It’s time for the most extra night of the year: Eurovision 2023, which is held in Liverpool in the UK this year, hosts the final on Saturday the 13th of May at 8pm BST (that's 9pm CET in Europe, 3pm EDT for US East coast, and noon PDT for the West coast, should our international friends be watching).
It's the day when Europe’s best – and don't forget Australia, of course, where the show kicks-off at 5am on Sunday 14th May – duke it out in a battle of song to be crowned Eurovision champions. The qualifying rounds have been taking place all week with 26 performers warming up their vocal chords for Saturday's final showdown.
That’s not all, however, as last year's winners (Ukranian group Kalush) and runner-up Sam “Spaceman” Ryder, will also be performing alongside a six-act ensemble of some of everyone’s favourite Eurovision acts from the past.
Whether you’re cheering for Ukraine, UK hopeful Mae Muller, or just hoping to see some of the more oddball Eurovision moments (anyone remember the sexy butter churn?), make sure you tune in to Eurovision 2023.
The bookies’ favourite for the crown is Sweden’s Loreen, already a winner in 2012, but keep an eye out for the unique madness of Croatia’s Let 3 and Austria’s Teya & Salena with the song “Who the hell is Edgar?” dedicated to creepy 19th-century poet Edgar Allen Poe.
How to watch Eurovision 2023 in the UK
The Eurovision 2023 final starts at 8pm BST on Saturday the 13th of May. UK viewers can watch the final on BBC One and on BBC iPlayer.
This year’s event will be hosted by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham (of Ted Lasso fame), Julia Sanina, and Eurovision royalty Graham Norton.
Remember, of course, that however well she does, UK viewers cannot vote for Mae Muller.
How to watch Eurovision 2023 in the rest of the world
If you live anywhere else in the world or are out of the UK on holiday or business, you can still get access to the live stream - simply use the best VPN around to get past those geo-restrictions.
A streaming VPN is a very handy thing, as it means you can hop on a server within the US, UK or anywhere else, and it will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.
- VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anonymity as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
- As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
- Most VPNs offer a list of locations where their servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
- When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for Mac and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
- Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it.
- To live stream Eurovision 2023, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions, with the likes of BBC iPlayer opening its online gates to you.
- We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk-free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- New to VPN? Find out how to use a VPN to unblock geo-restrictions
