Good vibes and fanfare as artists arrive at Eurovision's 'Turquoise Carpet' in Vienna

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026  kicked off in Vienna on Sunday (May 10) with acts, including favourites Denmark, Finland and Greece, walking the turquoise carpet in front of thousands of excited fans.    

A celebration of pop music and high camp, the contest is taking place in particularly tense circumstances this year as five national broadcasters including Spanish heavyweight RTVE and Ireland's RTE, are boycotting over Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, launched in retaliation for the October 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas.

Enthusiasts from across Europe who descended on the Austrian capital for a week of celebrations lined the Turquoise carpet as singers signed autographs and posed.

The televised annual celebration of pop music, watched by around 150 million viewers worldwide, aims to be non-political but the Gaza war has embroiled it in controversy.

Production: Christine Uyanik, Anna Dittrich, Laura Uracca-Mukach, Tanya Wood/Reuters