With fans from more than 80 countries watching on, 25 contestants went head to head for the coveted glass microphone.
Here are five stand-out moments from a Eurovision that was controversial from start to finish.
The dreaded nul points
Olly Alexander may have punched above his weight during his high-energy performance of Dizzy, but viewers were not feeling the love, delivering him the crushing blow of a dreaded “nul points” score in the public vote.
Taking it on the chin, Alexander smiled for the camera and did a playful wriggle, as commentator Graham Norton described the public judgment as “brutal”.
The UK got 46 points overall, coming in the bottom quarter and 18th out of 25 acts.
Wardrobe malfunction
Over-exposure is never good for an artist, especially when it involves tight denim hot pants and wildly enthusiastic dancing.
It was a lesson Finland’s Windows95Man learned the hard way, as he climbed out of a giant egg and performed the novelty entry No Rules in front of a global audience.
Contrary to the title, the rule would seem to be if you must wear short shorts, you must also wear tight enough pants to protect your modesty. Some things you can never unsee.
The watermelon’s hidden message
With limited opportunities to make their voices heard, one act got creative to express their views.
Pic: Bambie Thug and their delegation
When the Irish delegation and act Bambie Thug appeared sitting in the “green room” area onstage, there was a large soft-toy watermelon clearly in the background of the shot.
Later, someone appeared to be sitting on it, but it was still just in shot.
Used by activists as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, the colours of a watermelon – red, black, green and white – match the colours of the Palestinian flag, and it’s likely the fruit was being used to suggest more than just remembering to eat your five a day.
Shoutouts for peace
The EBU said the show must not be political. But finalists had other ideas.
Ireland’s Bambie Thug. Pic: Reuters
Lithuania wanted to “spread love to the world”; Portugal felt hoped that “peace will prevail”; France wanted us all to be “united by music, for love and peace”.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s act Bambie Thug rounded off their performance by saying: “Love will always triumph hate.”
Even clothing refused to play Eurovision’s apolitical game, with the T-shirt worn by Austria’s spokesperson presenter Philipp Hansa emblazoned with the word “Equality”.
He reinforced the message, saying, “We all deserve to be treated equally,” which was met with a large round of applause from fans.
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Booing the boss
No one likes being booed. And when it comes from an auditorium full of very vocal Eurovision fans, recently riled thanks to one of the most popular acts of the night being sent home, it’s all the more impactful.
Martin Osterdahl. Pic: TT News Agency/ Reuters
The man tasked with overseeing the organisation of the show bore the brunt of fans’ wrath, being jeered not once, but twice.
Firstly, when he announced that all of the results from the grand final had been verified, and again when he delivered the Netherlands’ public vote scores.
Looking visibly shaken, he got through it, but may well be having nightmares about his ill-received double cameo for many years to come.
Source Agencies
