ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, have announced the guest performers, ahead of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna.

The Grand Final

In the opening act The Queen of the Night, JJ gets to showcases the remarkable vocal abilities that helped secure Austria Eurovision victory in 2025. As he seamlessly blends Mozart-inspired elements with his own music, more than 40 dancers – as well as acrobats – will accompany the performance. At the same time, the 25 Grand Finalists will be introduced at the Wiener Stadthalle.

During the voting period, three interval acts will take the stage to entertain audiences watching at home and in the arena. In Celebration!, a top-secret selection of ‘Eurovision Allstars’ will perform iconic songs from the Contest’s history in what will be a big highlight of the 70th anniversary celebrations. Afterwards, Austrian electro-swing icon Parov Stelar will bring his distinctive dance sound and striking visuals to the stage. Finally, a soulful version of Billy Joel’s Vienna, performed by Austrian Eurovision legend César Sampson, will lead viewers into the all-important results of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest.

The Semi Finals

On Tuesday 12th May, the First Semi-Final will open with a journey through time, demonstrating that the seven-decade history of the Eurovision Song Contest represents 70 Years of Love: a film that portrays the life of a couple set against the backdrop of the world’s biggest live music show. A 70-member choir will then launch the First Semi-Final with a tribute to L’amour Est Bleu – one of the most popular Eurovision hits of all time. The song was performed when the city of Vienna first hosted the Contest, in 1967. While the votes are coming in, the interval act Kangaroo will see our hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski finally settle how to easily distinguish Austria from Australia, via a light-hearted musical performance. They will be joined by the Milkshake Man, Go-Jo, who represented Australia at Basel 2025!

The hosting duo of Victoria and Michael will return to the stage on Thursday 14th May to opens the Second Semi-Final together – this time with a performance of the 2025 winning song, JJ’s Wasted Love. However, not everything goes to plan… Then, during the interval act of the Second Semi-Final, JJ will take the stage to present viewers with a brand-new song of his.

Let us know what you think about Austria and the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: EBU