European Song Fest 1

Final date
 Venue
 Broadcaster
 Interval act
 Entries
 Debuting

**Participation map**
* Countries that have confirmed their participation but have not announced their entry     Countries that have confirmed their participation and their entry, and qualified for the final     Countries that have confirmed their participation and their entry, but did not qualify to the final     Countries that participated in the past, but not in this edition
 System
 Null points

The **European Song Fest 1** was the inaugural edition of the European Song Fest. It took place in Lyon, France and was organised by TF1 following the country's appointment as the host of the first edition.

16 countries have confirmed their participation in the inagural contest. Due to the amount of contestants the edition of only a final which was hosted by Alma and Nicky Doll.

The edition was ultimately won by  Italy, which was represented by Luca Vasta and her song "Old Italian Songs". The Head of Delegation Mateo announced on the 20th March, 2022, that the second edition will be hosted in Italy.

## Hosting Information

### Lyon

**Lyon** , also spelled in English as **Lyons**, is the third-largest city and second-largest urban area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, about 470 km (292 mi) southeast of Paris, 320 km (199 mi) north of Marseille and 58 km (36 mi) northeast of Saint-Étienne.

The city of Lyon proper had a population of 516,092 in 2017 within its small municipal territory of 48 km2 (19 sq mi), but together with its suburbs and exurbs the Lyon metropolitan area had a population of 2,323,221 that same year, the second-most populated in France. Lyon and 58 suburban municipalities have formed since 2015 the Metropolis of Lyon, a directly elected metropolitan authority now in charge of most urban issues, with a population of 1,385,927 in 2017. Lyon is the prefecture of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and seat of the Departmental Council of Rhône (whose jurisdiction, however, no longer extends over the Metropolis of Lyon since 2015).

Former capital of the Gauls at the time of the Roman Empire, Lyon is the seat of an archbishopric whose holder bears the title of Primate of the Gauls. Lyon became a major economic hub during the Renaissance. The city is recognised for its cuisine and gastronomy, as well as historical and architectural landmarks; as such, the districts of Old Lyon, the Fourvière hill, the Presqu'île and the slopes of the Croix-Rousse are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lyon was historically an important area for the production and weaving of silk. Lyon played a significant role in the history of cinema: it is where Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinematograph. It is also known for its light festival, the Fête des Lumières, which begins every 8 December and lasts for four days, earning Lyon the title of "Capital of Lights".

Economically, Lyon is a major centre for banking, as well as for the chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The city contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games; in recent years it has fostered a growing local start-up sector. Lyon hosts the international headquarters of Interpol, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, as well as Euronews. According to the Globalization and World Rankings Research Institute, Lyon is considered a Beta city, as of 2018. It ranked second in France and 40th globally in Mercer's 2019 liveability rankings.

### Halle Tony Garnier

The **Halle Tony Garnier** is an arena and concert hall in Lyon, France. It was designed by Tony Garnier in 1905. Originally a slaughterhouse, the building was renovated in 1987 and opened as a concert hall in 1988. With a capacity of nearly 17,000, it is the third biggest venue in France after the Accor Arena and Paris La Défense Arena.

### Presenters

**Alexandra Maquet** (French pronunciation: ​[alɛkzɑ̃dʁa makɛ], born 27 September 1988), known professionally as **Alma**, is a French singer and songwriter. She represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Requiem", finishing twelfth.

**Nicky Doll** is the stage name of **Karl Sanchez** (born 14 March 1991), a French drag queen based in New York City, known for being a competitor on the twelfth season of *RuPaul's Drag Race* ultimately placing 11th.

In 2022, it was announced that **Nicky Doll** would be a judge on *Drag Race France*, which is set to be airing later in the spring of 2022.

## Results

### Final

16 countries headed by 16 heads of delegation participated in the final. The deadline to send songs was 18th March 2022.