https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Eurovision Song Contest is famous for celebrating everything from cross-dressing ballad singers to heavy metal bands in monster masks, but geopolitics is threatening its 70th anniversary edition. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260426/geopolitics-threatens-70th-anniversary-of-eurovision Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:03:11 +0200 geopolitics-threatens-70th-anniversary-of-eurovision Austria's JJ won the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest on Sunday, with his operatic song "Wasted Love" triumphing at the world's biggest live music television event. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250518/austrias-jj-wins-eurovision-2025-with-opera-techno-fusion Sun, 18 May 2025 09:56:32 +0200 austrias-jj-wins-eurovision-2025-with-opera-techno-fusion Groans and giggles typically greet votes at the annual Eurovision Song Contest, loved and mocked for its kitsch music and seemingly partisan outcomes. But what are the voting patterns, and what external factors help explain them? https://www.thelocal.fr/20250515/what-eurovisions-voting-patterns-can-teach-you-about-european-politics Thu, 15 May 2025 13:40:51 +0200 what-eurovisions-voting-patterns-can-teach-you-about-european-politics A French government minister on Friday condemned boycott calls against Israel's Eurovision participation called for politics to be kept out of the song contest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20240511/keep-politics-out-of-eurovision-france-says Sat, 11 May 2024 12:42:58 +0200 keep-politics-out-of-eurovision-france-says Artist selection, love songs and language rows - here's France's entry for the 2024 Eurovision song contest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20231109/5-things-to-know-about-frances-2024-eurovision-song Thu, 09 Nov 2023 15:23:22 +0100 5-things-to-know-about-frances-2024-eurovision-song France's Europe minister on Monday called for "total transparency" over speculation that one of Italy's victorious Eurovision contestants used cocaine during the song contest, saying it should be grounds for disqualification if confirmed. https://www.thelocal.fr/20210524/french-minister-calls-for-eurovision-winner-to-be-disqualified-if-singer-fails-drug-test Mon, 24 May 2021 16:40:16 +0200 french-minister-calls-for-eurovision-winner-to-be-disqualified-if-singer-fails-drug-test You may never of heard of him, but this weekend 19-year-old Bilal Hassani will be representing France on the world stage. Here is what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190513/who-is-bilal-hassani-and-why-is-he-carrying-the-hopes-of-france Mon, 13 May 2019 14:12:00 +0200 who-is-bilal-hassani-and-why-is-he-carrying-the-hopes-of-france At the tender age of 19, Bilal Hassani is already being held up as an inspiration to LGBT teenagers -- and now he's got his sights on winning the Eurovision Song Contest. https://www.thelocal.fr/20190127/lgbt-teen-shines-as-frances-eurovision-pick Sun, 27 Jan 2019 17:05:17 +0100 lgbt-teen-shines-as-frances-eurovision-pick France hasn't had a Eurovision victory since 1977. Here’s what you need to know about the singer that could change that. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160514/who-is-frances-eurovision-entry-six-things-to-know Sat, 14 May 2016 13:20:25 +0200 who-is-frances-eurovision-entry-six-things-to-know France is rubbish when it comes to Eurovision, so it's no surprise that they don't care, writes The Local's Oliver Gee. But all is not lost. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160513/france-doesnt-care-about-eurovision-because-they-keep-losing Fri, 13 May 2016 10:24:48 +0200 france-doesnt-care-about-eurovision-because-they-keep-losing France has suffered an absolutely shocking run at the Eurovision song contest in recent years, but could Lisa Angell turn it around in 2015 with her song "N'oubliez pas"? Definitely not, says The Local's Oliver Gee. https://www.thelocal.fr/20150519/france-set-for-yet-more-eurovision-calamity Tue, 19 May 2015 13:45:39 +0200 france-set-for-yet-more-eurovision-calamity Everyone with half a heart knows that Eurovision is one of the best nights of the year. The music may be fairly mediocre, but it's not about that. It's about the gloriously camp costumes, the ridiculously sumptuous set design, the silly dancing – and the props, of course. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140511/eurovision-2014-conchit-wurst-austria-wins Sun, 11 May 2014 13:33:00 +0200 eurovision-2014-conchit-wurst-austria-wins Twin Twin will represent France at this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen. Here they tell our colleagues at Parisian News TV, why it's important to sing in English and why they are not bothered about kitcsh. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140509/eurovision-twin-twi-its-very-important-we-sing-in-french-not-english Fri, 09 May 2014 18:20:00 +0200 eurovision-twin-twi-its-very-important-we-sing-in-french-not-english The world’s most famous song contest takes place in Copenhagen on Saturday night but it seems no one in France actually cares. Are the French Europe’s biggest Eurovision-sceptics. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140509/are-the-french-europes-most-eurovision-sceptics Fri, 09 May 2014 17:57:00 +0200 are-the-french-europes-most-eurovision-sceptics