How To Throw A Eurovision Party in Thailand

Kate Miller-Heidke from Australia performs during a rehearsal for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner / AP
Kate Miller-Heidke from Australia performs during a rehearsal for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner / AP

BANGKOK — Gather your Eurovision-loving friends for some late night (or early morning?) watch parties this week.

“Eurovision fans in Thailand are usually students who studied in Europe, or European expats,” explained Kevin Laddapong, a Thai Eurovision fan who has previously hosted watch parties.

Kevin says that as far as he knows, Eurovision fan circles in Bangkok haven’t organised a public party for this year’s song contest – but that doesn’t mean you can’t!

Stay up on Wednesday 2am to stream the first semi-final on Youtube. Can you keep a straight face during Australian Kate Miller-Heidke’s “Zero Gravity?”

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The second semi-final will be livestreamed on the same YouTube channel on Friday 2am. Swoon as the Netherlands’ Duncan Lawrence croons “Arcade” – Kevin says this tender ballad is a favorite to win.

The final streams at 2am Sunday. The final automatically includes entries from the host country (Israel) and the Big Five countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

“Personally, my favorite is the UK’s song. It’s beautiful and simple and I think the singing is the best out of all the competition,” Kevin gushed – so keep an eye out for Michael Rice’s “Bigger Than Us.”

Also of note is France’s entry, “Roi,” sung by 19-year-old LGBT activist Bilal Hassani, who is of Morrocan descent. Weightier is Italy’s “Soldi” by Mahmood, which tells the singer’s personal story of being abandoned by his father.

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