Eurovision Song Contest 1976

Infobox Eurovision
name = Eurovision Song Contest 1976


final = 3 April 1976
presenters = Corry Brokken
conductor = Harry van Hoof
director = Theo Ordeman
host = flagicon|Netherlands NOS
venue = Congresgebouw, The Hague, Netherlands
winner = flag|United Kingdom
"Save Your Kisses for Me"
vote = Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 points to their 10 favourite songs
entries = 18
debut =
return = flag|Austria
flag|Greece|old
withdraw = flag|Sweden
flag|Malta
flag|Turkey
null =
interval = The Dutch Swing College Band
opening =
con = Eurovision Song Contest
pre = ◄1975
nex = 1977►

The Eurovision Song Contest 1976, the 21st in the series, was held in The Hague, Netherlands, on 3 April 1976. With Corry Brokken as the presenter – the first time a previous winner of the contest had played hostess – the contest was won by Brotherhood of Man, representing the United Kingdom, with their song "Save Your Kisses for Me".

Liechtenstein once again attempted to submit an entry to the contest, but as they still had no broadcasting service of their own, this was not admitted. Their entry would have been "Little Cowboy" by Biggi Bachmann.

The entry from Greece aroused controversy as it was about the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus. The previous year Greece had withdrawn from the contest in protest over this matter.

Sweden withdrew from the contest, as the broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) did not have enough money to host another contest if Sweden won again. A new rule was therefore introduced that the in future each partipicating broadcaster would have to pay a part of the cost of staging the contest. As the author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor notes in his book "The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History", there had been public demonstrations in Sweden against the contest, which also played a part in SR's decision to withdraw. [O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007 ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3]

Malta, having selected Enzo Guzman with the song "Sing Your Song, Country Boy" to represent them, then withdrew from the contest for undisclosed reasons, as the singer has confirmed. Malta would not return to the competition until 1991.

Map

References