They’re the host country of Eurovision 2017 and are searching for the successor to Jamala. Now Ukraine has confirmed the dates for its national final. It will include three semi-finals, culminating with the grand final on 25 February 2017.

ukraine-national-finalThe four shows will take place at the National Palace of Culture in Kyiv. The venue seats over 3700.

There will be three semi-finals, held on Saturday 4, 11 and 18 February. This is one more semi-final than the two held in 2016, suggesting there will be even more acts competing to represent their country on home turf.

The grand final will be held on Saturday 25 February. That Saturday is shaping up to be one of the Super Saturdays of the 2017 national final season, with the grand final for Denmark also taking place, along with semi-finals for Iceland and Sweden. Keep your social calendar free for that night!

Tickets are available for all four events, ensuring that the Eurovision excitement will start building for Ukraine fans.

The national final is a collaboration between national broadcaster NTU and commercial broadcaster STB.

The voting will be determined 50/50 by a televote and an expert jury. So far, the jury has been confirmed to include Jamala, and X-Factor Ukraine judge Konstantin Meladze.

The competition will also include an online wildcard. Songs are uploaded to a website and are voting on by the public. The song with the most votes by 15 January will win a place in the grand final. The vote is currently led by folk-pop group Kuznetsov — a group that awkwardly shares its name with the dilapidated flagship vessel of the Russian navy. Their song “Deep Shivers” currently has over 65,000 votes.

READ MORE UKRAINE EUROVISION NEWS

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Darren Stokes
7 years ago

Russia or Azerbaijan to win then. You’ve got no chance if you live west from Germany.

Mark Beckenbreur
Mark Beckenbreur
7 years ago

Looks like Ukrainians still haven’t decided how to spell Kiev. I thought it was Kyiv.

valdem
valdem
7 years ago

@mocosuburbian
it will begin within four hours before melfest

mocosuburbian
mocosuburbian
7 years ago

it’s going to conflict with melfest :((((

Vlad
Vlad
7 years ago

Kuznetsov is simply a surname, don’t make scandal from nothing.

Colin
Colin
7 years ago

I just hope they make the commentary part mercifully short and not half an hour long for each song like last year. 2016 Ukraine nationals was bottom of the barrel for ESC finals.

Magistr
Magistr
7 years ago

The venue of the selection is Palats of Culture of Kyiv Politechnical University and it was not a venue of JESC 2013

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
7 years ago

I’m not exactly pro-juries, but if the jury includes musical geniuses like Jamala and Meladze (author of Polina Gagarina’s “Ya tebya ne proshchu nikogda”) then I assume and confide they’ll choose a quality act. Let talent prevail over mediocrity, Ukraine!