Each year people across the world gather to watch the kitschest musical event there is: the Eurovision song contest.
The annual music competition, which is one of the most watched TV events of the year, usually inspires fancy dress parties, drinking games and widespread national embarrassment.
This year, however, it has sparked a furious row because it’s being held in Israel, which has caused controversy in light of the political situation with Palestine.
Due to the rules of the contest, Tel Aviv was selected as the host city for the contest after Israeli act Netta Barzilai won last year’s Eurovision with her song Toy.
Protests, calls for boycott and a petition signed by tens of thousands have threatened to put a dampener on the usually lighthearted event.
If you haven’t been keeping up with the row, here is everything you need to know.
First up: why is Israel in a European singing competition?
Despite the contest’s name, non-European countries are actually far more common in the competition than you might expect.
In fact, Israel made its Eurovision debut in 1973, after it became eligible after joining the European Broadcasting Union, which is behind the event.
The rule also allows countries like Azerbaijan and Georgia to compete.
Why is it in Tel Aviv this year?
The contest always takes place in the country that won the previous year.
Israel claimed the top spot in 2018 with the catchy pop song Toy, a #MeToo anthem, which featured bizarre chicken noises.
This automatically meant the 2019 event would take place in Israel, but initially it was unclear which city would be chosen to host.
It was reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had initially planned to hold the event in Jerusalem, but the location changed amid tensions with Palestine.
The acts will therefore perform inside the Expo Tel Aviv, which can hold as many as 7,000 fans.
Why is holding it in Israel so controversial?
The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the world’s longest running disputes, and also one of the most controversial and complex.
The conflict boils down to both Jewish and Palestinian people laying claim to the same land.
The situation got a lot worse after world war two, in which six million Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust. This increased demand from Jewish people who wanted their own country and so they were given a large part of Palestine, which they considered their traditional home. However, the area was mainly populated by Palestinian Arabs.
Since then the two sides have been fighting bitterly over the same territory. Currently Israel has control of much of the land, with two separate Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza.
Gaza is currently in the grip of a humanitarian crisis, and is under blockade by Israel, meaning life for many of the 1.5 million Palestinians who live there is very difficult with high levels of unemployment and poverty.
Why have some artists called for a boycott?
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, electronic music pioneer Brian Eno and movie directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh are among celebrities who have urged a boycott of Eurovision, alongside some Palestinian artists and activists from the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign.
Nearly 40,000 people have signed a petition calling on public broadcasters to withdraw from Eurovision and endorsing the call from artists to boycott the event.
Alia Malak of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), said: “The campaign to boycott Eurovision 2019 is growing every day.
“Hundreds of artists and tens of thousands of people across the world have endorsed the call for public broadcasters and artists to withdraw from the event in support of Palestinian rights and against Israel’s blatant artwashing and pinkwashing of apartheid.
“In 2005 Palestinian civil society called on the international community to use non-violent Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions tactics against Israel’s regime of oppression until it ends its illegal occupation and realises the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people – this campaign is one crucial strand of that movement.”
On the other hand...
Stephen Fry, Sharon Osbourne, Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and music manager Scooter Braun, the man behind Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, have all signed an open letter from the non-profit organisation Creative Community for Peace condemning the boycott.
It claims the move is “subverting the spirit of the contest and turning it from a tool of unity into a weapon of division.”
Last year’s winner Barzilai has also spoken out against, saying that to snub such a popular world event celebrating diversity would be akin to “spreading darkness”.
Noting Israel’s upcoming annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, Barzilai reminded a group of foreign journalists that the Eurovision was established in the wake of the second world war to heal a torn continent.
“Being on the same stage, no matter what your religion or ethnicity or colour, from all these countries, from all these cultures, this is a festival of light,” she said.
“For people to boycott light is spreading darkness. It’s the exact opposite thing.”
Why is Madonna involved?
The pop star will be making an appearance during the grand finale, performing two songs, including a classic track and a new single.
This has prompted calls from musicians and campaigners for her to cancel her appearance.
However, the Queen of Pop defended her decision to perform, saying she will “never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda”.
In a statement she said she wanted to use her performance to create “a new path toward peace” and would not be cowed by political pressure.
She said: “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.
“My heart breaks every time I hear about the innocent lives that are lost in this region and the violence that is so often perpetuated to suit the political goals of people who benefit from this ancient conflict.
“I hope and pray that we will soon break free from this terrible cycle of destruction and create a new path towards peace.”
A group of Palestinian academics and intellectuals have criticised this defence.
But the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) – part of a boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign (BDS) – said in a statement that “true solidarity means heeding the call of the oppressed”.
A statement from PACBI said: “Israel’s decades-old regime of apartheid, apartheid and settler-colonialism explicitly uses international artists and events to cover up its human rights abuses.
“At a time when fewer and fewer major artists are performing in apartheid Tel Aviv, Eurovision is exactly what Israel’s far-right government needs to distract from its crimes.
“We urge you and all participants to withdraw from Eurovision.”
What have Wolf Alice got to do with it?
Mercury Prize-winning band Wolf Alice waded into the row when it was announced they are set to play a protest concert in London on Saturday night.
The London gig is being held as part of Globalvision, with other music events hosted in Dublin and Bethlehem on the same night in support of Palestinian rights.
The band have accused Israel of “weaponising culture” as they backed a boycott of this year’s Eurovision song contest.
Guitarist Joff Oddie told Sky News that Israel, the hosts of this year’s song contest, are “serial human rights abusers” who “use culture to art wash” and “whitewash over their human rights abuses”.
Mic Righteous and Lowkey are also among the artists taking part in Not The Eurovision: Party For Palestine.
Rapper and activist Lowkey said: “Whilst Israel is using music and the glitz and glamour of Eurovision to masks its crimes against the Palestinian people, we are using music as a powerful tool of protest, solidarity and justice.
“As artists and campaigners we refuse to legitimise Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.”
The Eurovision song contest will be held on Saturday night. Coverage will be on BBC1, fronted by Graham Norton, from 8pm till 11:40pm.