Contestants from 41 countries, including Australia, have walked an orange carpet in Tel Aviv for the opening ceremony of Eurovision 2019, brushing aside security concerns and calls for a boycott.
The 64th Eurovision Song Contest holds semi-finals in Tel Aviv, Israel’s entertainment and business capital, on Tuesday and Thursday ahead of the grand final on Saturday.
Australia has chosen classically trained singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke, 37, as its Eurovision representative. Miller-Heidke won the nationally televised competition to represent Australia.
Eurovision is the world’s largest television music competition.
Despite being a European contest, Australia has been competing in Eurovision since 2015.
Australia’s inclusion is in recognition of the country’s large fan base. Three million Aussies watched Eurovision last year.
Instead of the traditional red carpet, an orange carpet, matching the logo of a company sponsoring the international song fest, was rolled out at the Tel Aviv square that houses Israel’s Habima national theatre and the Israel Philharmonic.
Concerns had been raised that the contest could be disrupted by a surge in cross-border violence between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. But a ceasefire that went into effect a week ago has been holding.
No delegation has pulled out.
Read the article in the Illawarra Mercury.