Thirty-nine countries took part in the contest, with Georgia returning after a one year hiatus, and Andorra, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Montenegro withdrawing. Lithuania originally announced its withdrawal from the competition, but was later among the 39 participants confirmed by the EBU. A global financial crisis affected how the event was run when several countries elected not to compete due to budget cuts.

The interval act involved a number of live public outdoor dance events from across Europe, which were planned for promotional purposes, but done in the style of a series of spontaneous flash-mobs. The outdoor footage was intercut with webcam footage from individual private households.

About the winner

While she had been the main favourite to win for months, still, the victory of Lena for Germany with her song Satellite still came as a total surprise for many. Her simplistic performance gathered votes across Europe and became one of the biggest hits ever in the history of the contest.

She went on to defend her title the year after and managed to gather a top 10 position with her entry Taken By A Stranger.

Trivia

• Spain’s entry had to be performed again as during the very first performance, a widely-known stuntman had come on stage and acted as if he had been part of the show.
• The Norwegian broadcaster had decided they wanted to take the contest back to the basics and after the contest in 2009, where LEDs were widely used, they used none.