Honestly, what a year it's been. Here's an A to Z of the highlights we'll be looking back upon for quite some time to come:

A is for… Arcade

This year, the Duncan Laurence winner became the very first Eurovision song to pass the 1 billion streams milestone on Spotify. Enormous congratulations are in order.

B is for… BEJBA

It’s kinda crazy.

C is for… Chart takeover

In the wake of Liverpool 2023, our participants had a bigger than ever impact on the charts across Europe .

D is for… Double winner

2023 was a year in which Johnny Logan was referenced a lot. And so he should be.

E is for… Edgar Allan Poe

Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Edgar Allan, Edgar Allan
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe
Edgar Allan Poe

And repeat.

F is for… Flag Parade

During which we got to see Ukrainian Eurovision legends Go_A, Jamala, Tina Karol and Verka Serduchka take to the Eurovision stage once again.

G is for… Gluten

Which is what La Zarra had to clarify this Instagram Story about "quitting" was in reference to, after panicked fans’ minds started to wander...

H is for… Hannah Waddingham

We all fell a little bit in love in May, admit it.

I is for… I’m player number 142 from Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge

You’re also Anna Sahlene, who represented Estonia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002 and finished joint-third with your song Runaway !

J is for… Joker Out branded condoms

'Let Seizing The Day be the only STD in your life' - Joker Out, 6 May 2023.

K is for… King Charles and the Queen Consort

Not only did they show up in a pre-recorded video during the live broadcast of the shows, they also went to Liverpool before the rest of us, to officially unveil that stunner of a stage at Liverpool Arena.

We haven’t yet finished the final series of The Crown , so no spoilers please on whether or not these events made it in. Fingers crossed!

L is for… Liverpool

The Host City of the 2023 Contest welcomed us with open arms on behalf of Ukraine, offering up the best possible time to be enjoyed by fans, locals and our artists and delegations. Thanks 'bezzies'!

M is for… MTV EMAs

Sweden's Loreen, Finland's Käärijä and Norway's Alessandra all got nominated for Best Nordic Act, with our Finnish firecracker emerging as the cha-cha-champion. Also picking up awards at this year’s ceremony were Italy’s Måneskin and Switzerland’s Gjon’s Tears.

N is for… Nail-biting results

After the jury voting had concluded, it was time for that televoting sequence - and one for the history books, at that!

O is for… Ooh aah, just a little bit, ooh aah, a little bit more!

Cos where else would you find Andrew Lambrou singing Molitva , Albina & Familja Kelmendi covering My Number One and Lord of the Lost performing Satellite ?

Exactly.

P is for… Peppa Pig leading a conga line through Liverpool Arena

We were expecting the full Cha Cha Cha ‘piggy train’ choreography, but we’ll let it slide.

Q is for… Queen Machine

Liverpool’s enigma of engineering which turned our hosts Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Julia Sanina into all-singing, all-dancing drag queens.

R is for… Rita Ora medley

As if that First Semi-Final hadn't been stacked enough!

S is for… ŠČ!

But you have to really say it with some gusto.

T is for… Te Deum - the remix

Cheers to our buddies in Voyager. We will always be so very grateful for this.

U is for… United By Music

A slogan so good, it’s being used again in 2024 . And beyond .

V is for… Violins playing and the angels crying, when the stars align then I’ll be theeeeere

What a song. What an artist. What a Winner.

W is for… When Österdahl met Ulvaeus.

In a very special episode of the official Eurovision Song Contest podcast , Steve Holden chatted with ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl on how the Contest has changed since 1974 and continues to evolve today.

X is for… Xenomorphous bolero jacket

Just like Verka Serduchka’s silver headpiece, in decades to come people are still going to be wearing homemade versions of that green jacket to Eurovision parties everywhere.

Y is for… You can make me whole again

Or You’ll Never Walk Alone . Or You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) . Honestly, that Liverpool Songbook just didn’t hold back on the top tunes, did it?

Z is for… Zréck!

That’s Luxembourgish for back! And their return was one of our favourite revelations of the year. We’re delighted to welcome the Grand Duchy back to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024.

Now, let's see what 2024 has in store for us.

Join us again this time next year for an Å, Ä and Ö to Z of Malmö 2024!