It's time for the Eurovision semi-finals - here's what you need to know Getty Images Italian act Sal Da Vinci performing at a dress rehearsal for Tuesday's semi-final The first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final takes place in Vienna on Tuesday, ahead of Saturday's final. Acts from 35 countries will take part in the 70th edition of the contest, which is being hosted in Austria after singer JJ won the 2025 competition with his ballad, Wasted Love. A number of countries are boycotting the contest over Israel's participation. What is the Eurovision Song Contest? The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual televised competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Songs must be original and no more than three minutes long. They cannot have been released or publicly performed before 1 September 2025. Lead vocals must be live, with no lip-syncing or auto-tuning allowed and a maximum of six singers and dancers on stage.…