# Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light

Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light was a live television programme, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and produced by the Dutch broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS. It replaced the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was planned to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The show was broadcast live from Hilversum, Netherlands on 16 May 2020 and lasted for approximately two hours. It was hosted by Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit, who had been chosen to present the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 before its cancellation.
The EBU reported that the show had an audience of 73 million viewers, based on data provided by 38 of the 45 countries that broadcast the programme. In April 2021, the show was nominated for a Rockie Award in the category Comedy & Variety.

## Background

As the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 could not take place due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Europe, the EBU decided to organise Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light as an alternative programme to fill the space that was initially planned for the competition. The programme's name was inspired by the song "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves, which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1997.
This was the fourth time that the EBU organised a special show in the Eurovision format, after the shows for the 25th, 50th and 60th anniversaries. Like the 25th and 60th anniversary shows, this was a non-competitive show.

## Format

During the programme, all 41 songs that had been chosen to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 were honoured in a non-competitive format. Participants from previous editions of the contest were invited to make an appearance. Johnny Logan, the hosts and Eurovision fans who uploaded clips for the occasion sang Logan's "What's Another Year", which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 in The Hague. Closing the show, all artists (except Hooverphonic, representing Belgium) performed "Love Shine a Light" from their respective home countries. The show ended with the announcement that Rotterdam would remain as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.

### Location

On 1 April 2020, Hilversum was confirmed as the host city for the event, with Studio 21 in the Hilversum Media Park as the venue of the show. It was the second time Hilversum hosted a Eurovision event, having previously hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1958.

### Presenters

The show was hosted by three presenters: actress and television host Chantal Janzen, singer and Dutch television commentator for the contest Jan Smit, and singer Edsilia Rombley, who represented the Netherlands in the 1998 and 2007 contests. They would have been the three hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. Beauty vlogger Nikkie de Jager, also known as NikkieTutorials, presented the show's online content. All four went on to host the full contest in 2021.

## Contents
### Performances

The show featured performances from the following Eurovision artists:
| Order | Country | Artist | Song | Language(s) | Location |
| 01 | Ireland | Johnny Logan | "What's Another Year" | English | Dublin |
| 01 | Netherlands | Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit | "What's Another Year" | English | Studio 21, Hilversum |
| 01 | Various countries | Eurovision Song Contest fans | "What's Another Year" | English | Various locations |
| 02 | Sweden | Måns Zelmerlöw | "Heroes" | English | London |
| 03 | Israel | Gali Atari (of Milk and Honey) | "Hallelujah" | Hebrew, English, Dutch | Jerusalem |
| 03 | Netherlands | Finalists of Junior Songfestival 2018 and 2019 | "Hallelujah" | Hebrew, English, Dutch | Unknown |
| 04 | Italy | Diodato | "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" | Italian | Milan |
| 05 | Serbia | Marija Šerifović | "Molitva" | Serbian | Belgrade |
| 06 | Netherlands | Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra | "Love Shine a Light" | None (instrumental) | Various locations (Europe Shine a Landmark) |
| 07 | Germany | Michael Schulte | "Ein bißchen Frieden" | German | Peace Palace, The Hague |
| 07 | Netherlands | Ilse DeLange (of The Common Linnets) | "Ein bißchen Frieden" | German | Peace Palace, The Hague |
| 08 | Israel | Netta | "Cuckoo" | English | Tel Aviv |
| 09 | Netherlands | Duncan Laurence | "Someone Else" | English | Studio 21, Hilversum |
| 10 | All participating countries | Artists of Eurovision 2020 | "Love Shine a Light" | English | Various locations |
| 10 | United Kingdom | Katrina Leskanich (of Katrina and the Waves) | "Love Shine a Light" | English | Various locations |

