🇪🇸 Benidorm Fest Dates and Venue Confirmed

Last week, RTVE revealed the artists who will be competing in Benidorm Fest to represent Spain at Eurovision 2022. Today, official documents from RTVE have revealed the official dates and venue for their national final.

Details on the Dates and Venue for Benidorm Fest

According to documents obtained by ESCPlus, RTVE intends to hold the two semi-finals of Benidorm Fest on the 26th and 27th of January, followed by the final on the 29th of January. This is consistent with previous plans to hold the music festival late in the month.

Additionally, these documents reveal that RTVE plans to hold the contest in the Palacio de Deportes L’ILLA in Benidorm. The venue has a capacity of 3,000-4,000 spectators and has hosted sports events ranging from artistic gymnastics to handball. According to official plans, RTVE plans to use the venue between the 12th of January and 3rd of February.

The next step in the Benidorm Fest process will be to release the competing songs; this is currently scheduled for Wednesday, 23 December. Among the acts competing in Benidorm Fest 2022 are Azucar Moreno, who represented Spain at Eurovision in 1990 and placed 5th.

Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest

Spain debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 with Conchita Bautista’s “Estando Contigo” and the country earned its first win in 1968 with Massiel’s “La La La”. They then earned their second consecutive win in 1969 with Salome’s “Vivo Cantando” in an infamous four-way tie. Although they have yet to win again, Spain earned several 2nd place finishes, including Mocedades’ “Eres tu” in 1973 and Anabel Conde’s “Vuelve conmigo” in 1996.

However, Spain has been less successful in recent years. Although they achieved two 10th place finishes in 2012 and 2014, the country has not finished above 20th place since 2015. This includes one last-place finish in 2017. Unfortunately, this trend continued in 2021, with Blas Canto finishing in 24th place at the 2021 contest with 6 points.

Will you be watching Benidorm Fest in January? Who would you like to represent Spain at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow THAT Eurovision Site on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: ESCPlus / RTVE

Photo Source: Palacia de Deportes L’ILLA de Benidorm / Facebook