Official dates announced: 70th Eurovision Song Contest heads to Vienna

Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski will host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Vienna in May.

Hailing from the charming, historical city of Innsbruck in the Alpine east of Austria, Victoria Swarovski is a TV presenter, entrepreneur, model, designer and singer. Not only has she been a long-time host of one of television's most popular entertainment shows, Let's Dance, but she has also presented prestigious award shows, too, News.Az reports citing EUROVISION.

From Leoben, a city of immense natural beauty in the central region of Austria, Michael Ostrowski is an actor of film and TV, as well as being a popular presenter who recently won a Romy award for his TV hosting skills. 

The Green Room will be directly connected to the stage via a walkway – which, among other things, will enable a Winner’s Walk through the audience. Taking on a typically Austrian character for 2026 will be the Green Room. An important element of the stage design, the Green Room is the lounge area where artists and delegations are seated during the Live Shows.

The design concept by Florian Wieder is inspired by Viennese coffee house culture. Officially recognised as intangible UNESCO cultural heritage, this culture stands for far more than the mere enjoyment of coffee — it embodies a distinctive philosophy of life and a deeply-rooted social tradition that is embedded in Austrian society.

And it is precisely this welcoming cultural philosophy that is now to be brought into the Eurovision Song Contest; the Green Room will become a Viennese coffee house — and thus a place of encounter, emotion and shared experience by people from all over the world right here in Austria.

For Vienna 2026, both a public vote and a jury vote will determine the Top 10 countries from each Semi-Final. These will then progress to the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday 16 May.

Host country Austria, alongside the ‘Big 4’ (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) don’t compete in the Semi-Finals, but their audiences watching at home do vote, as do their professional juries. Germany and Italy will perform and vote in the First Semi-Final, while Austria, France and the United Kingdom will do so in the Second Semi-Final.

A programme of opening and interval acts has been specially developed to deliver a spectacular range of entertainment across the two Semi-Finals and the Grand Final on 12 | 14 | 16 May. The seven-decade history of the Eurovision Song Contest will be playing a prominent role as viewers tune in to see how the 70th edition unfolds. From Basel 2025 winner JJ, to a special 'Eurovision Allstar' Celebration!, you can read all the details on what ORF has planned right here.

Welcoming the world to Austria, the Eurovision Village will kick off Eurovision week with the Opening Ceremony and the Turquoise Carpet event, taking place on Vienna's Rathausplatz on Sunday 10 May.

Austrian hospitality at its finest will be experienced at the Eurovision Village, which is going to be open daily from 11:00 CEST until midnight or until the end of the Live Shows. And all three Live Shows which will be broadcast for all to see! Admission is free.

The final day of the Eurovision Village’s Rathausplatz residency will conclude with a programme entitled Thank You Vienna , which will offer locals and visitors the opportunity to reflect on the previous evening's Grand Final together.

Rathausplatz, right next to Vienna City Hall and the home of the Eurovision Village, is located in the centre of the city and boasts excellent public transport connections, via the subway and tram lines. It is ideally located to serve as the beating heart of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.

News.Az