Eurovision Song Contest 1956
| Eurovision Song Contest 1956 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Dates | |
| Final | 24 May 1956 |
| Host | |
| Venue |
Teatro Kursaal Lugano, Switzerland |
| Presenter(s) | Lohengrin Filipello |
| Conductor | Fernando Paggi |
| Director | Franco Marazzi |
| Executive supervisor | Rolf Liebermann |
| Host broadcaster | Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RTSI) |
| Interval act | Les Joyeux Rossignols & Les Trois Ménestrels |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 14 (7 countries performed 2 songs each) |
| Debuting countries | |
|
|
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Each country had 2 jury member who each had two votes, only the winner was announced. |
| Winning song |
 Switzerland"Refrain" |
The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 was the debut edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland on Thursday 24 May. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union, the pan-European music competition was inspired by the Italian Sanremo Music Festival. Lohengrin Filipello hosted the first contest which lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. Seven countries participated, with each of them performing two songs. Two jury members from all participating countries cast their votes in secret, based on which song was their favourite.
This first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest included several procedures that were not repeated in any subsequent edition: Two songs for each country, secret voting, double voting of one country on behalf of another, optional inclusion of the jury members' own represented country in their voting, only "Grand Prix" title reception for the winner, and a single male presenter to host the show. The other Contests include: One song for each country, scoreboard display, jury panel from each country, disqualification of the juries' own country from their voting, material award, and a single or additional female presenter.
During a meeting in Monaco in 1955, members of the European Broadcasting Union discussed ideas to organise a pan-European music competition, taking inspiration from the Italian Sanremo Music Festival. From that meeting, the concept of the Eurovision Song Contest was born. A decision was reached to hold the first ever contest in the Swiss resort of Lugano the following year.
The chosen venue for the contest was the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, a city in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy. The event was also inspired by the Italian music festival, as well as that the contest was hosted in Italian.
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