A whole host of Russian celebrities appeared on stage this evening to wish Russian hopeful Anastasiya Prikhodko all the best for her participation at this Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final.

At the very well-attended and lavish function at Eurodom, Russian celebrities gathered to wish Anastasiya all the best in defending the Russian title this year. Acts including this year's Star Factory (Fabrika Zvyozd) students put on a show of Russian music ranging from folk to pop, as traditional Russian food, including the ubiquitouspirozhki, was served.

Guests at the party included fellow finalists Jade Ewen and Patricia Kaas, who both attracted a huge amount of media attention, with throngs of camera-wielding journalists surrounding them at every moment. Both artists seemed relaxed, and more than happy to talk to journalists and pose for pictures with fans.

View our gallery of party pictures at this link.


Richard's ESC history began way back in 1992, when he discovered the contest could fuel his passion for music and languages. Since then, it's been there at every corner for him in some way or another. He joined the esctoday.com team back in 2006, and quickly developed a love for writing about the contest. In his other life, he heads the development team at the learning resources company Linguascope, and writes about all aspects of language learning on the site Polyglossic.com.