‘I’m a Eurovision superfan in Vienna – one thing is really getting on my nerves’

Vienna’s moniker as the City of Music is living up to its name right now as thousands flood the city for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.

This week, the Austrian capital is hosting guests from over 70 countries – and Metro spoke to some of the most dedicated fans in Vienna.

Over three nights, 35 acts from around Europe (and Australia) are competing to take home the trophy, with an estimated 166 million people around the world expected to tune in.

The second semi-final is taking place on Thursday night, while the Grand Final will happen on Saturday night. In total, a staggering 95,000 tickets have been sold for the live shows and dress rehearsals.

Many of those were snapped up by self-proclaimed Eurovision superfans, who follow the contest each year, wherever it’s taking place around the world.

One such person is Jonesy from London, who’s now attending his fourth Eurovision. According to him, it’s the ‘community and music’ that keeps him coming back.

Based in London, he’s watched the contest for as long as he can remember and has only ever missed it once – back in 1997 when the United Kingdom last won.

‘When it was held in Liverpool a few years ago, I decided to attend, and it was so fun that it got me locked into going on tour. Now I use the contest as a way to choose my annual holiday based on which country hosts,’ he explained.

The other cities that he’s visited as part of his Eurovision grand tour have been Malmö in Sweden and Basel in Switzerland.

I’ve noticed heightened measures, but that makes me actually feel a lot safer

Now visiting the biggest city of the past few years, Jonesy praised the event organisers for putting on a show outside of the stadium too, praising the string of activities set up for fans outside of the main shows.

Although it was reported last week that the city was on ‘high alert’, and that police had implemented increased security measures over concerns the event could attract unwanted attention, Jonesy said he didn’t feel stressed and that instead ‘the levels of security are reassuring’.

His sentiments are echoed by Bonni from Glasgow, who has now attended five times in a row. ‘Once I started, I couldn’t stop,’ she laughed.

Part of a committee for a UK-based Eurovision fan club, and sporting several Eurovision-themed tattoos, she said that the extra checks and rules had actually reduced anxiety.

‘It can seem quite harsh that they don’t let you in places with a bag, but I get why,’ she said.

‘We were in the stadium for the first semi-final and noticed police officers came in and stood in certain sections when Israel was performing and then left again – which did make sense.’

I feel like Eurovision is getting too much backlash

On Tuesday night, when Israel’s act Noam Bettan was on stage, a protester could be heard shouting ‘Stop, stop the genocide’ and ‘Free, free Palestine’. He, along with four others, was removed by security for disruptive behaviour.

Israel’s ongoing participation in Eurovision has prompted Spain (one of the Big Five), the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia to withdraw from the contest this year.

While their decisions to bow out have also left many fans of the contest deciding to boycott themselves, many fans are torn on how to react.

But when asked about whether or not she felt any need to follow suit, Bonni explained: ‘I engage with Eurovision for the songs and don’t see it as a political contest, but a lot of my friends do.

‘I am sitting on the fence linking a music contest with what’s going on in the world, but I do understand why people have made the decision to disengage.’

Marie, from Norway, said she can’t understand why Eurovision is coming under pressure to kick Israel out of the contest when other major events haven’t faced the same demands.

‘They kicked Russia out, and now everybody expects them to do the same here,’ she stated

Ahead of this year’s contest, Vienna police said that they anticipated pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations to take place, but large gatherings haven’t happened yet.

‘We’ve spoken to a few people from Israel who have been walking around with flags who have said they feel a little uncomfortable, but not unsafe,’ Luke and Ryan, from Wales, explained.

‘Austria is also a pro-Israel country, which is why I think there’s not been as many protests here.’

The pair have previously been to several other Eurovision contests, but said that the atmosphere in Malmö in 2024 was intense when protests against Israel first kicked off.

‘We went to Sweden, and there were loads of Palestinian flags everywhere, which we obviously don’t mind, but it made the atmosphere feel quite tense,’ they recalled.

‘When we were on public transport on our way to shows, protesters were shouting at us and filming us.’

This time around, they’ve felt a much warmer reception in Vienna, but said that if Israel (currently one of the frontrunners) won, they would boycott.

John from Doncaster – the President of the fan club Bonni is also involved with – also recalled ‘the tension being so high’ in Malmö, which he said left ‘a lot of people worried being there’.

Speaking on the calls for fans to boycott, he said: ‘There’s no doubt that Israel’s participation has divided fans, and some of our members aren’t engaging this year, but others are at the opposite end of the spectrum and are fully supportive of Israel taking part.

‘A lot of us are somewhere in between.’

‘If Israel won and hosted, we wouldn’t go

This year marks the 13^th time he’s attended Eurovision, including when Vienna last hosted in 2015.

‘I’ve been comparing this year with Vienna a decade ago and there is such a friendly atmosphere and lots of things for fans to do, which is great,’ he said.

‘Eurovision is a great way of meeting people from all across Europe, and further afield.

‘It’s still a really positive atmosphere in the arena and I don’t feel any concerns with the safety. Ordinarily Eurovision is a very safe place to be, and everyone is here to have a good time.’

Eurovision coverage can be watched on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.