The first dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is about to begin.
At 15:30 CEST, the 18 acts performing in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take to the stage in Vienna in front of the media for the first time. The line-up for the show is:
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: DARA – “Bangaranga”
- 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: Jiva – “Just Go”
- 🇷🇴 Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – “Choke Me”
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: Eva Marija – “Mother Nature”
- 🇨🇿 Czechia: Daniel Zizka – “Crossroads”
- 🇫🇷 France: Monroe – “Regarde !”
- 🇦🇲 Armenia: Simón – “Paloma rumba”
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – “Alice”
- 🇨🇾 Cyprus: Antigoni – “Jalla”
- 🇦🇹 Austria: Cosmó – “Tanzschein”
- 🇱🇻 Latvia: Atvara – “Ēnā”
- 🇩🇰 Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – “Før vi går hjem”
- 🇦🇺 Australia: Delta Goodrem – “Eclipse”
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Leléka – “Ridnym”
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Look Mum No Computer – “Eins, Zwei, Drei”
- 🇦🇱 Albania: Alis – “Nân”
- 🇲🇹 Malta: Aidan – “Bella”
- 🇳🇴 Norway: Jonas Lovv – “Ya Ya Ya”
⭕ Live Coverage Ended
15:15 CEST // Servus leidln and welcome to the dress rehearsal of the second semi-final of Eurovision 2026! The press will get their first look at the performances in full in 15 minutes time.
15:25 CEST // Just five minutes before the dress rehearsal begins. What surprises are in store for us today?
15:30 CEST // The dress rehearsal has begun!
15:30 CEST // The show begins with a recap of the first semi-final.
15:31 CEST // Michael and Victoria kick things off by performing an alternate version of “Wasted Love”, where everything goes wrong with the staging.
15:34 CEST // Michael and Victoria emerge from the broken staging to the Wiener Stadthalle stage, assuring us that nothing else will go wrong (we hope).
15:35 CEST // The hosts are explaining the voting rules, which remember, includes the juries again.
🇧🇬 Bulgaria: DARA – “Bangaranga”
15:37 CEST // DARA’s take a tour around a library in her postcard.
15:38 CEST // DARA’s staging consists of an office room, with she shares with four dancers.
15:39 CEST // Lots of chair choreography is this performance, and now the room is spinning.
15:41 CEST // The room is taken off stage and DARA brings her trademark energy.
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: Jiva – “Just Go”
15:42 CEST // Jiva takes a train ride across Austria in her postcard.
15:43 CEST // Jiva emerges from behind some sheets to begin the song.
15:43 CEST // A silhouette of a dancer appear on the sheets.
15:44 CEST // The LED screens show images of a relationship going from good to bad.
15:45 CEST // The dancer pulls a thread from Jiva’s dress, as she walks down the catwalk.
🇷🇴 Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – “Choke Me”
15:46 CEST // Alexandra and her band explore a gym in their postcard.
15:47 CEST // Alexandra is tethered by two LED cables to her two guitarists.
15:48 CEST // A mysterious white hooded figure in the middle of the stage and Alexandra makes her way towards her.
15:49 CEST // All of the performers are standing on raised platforms.
🇱🇺 Luxembourg: Eva Marija – “Mother Nature”
15:50 CEST // Eva Marija explores a forest in her postcard. She is Mother Nature, duh!
15:51 CEST // In contrast to her Luxembourg Song Contest performance, Eva Marija starts the performance plucking her violin and at a tree-inspired microphone stand.
15:52 CEST // CGI is used to create bright flying creatures around Eva Marija as a tree appears on the background LED screen.
🇨🇿 Czechia: Daniel Zizka – “Crossroads”
15:54 CEST // Daniel explores the Austrian Alps in his postcard.
15:55 CEST // The performance starts with an overhead shot showing Daniel in circle of mirrors.
15:56 CEST // The circle of mirrors opens and Daniel moves out for a brief.
15:57 CEST // The circle closes again for the verse.
15:58 CEST // The mirrors move behind Daniel for the climax of the song.
15:59 CEST // Michael is back on stage in an understated outfit.
🇫🇷 France: Monroe – “Regarde !”
15:59 CEST // Monroe explores a palace in her postcard. No, the palace is not Versailles.
16:00 CEST // Monroe begins the performance alone on stage on a white platform.
16:01 CEST // Five dancers soon appear on stage to join Monroe.
16:02 CEST // Monroe and the dancers gradually make their way down the catwalk, with a lot of push and pull.
16:03 CEST // Monroe ends up on another platform with her dancers.
16:04 CEST // Victoria is back as Professor Eurovision, who explains the importance of the contest of to the LGBTQIA+ community.
