Summer is here: But Does Eurovision Really Last All Year?

Personally, I love summer! The warmer weather is much needed here in Scotland and its nice to sit outside without fear of the cold (merely the fear of the Great British rain)! Of course, as a Eurofan summer is a lot quieter than the rest of the year: no selections of artists or songs, no pre-parties to dance the night away at and no immediate prospect of an unexpected announcement causing a buzz. For the Australians (and Southern Hemisphere citizens in general) it is of course winter just now but it is rather amusing how here in Europe the down season in the Eurovision calendar corresponds with the holiday period, when many of us would have more time to focus on our hobby more if we wished to.

But does Eurovision really die in the Summer?

I mean sure, the fans will hype up the contest as a year long event but if the actual activities only occur for half a year at most, then surely it is a seasonal hobby at best?

Whilst this logic holds up for many a viewer, I would argue that it is true that the Eurovision community is busy and active all year round! After all, if you really want to discuss music and your favourite artists what’s to stop that from happening all year round? Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what is happening though. Reaching out to likeminded people can be hard and persuading others to take an interest in a topic they only think about once a year is quite a challenge!

So what are some Eurovision things you can do to brighten up your sunny summer’s day?

1) Engage in Eurovision social media

OK, this one is pretty obvious but here me out. No matter the time of year, there are a fair few of us out there (hello) who are maybe just a little too excitable when it comes to Eurovision. Whilst it can be hard to know where to find people who share your enthusiasm in day to day life, the online Eurovision community is incredibly easy to find and get involved in.

From Twitter to Facebook to Instagram to YouTube and beyond a simple search can take you to meet many different people from around the globe who share your very interest! To be perfectly honest that’s probably how you landed on this site, so great job! The fandom can be pretty creative as well (particularly in Summer when there are less conflicting Eurovision events) so often you will find someone arranging a contest, game or streaming of something that Eurofans can enjoy together whilst talking about their favourite songs.

There are also several websites (like this one) dedicated to talking about Eurovision, many of which run activities throughout the year. Fan clubs where you can connect with other Eurovision fans are also readily accessible and a great place to connect and engage with people. The places to meet are numerous and ever growing, so write that comment on Facebook or reply to this article, who knows who you will be able to link in with?

2) Have a Eurovision re-watch party

So you said you liked Eurovision? There is never anything stopping you from watching Eurovision, I mean we have over 1,500 songs to enjoy! This figure doesn’t even begin to acknowledge the many more songs that have been submitted to selection contests to try and make it to the contest either, that’s days worth of listening.

With so many songs to choose between it is very easy to gather up a list of something like ‘Eurovision songs beginning with “I”‘ or ‘Eurovision songs which came 14th’ and create your own tournament to pick a favourite from amongst! What’s even simpler to do is simply pick an old year (all of which can be found on YouTube as either a video or playlist) and rank the songs in it! You would be surprised at how your opinions may have changed over time… or even surprised at how drastically different the contest was if you have never seen that year before.

3) Research a European country

Bit of a random one this one but it can be very rewarding.

Have you ever listened to a Eurovision song and gone “Oh, what’s this all about”? I think we have all had moments where we have encountered a different culture at Eurovision and been intrigued to learn more about it! How many of us learnt about the existence of San Marino through watching Eurovision? Maybe you had never heard of white voice singing before Eurovision or had never listened to someone with a Northern English accent be interviewed before? Eurovision introduces us to so many different cultures and it can be very satisfying to broaden your horizons and actually learn about these places. Who knows maybe your next Summer break could end up taking place in that very country?

4) Search through old Eurovision news

I’ve got to confess, digging up old random items of Eurovision content is one of my favourite things to do (particularly in the off-season), it’s kind of why this blog exists! And whilst the internet has only existed for a slither of the contest’s lifespan, it contains a vast quantity of (often disappearing and forgotten) information.

At least to me this very much feels like a treasure hunt, except you never know what you are going to find?

5) Go to a (virtual?) concert and stream, stream, stream

Lastly and arguably more importantly, whilst Eurovision snoozes, the artists who have participated do not! Music is their livelihoods after all.

“Life is music, I am a composer”

Samanta Tina (Latvia 2020 & 2021)

This is good news for all of us. Eurovision artists past (and future) release music, go on tours and even make film appearances, regardless of the time of year. Coronavirus may be an issue for the many of us who would love to travel overseas to meet our favourite artists but many are still touring when and where restrictions allow them too (Instagram is normally a great place to check this out). Others have put on online ‘virtual’ concerts in the past where you can feel the atmosphere from home with a livestream directly to their performances.

And if concert going is not feasible or simply isn’t for you, there is of course the opportunity to enjoy the studio cuts of their songs right at home. Eurovision artists are even doing well on the global charts just now with Eurovision 2021 champions Måneskin storming the charts! It’s a great time to be a Eurofan, we have tons of good music readily available at our fingertips.

Hopefully there’s something fun there you fancy trying this summer because there is a lot of fun to be had in the Eurofandom! As mentioned in this article you can always comment below if you want to engage in the Eurovision community here or you can talk to us on social media! And why not help more people out by sharing this article on social media? Take care and have a great day!