Boa tarde Europe, this is Lisbon calling! We are travelling to the sunny shores of Portugal tonight for the First Semifinal of Festival da Cançao 2023.

Portugal will be kicking off its traditional national selection Festival da Cançao this evening.

How to watch?

You can watch Festival da Canção 2022 Semi-final #1 at 22:00 CET  (21:00 local time) via the following channels:

• RTP 1
• RTP 1 webstream
• RTP International
• RTP Asia
• RTP America

The Participants

1. MOYAH – “Too Much Sauce”
2. Bolha – “Sonhos De Liberdade”
3. April Ivy – “Modo Voo”
4. Churky – “Encruzilhada”
5. Cláudia Pascoal – “Nasci Maria”
6. SAL – “Viver”
7. Mimicat – “Ai Coração”
8. You Can’t Win Charlie Brown – “Contraste Mudo”
9. NEON SOHO – “Endless World”
10. Esse Povo – “Sapatos De Cimento”

About the show

A total of 10 acts will be battling tonight for a ticket to the Grand Final of Festival da Canção 2023, only six of them will proceed to the next stage of the 2022 Portuguese national selection. Tonight’s show will be hosted by José Carlos Malato & Tânia Ribas de Oliveira.

Festival da Canção 2023

The 2023 FdC will consist of three shows ( two semi-finals and a grand final) scheduled to be broadcast live on 25 February, 4 and 11 March.

• 25/02/2023-FdC Semi-final 1
• 04/03/2023- FdC Semi-final 2
• 11/03/2023 –FdC Grand Final

A total of 20 acts will battle for the golden ticket to Liverpool, 10 acts will compete in each semi-final, the top 5 entries+ 1 entry saved by the public from each semi-final will proceed to the Grand Final of FdC.  Hence 12 acts will fight for the right to represent Portugal at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in the Portuguese national final.

The 2023 Portuguese Eurovision entry will be determined via a 50/50 public televoting- regional jury deliberation.

Portugal in Eurovision

Portugal debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 and has won the competition once, namely in 2017 with Salvador Sobral‘s  Amor pelo dois. The country successfully hosted the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.

Portugal has competed 53 times in the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 2022 Maro represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin with her entry ‘Saudade‘ achieving a place 9th in the Grand Final.

Source: RTP
Cover Photo: eurovision.tv