Now it's out: The finale of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 will take place on May 22nd in Rotterdam. The two semi-finals are scheduled for May 18 and 20. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) via Twitter announced.
In a statement that can be found on the official German ESC website, Sietse Bakker (36), executive producer of the ESC, says about the new date: "We now have a year to go through all the scenarios in detail with the parties involved to enable the shows regardless of the circumstances, with adjustments if necessary. "
Ticket for Ben Dolic?
Actually, the ESC 2020 final should have taken place in Rotterdam on May 16. Due to the corona pandemic, the music competition was canceled in March. 18 participating countries have already decided to have their representatives, who were actually planned for 2020, also competing in Rotterdam in 2021.
So far it is unclear whether Ben Dolic (23), who should have started with his song "Violent Thing", continues to sing for Germany. "Before we finally make a final decision, a few questions still need to be clarified," says Thomas Schreiber (60), ARD entertainment coordinator and head of the NDR program area Fiction and Entertainment, in mid-May at the request of the news agency spot on news.
Even if Dolic were there, he would need a new song – just like the other participants. According to a current regulation, the contributions may not be published commercially until September 2020 in order to be approved for 2021.