After several weeks since the National Final season ended , the big fortnight is here and it’s time to get on with the serious business of Eurovision 2026, taking place, as we all know by now , in Vienna, Austria . While some of us are already out in Vienna, taking in all things Austrian , there are those of us,like myself who will still be providing coverage from the comforts of our own homes and we are looking forward to taking you through the next couple of weeks .

But there’s no Ireland this year? I hear you shout ! Don’t worry, they might not be in Vienna but as it’s the 70th anniversary show this year, we will be featuring them in some way when we have a look back at the last 70 years as they do have a significant part in the contest’s history!

As with previous years, we don’t have access to the press centre in Vienna as yet so until then, we are reliant on the EBU live blog of rehearsals that has been set up on REDDIT ,

You can find the link for the EBU live blog of the third day of rehearsals, which was yesterday HERE

Over the next few days, I’ll be giving my views on the rehearsals as reported and seen in the pictures on REDDIT . Note that the first rehearsals are only technical rehearsals, which gives the artists the opportunity to make any adjustments or change anything they think needs improvement , so all we will get at the moment is pictures courtesy of the EBU.

Day Three saw the first rehearsals of those performing in the first half of the second semi final.

Bulgaria DARA – Bangaranga

The Reddit Team tell us that the dance that Dara and her backing dancers do in the performance, comes from an ancient Bulgarian Kukeri tradition , which is apparently the act of driving away evil spirits and cleansing dark energy. Dara is the super hero assigned to head this task , dressed in a black belt , black skirt and back knee high boots , with short pink top and pink gloves.Witchcraft at Eurovision? Well, we did have Bambi Thug a couple of years ago telling us to crown the Witch ! My feeling was that this was going to be a bonkers type performance and I am looking forward to seeing footage of this.

Azerbaijan: JIVA –  Just Go

Now Azerbaijan seem to have lost their way a bit since 2022, which was the last time they qualified for the Grand Final . So we will see whether Jiva can change that . REDDIT reporters say that billowing fabric seems to be the main prop in the performance. Jiva herself is dressed in what is described as an “exquisite “gown with black, red and blue sequins. The song is about a broken relationship and to add to the melancholy of all this,we see black and white images of the stage scene , with the man responsible for the relationship breakdown then appearing on stage with Jiva, who then triumphantly marches away as the song comes to a close. Will wait to see actual footage before making my judgment as to whether this will make it to the Grand Final.

Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke me

This is one of the much talked about songs since winning the Romanian National Final.Will it live up to the hype ? The Reddit team report that the performance is ready for the Semi Final next week. Alexandra is a confident performer and the reports are that you can definitely feel her stage presence . She wears a corset with collar and shoulders and strappy extensions coiled around her arms , which represent electrical currents.Knee high black leather boots complement the outfit .It all sounds pretty powerful stuff and I can’t wait to see this when we get to see footage of it .

Luxembourg: Eva Marija – Mother Nature

Eva Marija has definitely drawn the short straw being allocated to sing after Romania and especially with a song which couldn’t be more of a contrast to “Choke me “. According to the REDDIT bloggers, some enhancements have been made to the National Final performance,with Eva encouraging all things of nature to life -The butterflies, the birds and the blossoming buds! Eva herself has ditched the trousers worn in the National Final for a floaty layered gown, which allows her to run about on stage . I didn’t really have high hopes for this when I saw it win the National final, whether the staging changes will make any difference, I look forward to seeing once we get footage .

Czechia: Daniel Zizka – Crossroads

Daniel has brought the mirror effects to Vienna .There are multiple mirrors on stage , which gives the opportunity for various images .The Reddit bloggers have praised Daniel’s vocals in the rehearsal .Light blue outfit but this could change on the actual big night.

Armenia: SIMÓN – Paloma Rumba

This has been described as an energetic performance to the point of hyperactive with Simon expressing joy at being able to leave his job ,to the point where he trashes the office He starts the performance held upside down by his backing dancers .The outfit he wears has been described as “quite a reveal”. I am curious to see this when we get live footage .

Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – Alice

A song about domestic violence will inevitably mean melancholic staging and according to REDDIT , Veronica hasn’t disappointed in this . The microphone will be in the form of a rope , which Veronica will pull from one end , while the cameraman has the other, and it becomes a tug of war, which is depicting Alice trying to pull away from her abuser. There are four backing dancers , draped in red blood rope ,there’s a cube shaped prop , in the form of a red rope climbing frame , with the rope resembling prison bars, which represents how domestic violence victims are trapped by their abuser. It’s a far cry from last year’s gentle Swiss ballad ( which should have got more points than it did ) .

So that’s Day 3 . I’ll be back tomorrow and will give my thoughts on Day 4, which has happened today , where we have those performing in the second half of Semi Final 2.

Let us know what you think of Eurovision 2026 by leaving us a comment below and you can find us on our Facebook, X , Instagram and Bluesky feeds .

Author : Sarah Rudman

Source: EBU /REDDIT

Visual Sources : EBU /Corinne Cummings/Sarah Louise Bennet/Alma Bengtsson