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Fans in quirky and glittery outfits waved flags from the
participating countries inside the arena, with many dressed up
as their favorite contestant or in their national colors.
Croatia's Baby Lasagna (real name Marko Purisic, 28) and
Ukrainian duo, alyona alyona 28, and Jerry Heil, 32, are both
among bookmakers' top five together with Italy, Netherlands and
Switzerland to win the music kitsch-fest.
Streaming data from Spotify also suggests a strong chance for
host nation Sweden.
"For Ukraine this is a big platform ... I think this is the
place where you can state your mind freely, openly and for the
world to listen," Ukrainian fan Victoria said, as she arrived
ahead of the show.
Ukraine's folk-inflected pop song "Teresa & Maria", which has a
strong dance beat and fast-paced rap, is about union, kindness
and love, as well as the resilience and strength of women,
according to its performers.
Eurovision fans Ross Stewart and Ivo Vasilev from Britain
arrived ahead of the show dressed as Croatia's Baby Lasagna.
"We tried to recreate it with what we could buy off Amazon. So
we decided, because he's performing tonight, to dress up as
him," Stewart said.
The artist's entry "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" is about a young Croatian
who leaves his home aspiring to become a "city boy" with better
opportunities.
Security was high around Malmo arena, but police said the
evening went as planned.
Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal,
Serbia and Slovenia also advanced to Saturday's grand final.
Former Eurovision contestant, Eric Saade, made a guest
performance with a black and white keffiyeh scarf wrapped around
his wrist.
Eurovision bills itself as a non-political event and organizers
have resisted calls to boycott Israel from this year's
competition, sparking protest from artists and ministers.
Much focus is expected to be on Israel's Eden Golan and her song
"Hurricane" in the second semi-final on Thursday, with
bookmakers placing her among the top 10 to win the competition.
(Reporting by Tom Little in Malmo and Isabelle Yr Carlsson in
Copenhagen; Editing by Louise Rasmussen and Stephen Coates)
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