The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating a remarkable milestone: 70 years of uniting Europe through music. To mark this special occasion, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has released two brand new videos, inviting fans to look back at the rich history and enduring legacy of the world’s biggest live music event.
A Look Back at 70 Years of Music
The Eurovision Song Contest, a cultural phenomenon that has captivated audiences for seven decades, is commemorating its 70th anniversary. Since its inception in 1956, the Contest has grown from a technical experiment to a beloved annual tradition, fostering unity and celebration across the continent and beyond.
To honour this significant milestone, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has unveiled two special video releases. These exclusive productions aim to encapsulate the spirit of ‘United by Music’ and offer fans a nostalgic journey through some of the most iconic moments, unforgettable performances, and beloved winners that have graced the Eurovision stage over the past 70 years.
Refrain restored!
In collaboration with Swiss broadcaster RSI, part of SRG SSR, the EBU has digitally restored and remastered the only known surviving footage of the winning entry from the very first Eurovision Song Contest.
Shot by photographer Vincenzo Vicari, the footage captures Switzerland’s Lys Assia reprising her song Refrain on stage at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano on 24 May 1956, giving a rare and precious glimpse into the beginnings of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The film negatives have been carefully preserved in the archives of RSI but have not been digitized since the 1990s. As technology has advanced majorly since then, the EBU approached RSI to have the negatives rescanned, graded and digitally restored in ultra-high definition (4K), allowing audiences to experience one of the Contest’s most historic moments with unprecedented clarity.
In addition, the Eurodex archive on eurovision.com has been updated with a collection of Vicari’s photographs of the 1956 Contest, provided by the historical archives of the City of Lugano and now viewable on the Participants page of Lugano 1956.
70 Years Tribute
The second new release to mark the 70th anniversary is a specially produced tribute film celebrating seven decades of artists and audiences being truly United By Music.
Set to the original live performance of Germany’s 1986 Eurovision entry Über die Brücke gehn by Ingrid Peters, the film intercuts emotional moments of artists embracing on stage and backstage throughout history – from the earliest broadcasts of the 1950s and ’60s through to last week’s victory for Bulgaria’s DARA in Vienna.
The song’s title – Crossing the Bridge – and its lyrics about connection, hope and moving forward together resonate powerfully with the Eurovision Song Contest’s story and values today. Across changing decades, technologies and generations, the Contest has continued to build bridges between countries and cultures, artists and audiences, through the universal language of music.
The film uses the original performance of Über die Brücke gehn, courtesy of Norwegian broadcaster NRK, and culminates with scenes from the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, where Bulgaria’s BNT celebrated its first-ever Eurovision victory, with the competition’s highest ever winning margin, bringing the Contest’s story full circle into a new era.
Fans are encouraged to watch these new videos and join in the celebrations, reflecting on the Contest’s profound impact on music, culture, and European identity. The releases serve as a testament to Eurovision’s enduring power to bring people together through the universal language of song.
