I woke up at 1am PST time, rolled out of bed, jumped into the online Ticketmaster queue and eagerly waited for a chance to buy Eurovision tickets.
After the horror stories around snagging Eras Tours tickets, I was prepared to go back to bed empty handed but, but a stroke of luck, 2 hours of waiting I managed to grab tickets to not just one show, but two.
As an American obsessed with Eurovision, I had no idea how to prepare for this show. What do people wear? What’s the vibe inside? Are there other events to see before or after the show, and did I even get good tickets?
After attending (and having the time of my life) I wanted to bring you my ultimate guide for attending the Eurovision Song Contest and also how to score tickets.
Back in summer of 2022, my husband and I lived in Copenhagen in a yolo style Euro summer, so when I saw Eurovision 2024 was coming to Malmö, Sweden – right across the bay from Denmark – it was a no brainer to head back to one of my favorite cities in the world.
Despite the drama around this year (more on that later), I had a blast attending the live shows and will absolutely love to see a another show in the future one day if I’m lucky enough to purchase tickets again.
How To Get Eurovision Tickets
Eurovision Song Contest tickets are for sale on Ticketmaster. The Eurovision 2024 tickets were on the Swedish version of Ticketmaster only. In the future, I suspect each country’s version of Ticketmaster will be the one that sells them – in for 2025, that would be the Swizz Ticketmaster.
Eurovision announced in late November 2023 the date which tickets would be sold for the 2024 show. Make sure you are following them on Instagram or are signed up for their email newsletters so you can know when you can get tickets for Eurovision.
I saw on their stories when they were ging to drop tickets. They went on sale 1am my time so I set my alarms, got everything ready for that morning, and joined the waiting room about 20 minutes before they went on sale.
If you are new to Ticketmaster, joining the waiting room early in important and does help you get a quicker spot in the virtual line once they are ready to purchase.
I got tickets to the Afternoon Semi Finals 1 Preview and Evening Semi Finals 2 Preview.
Go For Preview Shows
Something that I didn’t realize is just how many shows Eurovision actually offers to fans. It’s not just the 3 that you see on TV. Each live show has an evening preview and an afternoon preview, which are literally the same thing as what is taped live.
Preview shows are basically dressed rehearsals, and are usually also taped just in case something happens at the live taping.
We did the afternoon preview for Semi Finals 1 on Tuesday, which was so much fun. We got to check out the Eurovision village beforehand, wander down to the around 1:30pm, watch the show from 3-5pm and not stay up super late to do it all.
We also had tickets for the Semi Finals 2 Evening Preview, which was fun but I must admit, I was very tired at this show since it starts at 9pm. Regardless, I loved the chance to see all the artists perform, not just a few of them.
Of course, the taped shows and especially the Grande Finale are such a vibe and coveted shows to get tickets to, but the previews are just as fun and much more affordable.
Plus, at the end of the day, the show is meant for TV so it’s nice to watch them on a TV after seeing the acts live and then get to discuss how the artist performed better (or worse) on TV. If you can’t afford tapped shows, or don’t want to stay up too late, grab preview tickets.
Check Back Often For Resale
Tickets went very quickly, in a few hours, but by January I noticed fans were starting to resell their tickets. Maybe they couldn’t go anymore or bought too many tickets. I was able to score two tickets in one of the fancy suites with drinks and meals included for just about $60 more per person.
By the week of the event, there were easily 20 tickets for resale each day, so if you ask me “are Eurovision tickets hard to get” I would say no, you just have to check the site a lot.
That being said, I did hear from a Brit in my section one night at Eurovision in Liverpool was impossible to find resale tickets when the United Kingdom hosted, so this could vary by year and city location. I read a stat somewhere that Brits make up the highest portion of ticket sales for Eurovision, so it was a competitive year.
No matter what: the key is: checking often and buying something right away if it comes available.
Which Eurovision Tickets Are Best? Sitting, Standing Or Box?
Here’s the good news: all seats are good seats at Eurovision, at least in the year I went. We sat in a fancy box suite one night, and low level seats way off in the corner the other night.
And both were really fun for different reasons. In fact, I think our cheap seats the second night were secretly the best in the house since we had a view of the staging area which meant we got to see all the artists get mic’d up, wave at us, etc! Felt like a little fan club.
Here’s some things to consider
Fancy Suite
- Different entrances with no lines
- Meals + Drinks included
- Easier access to bathrooms
- Less crowding
- Cool view of the whole stage
- Room to dance without blocking anyone
- Depending on who is in the box, can be a calm vibe vs a fun celebration
- Can’t see the people’s faces on stage
Basic Seats
- Can see artists better if sitting closer
- A more lively crowd vibe
- General entrance
- Possibly have bad seats way up high
- Views could be blocked by staging equipment
General Standing Seats
- The best up close view of artists
- Room to dance
- Must get there early to wait in line
- Have to stand most of the night
I want to go to Eurovision again in the future and next time I would totally do another combo of suites and up close seats.