🇦🇲 Armenia: Simón – “Paloma rumba”
16:07 CEST // Simón goes kayaking in his postcard.
16:08 CEST // Simón begins the performance hoisted upside down in a lift by his dancers. Yes, you read that right.
16:09 CEST // The lift is taken off stage is replaced with filing cabinets.
16:10 CEST // Another thing that goes missing is Simón’s shirt. He also runs through a stack of boxes.
🇨🇭 Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – “Alice”
16:11 CEST // Veronica explores the Austrian Alps in her postcard, which are not to be confused with the Swiss Alps.
16:12 CEST // Veronica is on stage with a microphone that is attached to a long rope.
16:13 CEST // Four dancers join Veronica on stage, before a red web-like structure appears.
16:14 CEST // Just before the guitar solo, Veronica is attached to red ropes.
🇨🇾 Cyprus: Antigoni – “Jalla”
16:15 CEST // Antigoni explores some wetlands in her postcards.
16:16 CEST // Antigoni is on a large taverna table with a LED strip in the middle.
16:18 CEST // Four dancers emerge from underneath the table to join Antigoni on top.
16:19 CEST // Antigoni briefly does a chair dance before she gets down to the catwalk. Also lots of pyro.
🇦🇹 Austria: Cosmó – “Tanzschein”
16:21 CEST // Cosmó explores some hills in his home country.
16:26 CEST // After some technical delays, Cosmó is ready to take to the stage.
16:26 CEST // Cosmó begins the performance lying down with four dancers around him.
16:27 CEST // Two climbing frames descend from the roof and the dancers/animals climb them.
16:28 CEST // Cosmó’s costume has gotten a metallic upgrade since Vienna Calling.
16:30 CEST // We are waiting for Austria’s staging to be dismantled and Latvia’s to be built.
🇱🇻 Latvia: Atvara – “Ēnā”
16:32 CEST // Atvara explores caves in her postcard.
16:33 CEST // Atvara is sparkling in her Swarkovski dress. I wonder did she borrow the crystals from Victoria?
16:34 CEST // New backing vocals have been added for the final chorus.
🇩🇰 Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – “Før vi går hjem”
16:36 CEST // Søren explores winter landscapes in his postcard.
16:37 CEST // Boxes seem to be the latest staging trend, as Søren has brought his from Dansk Melodi Grand Prix.
16:39 CEST // Flashing lights and a pyro moment? Vanilla Denmark is dead!
16:40 CEST // Michael and Victoria introduce a VT which shows the artists’ first reactions to seeing the Eurovision stage.
🇦🇺 Australia: Delta Goodrem – “Eclipse”
16:43 CEST // Delta swings over an Austrian village in her postcard.
16:47 CEST // Delta is under an arch of two crescent moons and surrounded by dry ice.
16:48 CEST // Delta makes her way down to a golden piano, a staple in any Delta Goodrem performance.
16:49 CEST // The piano also has a hydraulic lift in it!
🇺🇦 Ukraine: Leléka – “Ridnym”
16:51 CEST // Leléka wanders through a park in her postcard.
16:51 CEST // Leléka walks on a path of light towards the bandura.
16:52 CEST // Sheets fall down from the rig.
16:53 CEST // As the long note builds up, so does the light on the stage and more sheets billow down from the rig.
16:55 CEST // Cosmó is teaching the Green Room how to do the Tanzschein dance.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Look Mum No Computer – “Eins, Zwei, Drei”
16:57 CEST // Look Mum No Computer explores mountain architecture in his postcard.
16:58 CEST // Look Mum No Computer moves around tables, some of which have treadmills. He is joined by four dancers wearing computer heads.
17:00 CEST // The tables reveal Kosmo, Look Mum No Computer’s analog synth.
🇦🇱 Albania: Alis – “Nân”
17:01 CEST // Alis explores some canyons in his postcard.
17:02 CEST // A mother appears on the back LED screen to watch over Alis before he sings.
17:03 CEST // Alis is joined by a woman on stage, who sings the chorus to him.
🇲🇹 Malta: Aidan – “Bella”
17:05 CEST // Aidan moves through Vienna’s Old Town in his postcard.
17:07 CEST // Aidan is on a platform within an arch structure.
17:08 CEST // The screens within the structure create a zootrope effect.
17:09 CEST // The platform spins Aidan around but it looks like the structure is the one spinning.
🇳🇴 Norway: Jonas Lovv – “Ya Ya Ya”
17:10 CEST // Jonas explores an art museum in his postcard.
17:12 CEST // The stage is covered in red for Jonas’ performance.
17:13 CEST // Jonas no longer towers over the camera at the start of the second verse. Is this what they meant by being too sexy?
17:14 CEST // Jonas runs up the catwalk for the last part of the song.
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