From the big screen to Celine: Four Canadian things to know about Eurovision 2025

Canadian superstar Celine Dion appears in a video message during the dress rehearsal of the first semifinal at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland on May 12, 2025. (Georgios Kefalas / Keystone via AP)

TORONTO — The Eurovision Song Contest gets underway Tuesday, as representatives from 15 countries meet to perform their hearts out in pursuit of the top prize and a chance to host next year’s event.

It’s a showdown of wacky, wild and wonderful songs that is hard to resist for a growing number of Canadians.

For the uninitiated, Eurovision rolls out its semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday, when viewers and a jury determine who continues to Saturday’s grand finale in Basel, Switzerland.

In recent years, more Canadians have caught Eurovision fever, helped by easier access to the live broadcast feed on YouTube, fan websites, and the possibility that Canada may soon become a guest competitor.

Here are four Canadian things to know as the 2025 edition gets underway.

Celine Dion:

Rumours have swirled for months that Quebec’s songbird may make a surprise appearance. Representing Switzerland, Dion won the top prize in 1988 when she was hired to sing “Ne partez pas sans moi.” It was her introduction to the world and Dion has credited it with shaping her as a performer.

Several media reports have suggested Dion may show up at the Grand Final on Saturday, either to sing or just be celebrated. But this is said to hinge on her health. Dion is battling stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes sudden and severe muscle spasms. Last summer, she gave a triumphant performance on the Eiffel Tower to open the Paris Olympic Games, her first since going public with her health condition.

Eurovision organizers have been tight-lipped, but earlier this month, Dion shared pictures on Instagram from her past Eurovision experiences, which only fuelled speculation. A video of the singer was played during a dress rehearsal for Tuesday’s first semifinal, which some took as a sign she might not appear after all. In it, Dion thanked Switzerland for being a “country that believed in me and gave me a chance to be part of something so extraordinary.”

Home viewing:

Eurovision’s surprises can be watched in Canada on YouTube, which carries a live broadcast feed each day starting at 3 p.m. ET. But it will miss at least one key component. Each host country recruits a local commentator to guide viewers through the show as if it’s a sporting event. In Britain, comedian Graham Norton offers snarky jokes and trivia about each performer. The YouTube feed won’t have any of that extra colour.

Big screen showcase:

Canada’s biggest theatre chain is getting in on the action this year. Cineplex announced on its social platforms this week that it’s hosting live Eurovision screenings at select theatres across the country on each day of the competition. It’s a rare opportunity to catch the show on a screen that rivals the size of the spectacle. Tickets and locations are listed on the exhibitor’s website.

Eurovision Canada:

Plans to launch a televised singing contest that would send the winner to Eurovision on behalf of Canada have been underway for years. While a planned 2023 launch didn’t happen, its producers say the show is still on track.

Lindsay Cox, co-chief content officer at Toronto-based Insight Productions, told The Canadian Press that after first announcing the show in 2022 her team realized “the complexity of a Canadian going to Europe and competing.”

“If we’re really going to compete, we need to have a bilingual-hosted show in Canada,” she said.

Cox said the Canadian competitors would “sing in whatever language they like” on “Eurovision Canada.” She said she and Quebec-based unscripted company Groupe Fair-Play expect to shop a reworked version to broadcasters this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025.

Article written by David Friend, The Canadian Press