When are the Eurovision semi-finals and final?

Sweden is gearing up to host the 68th Eurovision Contest.

The UK automatically qualifies for the grand final, but singer Olly Alexander will showcase Britain's entry Dizzy at the first semi-final, on Tuesday.

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual televised competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The theme of the 2024 contest is "united by music", and it features 37 performers chosen to represent their country.

Songs must be original and no more than three minutes long.

Lead vocals must be live, and a maximum of six singers and dancers are allowed.

Most Eurovision countries are European, but Australia takes part every year, after being invited to join Eurovision's 60th anniversary celebrations in 2015. However, Australia cannot host if it ever wins.

Other non-European countries including Israel participate because they are members of the EBU.

The 2024 contest is being held in Sweden, after Loreen won in 2023 with her song Tattoo.

She became the first woman to win the contest twice, after triumphing in 2012 with Euphoria.

This is the seventh time the contest has been held in Sweden, and the third time in Malmo.

The contest will be hosted by actor Malin Åkerman and presenter and comedian Petra Mede, who was also at the helm in 2013 and 2016.

As 2024 is the 50th anniversary of Swedish group Abba's first Eurovision win with Waterloo, there had been speculation about the band's potential involvement. But Abba members told the BBC they would not perform.

The grand final will be at the Malmo Arena on Saturday 11 May.

Sweden will be the first country to perform, after a random draw.

The semi-finals are on Tuesday 7 and Thursday 9 May.

Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK are guaranteed places in the final, so do not compete in either semi-final.

However, the host country and "big five" will perform their songs during the semi-finals.

Fifteen countries will compete in the first semi-final on Tuesday 7 May, including Croatia, Ireland, Ukraine and Australia.

Sixteen countries will feature in the second semi-final on Thursday 9 May, including Austria, Denmark, Greece and Israel.

Both semi-finals and the grand final will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC Radio 2, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

The semi-finals will be hosted by commentators Scott Mills, Richie Anderson and Rylan, while Graham Norton will do the honours for the grand final.

Pop star Olly Alexander is representing the UK at the 2024 contest, with his song Dizzy.

The former Years and Years frontman is hoping to improve on the UK's disappointing performance in 2023, when Mae Muller came second to last.

Alexander is well-known around Europe for hits including Desire, King and If You're Over Me.

He is also a Bafta-nominated actor, having played the lead role in Channel 4's hard-hitting Aids drama It's A Sin.

Israel's representative, Eden Golan, will sing a song called Hurricane – a rewritten version of the country's original entry, October Rain, which was thought to reference the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

The lyrics now tell the story of a woman experiencing a personal crisis, according to Israel's public broadcaster, Kan.

Kan initially said it would withdraw from the contest rather than change the lyrics.

But after the organisers barred the song for its political content, the country's president, Isaac Herzog, called for "necessary adjustments" to ensure Israel could compete.

Separately, musicians and organisations from a number of countries have called for Israel to be suspended over the war in Gaza.

Iceland's Association of Composers and Lyricists said Israel's military action made its participation incompatible with an event "characterised by joy and optimism".

Similar objections have been raised in Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden, with many pointing out that Russia has been disqualified since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Alexander rejected calls to pull out of the contest in protest against Israel's inclusion.

Eurovision organisers have resisted calls for Israel's exclusion, saying the situations in Ukraine and Gaza are different.

The EBU has also said that abuse and harassment of artists over Israel's participation is "unacceptable".

The semi-finals are decided entirely by a public vote from competing countries and people in the rest of the world.

Audiences in the UK, Germany, Sweden and the other countries which are not competing in either semi-final can vote.

For the final, every country which qualifies awards two sets of scores: one from a jury of experts and one by fans.

Each of their 10 favourite songs is given points – but they cannot vote for their own country's song.

Their favourite act receives 12 points, their second-favourite 10 points, their third choice eight points, and then seven points, and so on, down to one point for their 10th favourite.

Eurovision was one of the first televised competitions to let viewers vote.

Fans in Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK began voting by phone in 1997.

The rest of the world was allowed to vote in 2023, with points given to the 10 most popular songs worldwide.

Each participating broadcaster pays an entrance fee to the EBU.

France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK pay the most, although the BBC does not make its contribution public.

It is thought staging the 2023 event in Liverpool cost the BBC between £8m and £17m. The UK government pledged £10m, while local authorities in Liverpool committed £4m.