The whole Georgian delegation has expressed its huge joy at becoming part of the Eurovision family this year. To show its thanks and introduce a little of Georgia to the other delegations in Helsinki, the doors were opened to artists and journalists alike for the official Georgian party last night.

A sumptuous buffet was laid on for the guests, prepared by "Georgia's most esteemed chef". This included a special section for Georgian national cuisine, which disappeared rather quickly as guests helped themselves. Latvia's Bonaparti.lv were just some of the artists who turned up to show solidarity with fellow Eurovision artists, and tuck into some of the food on offer – complete with top hats and tails!

The party girl
However, most people had come for the chance to see Georgian debutant artist Sopho perform to the guests, and she did not disappoint, with a whole set of songs she sang live to the appreciative international crown at Club Presidentti. She basked in the attention, clearly loving every minute on stage, and gave some strong performances in front of a myriad of flashing cameras. Some of her non-Eurovision tracks include some catchy samba numbers which got the crowd dancing along.

Other attractions at the party included traditional Georgian dancing and a very powerful male part-singing outfit, who raised the roof on stage. As such, the party was a celebration not only of Sopho and the first ever Eurovision entry for the country, but of Georgia, and reflects the pride that Georgians have at being able to showcase their land to the rest of Europe at this event.

A gallery will appear online soon!