RTP, the Portuguese broadcaster has held a draw today (27th December) for Festival da Canção 2024. This draw has revealed which semi-final each composer’s song will take place in. The 20 composers were revealed earlier this year.
The semi-final split for the Festival da Canção 2024 composers is….
There were 809 applications for Festival da Canção 2024, 20 songs have made it to the semi-final stage. The semi-final split for each composer can be seen below
Semi-Final 1
| Songwriter/Composer |
| Bispo |
| Iolanda |
| João Borsch |
| Mela |
| Mila Dores |
| Nena |
| Noble |
| Perpétua |
| Rita Rocha |
Semi-Final 2
| Songwriter/Composer |
| Buba Espinho |
| Cristina Clara |
| Filipa |
| Huca |
| João Couto |
| Léo Middea |
| Maria João |
| No Maka |
| Rita Onofre |
| Silk Nobre |
The dates for Festival da Canção have yet to be revealed. However, it is thought the national final will take place between the end of February and the beginning of March.
What is Festival da Canção?
Festival da Canção is a Portuguese music festival held every year. Artists apply, but they also get invited to take part in the festival by the broadcaster RTP. Festival da Canção selects the Portuguese representative for the Eurovision Song Contest. This national final is one of the oldest national finals and has been going for 57 years. The first edition of Festival da Canção was all the way back in 1964. The festival was held in 1970 and 2000 despite the country not taking part in the contest, first due to a boycott, and then in 2000 due to be relegated from the contest.
Portugal’s Journey in Eurovision
Portugal debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest with António Calvário’s “Oração” in 1964. Since then, Portugal has participated in the competition 54 times – appearing the final 45 times. Their only win in the competition came in 2017 with Salvador Sobral, performing his heart-wrenching song “Amar Pelos Dois”.
Portugal’s most recent participation was with Mimicat with the song “Ai, coração”. Mimicat managed to qualify for the Grand Final and once there, she finished in 23rd place. She received a total of 59 points, of which 43 points came from the jury and 16 points came the televote.
Who would you like to see at Festival da Canção this year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Portugal at Eurovision 2024!
News Source: RTP
Photo Credit: RTP
Rory Gannon