Song contest plum

BENIDORM will host the selection process for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The three-way collaboration between Benidorm town hall, the Generalitat and state broadcaster Radio Television Española (RTVE) was announced last week.
Speaking in Benidorm, regional president Ximo Puig thanked RTVE president Jose Manuel Tornero for choosing Benidorm.
“The resort evokes reencounters and friendship,” Puig said, referring indirectly to Benidorm’s fame – especially amongst Spanish tourists – that visitors will always meet an acquaintance or a neighbour there.
“This is also a great opportunity to regain hope, to reclaim the prospect of setting out on a path taking us to a better place,” the regional president said.
There will be two semi-final galas and a grand finale, all televised live, to find the singer who will represent Spain in the international contest.
Puig drew attention to parallels between the origins of Eurovision after the Second World War and the current situation as Europe fights to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
For his part, Benidorm’s mayor Toni Perez emphasised that the resort has always been linked to music.
In 1959, Benidorm took on the challenge or organising a national music event, Perez pointed out.
“That was how the Benidorm festival began, putting us at the forefront of Spanish light music for half a century,” he said.