision 2014 held in Copenhagen, Denmark: #JoinUs
  • Eurovision 2013 held in Malmö, Sweden: We Are One
  • Eurovision 2012 held in Baku, Azerbaijan: Light Your Fire
  • Eurovision 2011 held in Düsseldorf, Germany: Feel your heart beat!
  • Eurovision 2010 held in Oslo, Norway: Share the Moment

Stay up to date with the latest news related to the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest