Eurovision Song Contest (1996)

Eurovision Song Contest 1996 (41st ed.)
 * Date: 18 May 1996
 * Location: Oslo, Norway
 * Venue: Oslo Spektrum
 * Countries participating: 23 (29 in pre-qualifying round)
 * Countries returning: Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland
 * Debut countries: none
 * Non-returning countries: Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Russia


 * Broadcaster: NRK
 * Presenter(s): Ingvild Bryn (b.1961), Morten Harket (b.1959)
 * Winning entry: Eimear Quinn - The Voice (Ireland)


 * UK entry: Gina G - Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit (8th)
 * UK commentators: Terry Wogan (BBC One), Ken Bruce (BBC Radio 2)

Trivia

 * Ireland gain a record-extending seventh contest win, and their fourth win in five years.
 * In order to reduce the number of finalists the pre-qualifying round system was adopted (as in 1993) with everyone at risk of rejection except the host nation. The qualifying round was not broadcast live.
 * One novelty of this year's event, which failed to catch on, was the recording of a good luck message by a political figure from each competing nation
 * The UK's entry went to no.1 in the singles charts the day after the contest. It was the first song to do so since 1981.