May 2024 was when Croatia came second in the contest with Baby Lesangea. Dora is now back to hopefully replicating this result with the dates for Dora being recently announced.
What we know about Dora
Dora 2025 is set to have its final on the 2nd of March 2025 and will be held in Opatija, Croatia. This was announced by the Croatian tourist board which also stated a need to strengthen Croatian tourism in 2025. There will be 24 artists will compete in two semi-finals, both happening within February with a split of 12 artists competing in each semi-final.
There is also a returning artist called Marko Bošnjak, a runner-up in Dora 2022. Opatija is the second most popular tourist destination within Croatia which is expected to continue within 2025 and could impact Dora well. TZG has promised to allocate 50,000 euros for Dora. The Opatija Riviera Tourist Board is keen to work with local hotels within the area, meaning Dora could also bring a bigger impact to the Opatija economy.
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 2nd place in 2024.
For 2024, Croatia chose Baby Lasagna to represent the nation in Malmö with their song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia qualified for the Grand Final, winning the semi-final in the process. In the Grand Final, Baby Lasagna finished in 2nd place, with a total of 547 points – 210 of which coming from juries, whilst another 337 came from the televote. This was the highest televoting score in the Grand Final of the 2024 contest.
Will you be watching Dora? Who would you like to see represent Croatia next year? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2025!
News Source: HRT
Photo Credit: EBU – Alma Bengsston
Rory Gannon 
Giwrgos Oiko