Eurovision: Congratulations show, a retrospective

by Alex Stewart 826 views

As the 60th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest approaches and the rumour mill heats up about London and the Royal Albert Hall as a possible venue for the celebrations let’s take a look back at nearly 10 years ago in 2005 when Europe celebrated 50 years of Eurovision Song Contest, in Copenhangen with the Anniversary show Congratulations.

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest was a television programme organised and devised by the EBU to commemorate the Eurovision Song Contest’s fiftieth anniversary whilst viewers and juries could vote for the competitions most popular entrant  during its 50 year run thus far. The venue was the Forum in Copenhagen on 22 October 2005. The host broadcaster  was DR who incidentally hosted this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in the wake of their win in Malmo with Only Teardrops. Fourteen songs were selected to represent the cream of the crop and only 5 made it through to the final round of voting. In the end the event was won unanimously by ABBA with Waterloo being voted as the most popular song of all time to come from the Eurovision Song Contest. You can read more statistical information here

The event was hosted by Katrina Leskanich and Renārs Kaupers and featured performances from such legendary Eurovision alumni as Carola, Dana International, Linda Martin, Marie Myriam and Lys Assia to name but a few.

In recognition and celebration of the event the EBU released two CDs featuring songs from the previous fifty years. Two DVDs with the original Eurovision performances of these songs were also released to accompany the CD collection.

We here at ESCToday.com look forward in anticipation to what the 60th anniversary celebrations will bring for the Eurovision community worldwide as 2015 approaches in what promises to be an epic and exciting year for when the contest celebrates its diamond anniversary.