Croatia’s broadcaster HRT has revealed who will be hosting Dora 2024, its national final for Eurovision. With the songs and dates also announced, Croatia is now all set to select its representative for Malmö.
Three Dora rounds, three Dora hosts
Dora might have grown from one night of action to a three night affair, but HRT is once again opting for three presenters. Duško Ćurlić is once again returning, having hosted multiple Dora’s before. He is joined this year by Maja Ciglenečki and Anja Cerar, who is a journalist and presenter. Speaking to HRT about Dora 2024, Duško says it will be a pleasure to work with his co-hosts. Maja stated that she is happy to finally host, following years of taking part as the announcer of Zagreb’s jury votes. Anja meanwhile noted how different an event it is to her usual work as a arts and culture presenter.
What is Dora?
Dora is the current selection method for Croatia’s Eurovision entrant. This national final method has been used on and ff over the years. The national final made it’s debut in 1993, and was used to select Croatia’s entry up until their withdrawal in 2012. In 2016 Croatia returned to the contest, however until 2019 HRT selected their song and artist internally. Dora is considered a pop festival in Croatia, as well as a national final. This year, Dora will consist of three rounds. Two semi-finals kick things off February 22nd and 23rd, with the final to be held February 25.
Croatia’s Eurovision Journey
Croatia has been a part of the Eurovision family since 1961, as part of Yugoslavia. Ten Croatian artists went on to represent Yugoslavia in the Contest – the most famous of which being Riva, who gave Yugoslavia its only win in 1989. The 1990 Contest was held in Zagreb as a tribute to their Croatian heritage.
Croatia debuted in the Contest as an independent nation in 1993 with the band Put and their song “Don’t Ever Cry”. Since then, Croatia has gone on to score as high as 4th place in 1996 and 1999. For 2023, Croatia chose the well-known band Let 3 to represent the nation in Liverpool with their song “Mama ŠČ!”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia qualified for the Grand Final for the first time since 2017. In the Grand Final, the band finished in 13th place, with a total of 123 points – 11 of which coming from juries, whilst another 112 came from the televote.
Are you excited for Dora 2024? Who would you like to see win this year’s competition and represent Croatia in Malmö? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: HRT
Photo Credit: Dario Njavro for HRT
That Eurovision Site 
Rory Gannon