Don’t Skip Eurovision Village
The Eurovision Village is always so much fun. There’s tons of booths, food, activations and of course, music! Every year they’ll have special performances by select contentests along with past contestants. So if you really loved a recent Eurovision artist, they may just be performing at the village.
Also, it’s highly likely you’ll spot a famous Eurovision artist or celebrity in the village. One TikToker I follow said they caught a surprise Sam Ryder pop-up show in the village one year, and another ran into Daði Freyr just walking around.
So, make sure to set time aside for the village! If your hotel is nearby, this is a fun place to watch shows you don’t have tickets to as they’ll play it on a huge screen.
What To Wear To Eurovision: Outfit Ideas!
One of my favorite parts of attending the show was seeing all the outfits my fellow Eurovision fans came up with. I think my favorite was a woman who had on a small Finding Nemo hat (you know, for Switerland’s Nemo who ended up winning the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!)
While some people were super casual for this, I really appreciated everyone who dressed up in costumes or fun outfits with sequins and personality. Wear sequins, bold looks, comfy shoes since you’ll be standing a lot, and have FUN with your outfit!!
When in doubt, cosplay as your favorite Eurovision contestant. The second night I wore a lime green top and leather pants to pay homage to Käärijä from Finland who placed 2nd in 2023 (I think he should have won).
The first show was for the suites, so Robin and I wore Sezane pantsuits to dress it up a little. I recommend you have fun with your outfits.
Obviously, you will want to dress for the host city. This wasn’t my first time the region, so I knew the evenings can still get chilly in the area. The contest is held in May and in Northern Europe the weather can still be rainy or chilly that time of year.
Bag Policy: keep a close eye on the bag policy. Sweden has a no-bag policy, not even small clear purses. As a woman (our clothes never have pockets in them) I was struggling to put all my items in my pockets. Especially since they advised everyone to bring their passports if they were staying in Copenhagen and that stressed me out.
Putting my passport in my back pocket was NOT something I liked doing but I had to. I deliberately wore outfits both nights with jackets that had deep enough pockets to put my wallet, phone, passport, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions About Attending Eurovision
Is The Grand Finale Worth It?
It is on my bucket list to one day attend the live Grand Finale of Eurovision (from a suite ideally), but it’s not needed to enjoy the show. As mentioned above, all the semi-finals and previews have the same energy you want from being in the crowd.
And, at the end of the day, the show is designed to be watched from home. I found it fun to see everyone perform live and then see them on TV, but it would be so fun to do the opposite. Watch the semi-finals and attend the Grand Finale to see everyone live.
What Countries Compete In Eurovision?
Competing country memberships as of 2024 are:
- Albania
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
Russia used to take part in Eurovision but was kicked out of the contest after invading Ukraine. It is against contest rules for a competing country to inflict war or violence against another competing country.
That is why Israel has still been allowed to compete, as Palestine is not part of Eurovision. Israel competing in 2024 came with a lot of baggage. What you didn’t see on TV was all the people who left for their song, and the booing in the arena when Israel competed. The energy was TENSE during her set.
The Israeli team was also documented intentionally misgendering artists, harassing artists, following some of them around and even harassing international reporters but the EBU chose not to do anything about it. Israel even caused Mr. Klein, representing the Netherlands, to be kicked out (he was later proved to be totally innocent but it was too late).
As a Eurovision fan, I would love to see the EBU take better measures next year to ensure that all competing artists and media feel safe while partaking in the song contest. It felt very messy, unprofessional and unfair from a fan’s point of view. Let’s do better, EBU!
What Language Will Eurovision Be Hosted In?
The Eurovision Song Contest is hosted in English and French, though often the hosts will also speak some lines in the host country’s national language.
The European Broadcasting Union is the official Eurovision network that airs the contest and it’s played all around the world, so English and French are good base languages to ensure most people can understand it.
Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman hosted the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden and they were so fun. I can’t wait to see who Switzerland has host next year!
Who Are Your Favorite Eurovision Artists?
I thought you would never ask!!! Daði Freyr from Iceland is one of my favorites, in fact he was my gateway to Eurovision. One of my co-workers lives in England and I wanted to have something new to talk to her about so I started looking into Eurovision in early 2020.
Obviously, that year was canceled but I was hooked on his performance and quickly found myself deep into the Eurovision world. I even saw Daði Freyr at Outside Lands here in San Francisco!!
Käärijä from Finland’s Cha Cha Cha is so fun, and Subwoolfer had an earworm I still can’t get out of my head sometimes. I love following Alessandra from Norway on TikTok.
I felt like 2024 was a really strong year, which is why it was so fun to watch them live. My favorite was Croatia’s Baby Lasagna / Rim Tim Tagi Dim (such a banger!) but Nemo was also a top favorite. “Europapa” by Joost Klein of the Netherlands was a song I really was excited to see rank in the Top 3, but sadly he was unjustly removed from the contest early. I hope to see him enter again since he’s so talented.
I won’t be attending Eurovision 2025 but maybe 2026 is in the cards…
