Another one to mark in your diaries – Portuguese broadcaster RTP has now revealed the dates of Festival da Canção 2022.
The first semi-final will take place on Saturday 5th March; the second semi-final will take place on Monday 7th March; and the grand final will take place on Saturday 12th March.
The second semi-final on the 7th March coincides with the 65th birthday of broadcaster RTP.
Each semi-final will include 10 participants, with five advancing to the grand final. These will be decided by a 50/50 televote and jury, each awarding 12-1 points in the same method as the Eurovision voting system.
The winning act in the grand final will be chosen by a televote and jury composed of representatives from the seven statistical regions of Portugal (Lisbon, North, Central, Alentejo, Algarve, Madeira and the Azores) in the same way. In the event of a tie, as happened in 2021 between The Black Mamba and Carolina Deslandes, the televote score is given priority.
What else do we know about Festival da Canção this year?
A unique feature of Festival da Canção is the emphasis on the songwriters alongside the artists. RTP has previously released the names of the 20 songwriters who will be competing in this year’s edition, though we do not know yet who will perform their own songs and who will have another performer compete. FDC received over 600 submissions from songwriters across Portugal for the upcoming edition. Four songs were selected from this, along with sixteen from songwriters invited by RTP.
Portugal’s Eurovision Journey
In 1964, Portugal made their debut in the competition with António Calvário and the song “Oração”. Since then, they have participated in the competition 52 times, 43 of which were in the Grand Final. They have also won the competition once in 2017 with Salvador Sobral and the song “Amar Pelos Dois”.
Portugal’s most recent participation saw them being represented by The Black Mamba with the song “Love Is On My Side”, which is the first song Portugal sent in the English language. Their participation saw them qualify for the Grand Final, where they finished 12th, after receiving 153 points from the jury and televoters.
Are you looking forward to Festival da Canção? Who would you like to see represent Portugal in Italy? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: RTP
Photo Credit: EBU / Thomas Hanses
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