The time is upon us… Eurovision 2018 is all set to officially kick off tonight with the first semi-final!

Tonight is the night, as the first semi-final of the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest will take place, broadcast live from Lisbon’s Altice Arena in Portugal. 19 countries will vocally battle for ten tickets to the Grand Final, creating a vibrant show of mesmerizing voices and spectacular stage performances.

For the first time ever, the show will be hosted by a capable team of four power women, Sílvia Alberto, Catarina Furtado and Daniela Ruah, while Filomena Cautela will take care of the green room.

Broadcaster RTP will deliver a riveting show, including entertaining interval acts.

How to watch

Semi-final 1 will start at 21.00 CEST (20:00 local time).

The show may be watched through the national broadcasters of the participating countries.

There will be a live stream available via eurovision.tv and the official Eurovision YouTube Channel.

The participants of semi-final 1

Of the participating acts and artists, 10 will qualify for the Grand Final of Eurovision 2018 on Saturday 12 May. The qualifiers will be decided by 50/50 public televoting and professional jury votes.

The second semi-final on Thursday 10 May 2018 will decide the remaining 10 qualifiers for the Grand Final.