The Albany Gazette - Eurovision final kicks off with Viennese grandeur

Thousands of glammed-up fans filled the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital to watch the world's biggest live televised music event.

A fiery Finnish duo, acclaimed Australian star Delta Goodrem and big numbers from Bulgaria and Romania are among the favourites to win this year's version of the glitzy extravaganza, where, as always the razzmatazz rarely escapes the geopolitics in the background.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia are staging the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history over Israel's participation, citing the war in Gaza.

Earlier Saturday, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched past the concert venue.

Last year's Eurovision winner Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, opened the musical extravaganza with a nod to Austria's grand musical history, singing the "Queen of the Night" aria from composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 1791 opera "The Magic Flute".

The 25-year-old operatic singer triumphed in Basel 2025 with "Wasted Love", and reprised the winning song in a new format on the Wiener Stadthalle stage, surrounded by dancers evoking a Viennese ball.

The 25 competing artists paraded down the catwalk carrying their national flags and waving to the more than 10,000 revved-up fans inside Austria's biggest arena.

- Danish clubbing, German fire -

Denmark's Soren Torpegaard Lund was first up on the bill with "For Vi Gar Hjem" ("Before We Go Home"), plunging the crowd into the world of nightclubs.

Germany's Sarah Engels was due to turn up the heat with "Fire" -- naturally calling on every one of the arena's multiple huge jets of flame.

The overwhelming favourites are the Finnish double-act of violinist Linda Lampenius and pop singer Pete Parkkonen, with their song "Liekinheitin", or "Flamethrower".

However, Australia's Delta Goodrem, who has sold nine million albums, was also coming in hot with her song "Eclipse".

"It's going to come down to Finland and Australia," Fabien Randanne, a journalist at French news outlet 20 Minutes and a specialist on the contest, told AFP.

But Bulgarian pop singer Dara has been gaining traction with her high-energy and highly-choreographed dancing on the catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga".

Greece has been bringing the smiles with "Ferto", featuring singer Akylas in tigerprint coat, shorts and hat against a retro video game backdrop in a performance that also showcased knitting, a glitterball and a classical statue that came to life.

Israel's Noam Bettan is also an outside bet with "Michelle".

Meanwhile 22-year-old Romanian singer Alexandra Capitanescu's heavy metal song "Choke Me" caused a minor furore in the Eurovision build-up over the oft-repeated lines "I want you to choke me".

While stage designs vary in boldness, songs range from pop to heavy rock to ethereral and electro.

Across Eurovision week, though 16 songs were in English, more than 20 different languages were sung on stage.

- Party time and protests -

Some 166 million viewers watched the contest on television last year when it was hosted in Basel.

"I'm here to see my favourite singer, my idol, my queen: Delta," said Jeremy, 45, a teacher from Britain, who was among those who queued up beforehand in the pouring rain to take their places inside.

"The excitement inside of me is so beyond words that I'm here in the live grand final."

But elsewhere, demonstrators were marching in protest.

Hundreds marched through Vienna before the final shouting "Free, free Palestine" and "boycott Eurovision", under heavy police presence.

They held banners reading "Don't celebrate genocide".

(T.Brown--TAG)