---
title: "Eurovision Song Contest Inaugural Edition"
year: 1956
country: "Switzerland"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1956/eurovision-1956"
slug: "eurovision-1956"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1956-01-01"
---

# Eurovision Song Contest Inaugural Edition

> Seven nations competed in Lugano for the first Eurovision, establishing a Cold War-era soft-power ritual that would reshape European cultural diplomacy.

## Summary

The Eurovision Song Contest, often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1956. Each participating broadcaster submits an original song representing its country to be performed live via the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.

## Sources

- [Eurovision Song Contest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1956/eurovision-1956