Eurovision song contest 2026: united by music, powered by data
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is set to turn Vienna into the
musical heart of Europe once again. As one of the world’s largest
live music events, Eurovision brings together millions of viewers,
artists, and fans under the long‑standing motto ‘United by
Music’. Beyond glittering performances and cross‑border voting,
the contest also highlights how large‑scale cultural events rely on
data to connect audiences, optimise organisation, and enhance the fan
experience. 

The 70th edition of Eurovision will take place in Vienna, Austria,
with semi‑finals on Tuesday, 12 May and Thursday, 14 May, followed
by the grand final on Saturday, 16 May, all starting at 21:00 CEST.
The shows will be hosted at the Wiener Stadthalle, with additional fan
activities across the city, including public screenings and the
Eurovision Village. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union
[https://www.ebu.ch/home], the contest is broadcast across Europe and
far beyond, attracting viewers from dozens of countries and generating
extensive media and online engagement. More information about the
event is available on the Eurovision website
[https://www.eurovision.com/].  

While Eurovision is best known for its music and performances, it is
also shaped by data that informs everything from logistics to audience
participation. Public datasets on audience reach
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=audience%20reach&locale=en],
tourism flows
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=tourism+flows&locale=en&page=1],
and transport usage
[https://data.europa.eu/data/combined?query=transport+usage&locale=en&page=1]
can help cities assess the economic and social impact of hosting major
events. Open mobility data supports crowd management and sustainable
travel planning, while media
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&page=1&query=journalism]
and cultural
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&categories=EDUC&page=1&keywords=culture]
datasets enable journalists, researchers, and fans to explore trends
in music, language, and cross‑border participation. Open data can
also encourage creative reuse, from data visualisations of voting
results to applications that help fans plan their Eurovision
experience. 

As Europe celebrates music, diversity, and collaboration in Vienna, it
is also a moment to showcase the power of open data. Explore datasets
and use cases on the European Data Portal
[https://ecas.ec.europa.eu/cas/oauth2/authorize?client_id=G351MjLsyah0GMOECL8BwXwKiZou10ZxXtDDmpXdhIiUignclhb0KTFZn7e32Ko2EPyJhOuMxZu68h0v7MujF0-rS0vSrmBGYC0aL2jHwjfu4&response_type=code&scope=openid%20email%20profile%20phone%20hr%20authentication_factors&redirect_uri=https%3A//data.europa.eu/openid-connect/eulogin&state=_pkk3umxcJAUsCf1A6yfXNhW2Aj4PUXfFKPGMq6u_Ck&code_challenge_method=S256&code_challenge=MQvsSKIoTp532yz0_9K_KXU2HPw6OTdR2ho5E4s-xG0&code_verifier=tpy7kqLHyDl2nFelbw-6XSrN-EfVr1CgSA5jj85q62w],
discover how open data supports cultural innovation, and learn how you
can reuse public data to create new insights around events that bring
Europe together. 

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Publication Date/Time
2026-05-11T08:00:00+00:00
How Europe’s biggest music event offers new opportunities for open
data and innovation