### Song Celebration

The show also showcased the artists and songs that would have competed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, by showing short excerpts of the songs' music videos or stage performances, along with video messages from the artists themselves. These were as follows:
| Order | Country | Artist | Song | Language(s) |
| First segment |||||
| 01 | Israel | Eden Alene | "Feker libi" (ፍቅር ልቤ) | English, Amharic |
| 02 | Norway | Ulrikke | "Attention" | English |
| 03 | Russia | Little Big | "Uno" | English, Spanish |
| 04 | Georgia | Tornike Kipiani | "Take Me as I Am" | English |
| 05 | France | Tom Leeb | "Mon alliée (The Best in Me)" | French, English |
| 06 | Azerbaijan | Efendi | "Cleopatra" | English |
| 07 | Portugal | Elisa | "Medo de sentir" | Portuguese |
| 08 | Lithuania | The Roop | "On Fire" | English |
| 09 | Sweden | The Mamas | "Move" | English |
| Second segment |||||
| 10 | Latvia | Samanta Tīna | "Still Breathing" | English |
| 11 | Belgium | Hooverphonic | "Release Me" | English |
| 12 | United Kingdom | James Newman | "My Last Breath" | English |
| 13 | Belarus | VAL | "Da vidna" (Да відна) | Belarusian |
| 14 | Finland | Aksel | "Looking Back" | English |
| 15 | North Macedonia | Vasil | "You" | English |
| 16 | Switzerland | Gjon's Tears | "Répondez-moi" | French |
| 17 | Serbia | Hurricane | "Hasta la vista" | Serbian |
| Third segment |||||
| 18 | Spain | Blas Cantó | "Universo" | Spanish |
| 19 | Albania | Arilena Ara | "Fall from the Sky" | English |
| 20 | Ireland | Lesley Roy | "Story of My Life" | English |
| 21 | Slovenia | Ana Soklič | "Voda" | Slovene |
| 22 | Austria | Vincent Bueno | "Alive" | English |
| 23 | Bulgaria | Victoria | "Tears Getting Sober" | English |
| 24 | San Marino | Senhit | "Freaky!" | English |
| 25 | Iceland | Daði og Gagnamagnið | "Think About Things" | English |
| Fourth segment |||||
| 26 | Greece | Stefania | "Supergirl" | English |
| 27 | Czech Republic | Benny Cristo | "Kemama" | English |
| 28 | Poland | Alicja | "Empires" | English |
| 29 | Moldova | Natalia Gordienko | "Prison" | English |
| 30 | Cyprus | Sandro | "Running" | English |
| 31 | Romania | Roxen | "Alcohol You" | English |
| 32 | Croatia | Damir Kedžo | "Divlji vjetre" | Croatian |
| 33 | Germany | Ben Dolic | "Violent Thing" | English |
| Fifth segment |||||
| 34 | Malta | Destiny | "All of My Love" | English |
| 35 | Estonia | Uku Suviste | "What Love Is" | English |
| 36 | Australia | Montaigne | "Don't Break Me" | English |
| 37 | Ukraine | Go_A | "Solovey" (Соловей) | Ukrainian |
| 38 | Denmark | Ben & Tan | "Yes" | English |
| 39 | Italy | Diodato | "Fai rumore" | Italian |
| 40 | Armenia | Athena Manoukian | "Chains on You" | English |
| 41 | Netherlands | Jeangu Macrooy | "Grow" | English |

### Appearances

* Poland – Viki Gabor
* Norway – Alexander Rybak
* Netherlands – Lenny Kuhr
* Belgium – Sandra Kim
* Luxembourg – Anne-Marie David
* Ireland – Niamh Kavanagh
* Netherlands – Getty Kaspers
* Azerbaijan – Ell and Nikki
* Russia – Sergey Lazarev
* Ireland – Dana
* Greece – Helena Paparizou
* Sweden – Carola
* Austria – Conchita Wurst
* Sweden – Björn Ulvaeus
* United Kingdom – Graham Norton

### Landmarks

Various landmarks in countries that were set to compete were illuminated as part of a segment titled Europe Shine a Landmark. The following landmarks were featured in the programme:
| Order | Country | Landmark | City |
| 01 | Ukraine | Kyiv TV Center [uk] | Kyiv |
| 02 | Greece | Acropolis | Athens |
| 03 | Bulgaria | Ivan Vazov National Theatre | Sofia |
| 04 | Ireland | Rock of Cashel | Cashel |
| 05 | Denmark | The Little Mermaid | Copenhagen |
| 06 | Portugal | Belém Tower | Lisbon |
| 07 | North Macedonia | Archaeological Museum of North Macedonia | Skopje |
| 08 | Azerbaijan | Baku Crystal Hall (venue of the 2012 contest) | Baku |
| 09 | Australia | Sydney Opera House | Sydney |
| 10 | Lithuania | Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre | Vilnius |
| 11 | Iceland | Harpa | Reykjavík |
| 12 | Italy | Piazza del Campidoglio | Rome |
| 13 | Belgium | Atomium | Brussels |
| 14 | Norway | Oslo Opera House | Oslo |
| 15 | Albania | Skanderbeg Monument | Tirana |
| 16 | Malta | Esplora Interactive Science Centre | Kalkara |
| 17 | Serbia | Stari dvor | Belgrade |
| 18 | Latvia | National Library of Latvia | Riga |
| 19 | United Kingdom | London Eye | London |
| 20 | Cyprus | Presidential Palace | Nicosia |
| 21 | Spain | Teatro Real (venue of the 1969 contest) | Madrid |
| 22 | Croatia | Croatian National Theatre | Zagreb |
| 23 | Austria | Wiener Riesenrad | Vienna |
| 24 | San Marino | Statua della Libertà and Palazzo Pubblico | San Marino |
| 25 | France | Eiffel Tower | Paris |
| 26 | Russia | Spasskaya Tower and Saint Basil's Cathedral | Moscow |
| 27 | Sweden | Globen (venue of the 2000 and 2016 contests) | Stockholm |
| 28 | Poland | Royal Castle in Warsaw | Warsaw |
| 29 | Slovenia | Ljubljana Castle | Ljubljana |
| 30 | Israel | Tower of David | Jerusalem |
| 31 | Switzerland | Matterhorn | Zermatt |
| 32 | Romania | Piața Unirii | Bucharest |
| 33 | Armenia | Yerevan TV Tower | Yerevan |
| 34 | Germany | Elbphilharmonie | Hamburg |
| 35 | Belarus | National Library of Belarus | Minsk |
| 36 | Estonia | Tallinn Song Festival Grounds | Tallinn |
| 37 | Georgia | Bridge of Peace | Tbilisi |
| 38 | Netherlands | Erasmusbrug | Rotterdam |
Czech Republic, Finland and Moldova were the only countries that did not have a landmark featured.

