Alex Trelinski
BENIDORM will host Spain’s search for a winning Eurovision Song Contest entry for at least four years.
Broadcaster, RTVE, signed an agreement in July with Valencian president, Ximo Puig, and Benidorm mayor, Toni Perez, for what it described as an ‘annual meeting point for the promotion of Spanish music’.
That was taken to mean a long-term deal was in place but no details were given.
RTVE’s Eva Mora this week confirmed that a four-year contract was in place, beginning with the first ‘Benidorm Fest’ in January 2022.
No actual dates have been announced for the three-day festival or where it will take place.
There has been speculation since the summer that the venue will be the recently-refurbished Benidorm Palace.
Eva Mora, who has been appointed head of Spain’s Eurovision delegation, said that RTVE are still trying to work out the best format to announce the results of the two semi-finals and grand final.
She hinted that a drawn-out voting sequence might not happen and viewers might just get a final result.
No details have been given of what voting methods will be used.
The winner of the ‘Benidorm Fest’ will represent Spain at May’s Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.
The new selection format will be similar to that of Italy’s San Remo festival that produced this year’s rock band winners, Maneskin.
Song entry submissions are being accepted by RTVE until November 10.
A team of music professionals will then pick a short list of songs and RTVE will look to match up the appropriate artists with the chosen entries.
Image Credit: Benidorm Ayuntamiento
READ MORE: BENIDORM CHOSEN AS VENUE TO HOST SPAIN’S EUROVISION SONG CONTEST SEARCH FOR A WINNING ENTRY
