The first Eurovision was a secret jury affair in a demolished casino
In short: Before it became a global spectacle of pyrotechnics and pop, the Eurovision Song Contest was a hushed, secretive competition. In 1956, only seven countries participated, and the voting process was so private that even the jurors were ushered out before the winner was announced.
The inaugural contest, titled the Grand Prix of the Eurovision song competition 1956, took place on May 24, 1956, at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland. The venue was a unique setting—a casino and former theatre situated on Lake Lugano with a capacity of 700 seats. While it served as the birthplace of a modern institution, the venue itself has since vanished; the theatre was demolished in 2001 to expand the casino.
The contest's DNA was heavily influenced by the Italian Sanremo Music Festival and the Venice International Song Festival. However, several unique rules from this first edition have since been retired. For instance, each country was permitted to submit two original songs—a privilege that ended after 1956. Furthermore, juries were allowed to vote for their own national entries, a practice that was quickly phased out in subsequent years. The voting itself was conducted in secret by an assembled jury of two people from each participating nation, who watched the performances on a small television screen in a bridge room.
Technically, Switzerland was chosen as the host because its central location facilitated live, cross-border terrestrial broadcasts across Europe. The BBC chose to host a domestic festival instead of joining the competition involving West Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, France, and Belgium. The result was a victory for the host country, with Lys Assia winning for Switzerland. Interestingly, while audio of the event survives, no video footage exists except for a brief reprise performance at the end.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Eurovision Song Contest 1956
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