## Broadcasters and commentators

The show took place on 16 May 2020 at 21:00 CEST. The following countries broadcast the live show:
| Country | Broadcaster | Channel(s) | Commentator(s) |
| Albania | RTSH | RTSH 1, RTSH Muzikë | Andri Xhahu |
| Armenia | AMPTV (1TV) | AMPTV (1TV) | David Tserunyan and Emma Hakobyan |
| Australia | SBS | SBS | Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst |
| Austria | ORF | ORF 1 | Andi Knoll |
| Azerbaijan | İctimai Television (İTV) | İctimai Television (İTV) | Murad Arif |
| Belarus | BTRC | Belarus 1, Belarus 24 | Evgeny Perlin |
| Belgium | RTBF | La Une | Jean-Louis Lahaye and Maureen Louys |
| Belgium | VRT | Eén | Peter Van de Veire |
| Bulgaria | BNT | BNT 1, BNT 4 | Elena Rosberg and Petko Kralev |
| Croatia | HRT | HRT 1 | Duško Čurlić |
| Cyprus | CyBC | RIK 1, RIK Sat | Andreas Iakovidis |
| Czech Republic | ČT | ČT art | Jan Maxián |
| Denmark | DR | DR1 | Ole Tøpholm |
| Estonia | ERR | ETV | Marko Reikop |
| Estonia | ERR | ETV+ | Yuliya Kalenda and Aleksandr Khobotov |
| Finland | Yle | Yle TV2 | Finnish: Mikko Silvennoinen and Krista SiegfridsSwedish: Eva Frantz and Johan Lindroos |
| France | France Télévisions | France 2 | Stéphane Bern |
| Georgia | GPB | 1TV | Demetre Ergemlidze |
| Germany | ARD/NDR | Das Erste | Michael Schulte and Peter Urban |
| Greece | ERT | ERT1 | Maria Kozakou |
| Iceland | RÚV | RÚV 1 | Felix Bergsson |
| Ireland | RTÉ | RTÉ One | Marty Whelan |
| Israel | IPBC (Kan) | Kan 11 | No commentary |
| Italy | RAI | Rai 1 (adapted and delayed) | Flavio Insinna and Federico Russo |
| Italy | RAI | Rai 4, Rai Radio 2 (live) | Gino Castaldo and Ema Stokholma |
| Latvia | LTV | LTV1 | Toms Grēviņš |
| Lithuania | LRT | LRT televizija | Ramūnas Zilnys |
| Malta | PBS | TVM | No commentary |
| Moldova | TRM | Moldova 1 | Daniela Crudu |
| Netherlands | AVROTROS | NPO 1 | Cornald Maas |
| North Macedonia | MRT | MRT 1 | Aleksandra Jovanovska |
| Norway | NRK | NRK1 | No commentary |
| Poland | TVP | TVP1, TVP Polonia | Artur Orzech |
| Portugal | RTP | RTP1, RTP Internacional | Nuno Galopim |
| Romania | TVR | TVR1, TVRi | Bogdan Stănescu |
| Russia | Channel One (C1R) | Channel One (C1R) | Yuriy Aksyuta and Yana Churikova |
| San Marino | SMRTV | San Marino RTV | Flavio Insinna and Federico Russo |
| Serbia | RTS | RTS1, RTS Svet | Duška Vučinić |
| Slovenia | RTVSLO | TV Slovenija 1 | Andrej Hofer |
| Spain | RTVE | La 1, TVE Internacional | Tony Aguilar, Eva Mora and Víctor Escudero |
| Sweden | SVT | SVT1 | No commentary |
| Switzerland | SRG SSR | SRF 1 | Sven Epiney |
| Switzerland | SRG SSR | RTS 1 | Yoann Provenzano and Jean-Marc Richard |
| Switzerland | SRG SSR | RSI La 2 | Clarissa Tami and Sebalter |
| Ukraine | STB | STB | Timur Miroshnychenko |
| Ukraine | UA:PBC | UA:First | Timur Miroshnychenko |
| Ukraine | UA:PBC | UA:Radio Promin | Oleksandra Franko and Les Myrnyi |
| United Kingdom | BBC | BBC One | Graham Norton |
| Non-participating countries |||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | BHRT | BHT 1, BH Radio 1 | Maja Miralem |
| Kazakhstan | Khabar Agency | Khabar TV | Nursultan Qurman and Mahabbat Esen |
| Kosovo | RTK | Unknown | Unknown |
| Montenegro | RTCG | Unknown | Unknown |