The date for 2021’s Eurovision Song Contest final has been confirmed, after this year’s ceremony was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020 competition had been scheduled for May 14 but was called off in March due to concerns over the spread of Covid-19 worldwide.
The semi-finals of the 2021 event will take place in Rotterdam, where this year’s contest had been slated to take place, on May 18 and 20, 2021.
The grand final will then follow on May 22.
Martin Österdahl, the Eurovision Song Contest’s Executive Supervisor, said: "It’s vitally important that the Eurovision Song Contest returns next year, and we’re pleased to have the necessary commitment from our members in the Netherlands to bring this much-loved show back to audiences across the world."
Executive event producer Sietse Bakker said that the team behind the stage show “now have a year to explore all scenarios in detail with the parties involved and to make the shows happen regardless of the circumstances, with adjustments if necessary.”
He added that the 2021 contest will use the same stage designed for the 2020 event, but other details will depend “on what is possible at that time, on the availability of all those involved and on what fits the spirit of 2021."
In lieu of the annual Eurovision celebrations, the BBC aired a special night of programming, looking back at some of the most memorable Eurovision moments of all time.
It also broadcast the official stand-in show, Eurovision Shine A Light.
James Newman was set to represent the UK at the 2020 Song Contest with his track My Last Breath.
