The Eurovision circus will take over the Wiener Stadthalle on May 12. Before that, everyone will be scrutinized – from catering staff to artist entourage and sound engineers.
We are talking about 15,000 checks, Dieter Csefan, deputy head of the state police, told the Austrian public service broadcaster ORF.
During the event itself, the task force is ready with drone defense and a large number of civilian and uniformed police officers. The level of security is compared to that at an airport.
“Collaborative orgy”
Peter Narbe, strategic advisor at the security company 2Secure, was responsible for the security apparatus in Malmö Arena when the Eurovision Song Contest was held there in 2013 and 2024.
He describes an event that, from a security perspective, runs 24/7 and continues well beyond the days of the competition. The threat landscape includes cyberattacks, terrorist attacks and various types of disruption. There are also demonstrations, mainly linked to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
It is a highly exposed event that arouses emotions in all directions, with risks and antagonists that cover the entire spectrum - from geopolitics and extremism to the political right and left and LGBTQ, says Narbe.
The work is further complicated by the fact that there are many different parties involved.
I usually, somewhat carelessly, describe it as a collaborative orgy.
Cyber and state actors
According to Narbe, security work consists of four parts: preventive measures to minimize risks, physical protection and barriers, detection to discover threats in time - and the ability and resources to handle incidents when they occur.
Compared to 2013, cybersecurity has gone from a side issue to a high priority. In addition, according to Narbe, state actors are a more real threat today.
But otherwise, there is not much difference. The terrorist threat and the conflict between Israel and Palestine were still there then.
Where: Vienna, Austria.
When: May 12–16. The first semi-final will be decided on May 12, the second on May 14 and the final on May 16.
Participants: 35 countries. It is the lowest number in over 20 years. Five countries - Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain - have withdrawn, citing Israel's participation in the competition despite its war in Gaza.
Sweden is represented by Felicia with the song "My system". She is competing in semi-final 1.
