Eurovision Song Contest 1997 — 42nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest
The 1997 Eurovision Song Contest introduced televoting, banned live orchestral accompaniment, and featured the first openly LGBT competing artist, reshaping the contest's future format.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 42nd Eurovision Song Contest
- Host venue
- The Point Theatre, Dublin
- Winning entry
- "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves (UK)
- Participating countries
- 25
- Countries using televoting
- 5 (trial)
- Ireland's hosting record
- 7th and last time Ireland hosted Eurovision
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Ireland's victory at the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest with Eimear Quinn's 'The Voice' obligated RTÉ to host the following year's contest. A new relegation system was introduced to manage participation, excluding countries with lower average points totals and allowing others to return after absence.
The 42nd Eurovision Song Contest was held on 3 May 1997 at the Point Theatre in Dublin, hosted by Carrie Crowley and Ronan Keating. Twenty-five countries competed, with the United Kingdom's Katrina and the Waves winning with 'Love Shine a Light'. Five countries trialled televoting for the first time, and live orchestral accompaniment was no longer mandatory.
The 1997 contest proved a turning point for Eurovision: televoting was adopted by all participating countries from 1998 onward, live orchestral accompaniment was permanently abandoned in subsequent editions, and the inclusion of Iceland's openly LGBT artist Paul Oscar marked a social milestone that influenced the contest's evolving cultural identity.
Work
Eurovision Song Contest 1997
The 1997 contest introduced televoting and removed mandatory live orchestral accompaniment, both changes becoming permanent fixtures, while featuring the first openly LGBT competing artist, shaping the contest's modern format and inclusive character.