Staging the nation

The Eurovision stage is the unsung star of the world's largest live televised event and analysing it gives insights into international politics and nations’ self-perception. This is particularly interesting in cases where controversy or debate surrounds the host nation. Understanding how the presentation and manipulation of space through the stage works, gives readers insights into the political power of scenography. This chapter analyses several instances of Eurovision that featured international debates about that year's host. Specifically, the chapter considers Baku 2012 in Azerbaijan, Tel Aviv 2019 in Israel, and Liverpool 2023 in the United Kingdom, hosting on behalf of Ukraine. The chapter discusses how each host nation staged a particular image of national identity through the spatial configurations of the arenas, including the semi-finals and finals opening, and interval acts.