Benidorm Fest stage

¡Hola Benidorm! Spanish broadcaster has revealed the Benidorm Fest stage design, along with the show’s complex voting system. If you thought you knew what Eurodrama was, wait until you see the three rounds of voting of Benidorm Fest.

Yes, you read that right: three rounds of voting: jury (50% of the vote), demoscopic jury (25%) and televote (25%). They even made a diagram so you can understand it:

First up, each member of the jury will vote. The five professionals in the panel will award 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 points to each song in the semi-finals, and 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12 to the eight songs competing in the final. 

Then, the demoscopic jury will award 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25 and 30 votes to each song, and finally, the televote will award those same votes. In the final, both will also award five points to their less favourite song.

Hexagonal fantasy: the stage of Benidorm Fest

The Benidorm Fest stage recreates the contest’s logo. It will have several hexagonal platforms and LED screens on the walls and the floor. 14 cameras will be used to shoot the show. 

The Palau l’Illa arena will also feature a secondary stage, also made of hexagonal platforms, where the jury and contestants will sit. 

The main stage measures 450m2, with spinning panels on three sides. There will be LED screens and light columns behind it. 

The Green Room, the jury set and the space for the hosts will be on the opposite side of the hall. 300m2 all made of hexagons. Between both platforms will be the audience standing area, while the rest of the audience will be seated at the sides.

Do you like the Benidorm Fest stage? What do you think about the voting system? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

39 Comments
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Henry
Henry
2 years ago

If they choose Ay Mama, Spaniards can just blame themselves for last place in May! Haha, so bad! Benidorm Fest will become FlopFest!

Safiya
Safiya
2 years ago

I am so glad that they seem to take Eurovision more seriously this year! It’s always good to see that countries actually make some effort. All Spanish songs are different and I’m really curious how they will be staged.

Roodi
Roodi
2 years ago

Spain please send Luna Ki or Terra

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago

I’m excited for Benidorm Fest and I think they’re doing a great work so far, but I fear having just 5 jurors deciding half of the result is a little dangerous. I hope at least they picked the right people for the job.

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

A small jury selecting entries for live shows is not unusual. If I’m not mistaken, the Spanish comission that selected Benidorm entries was a small group of people and they did a great job. The problem of having a small group of people voting to decide the winner of a national final is that those people are under a lot of pressure and their vote has a lot of weight. For example: imagine if the demoscopic put Tanxugueiras 1st and Rigoberta 2nd and the televote does the exact opposite. A very possible outcome, by the way. Then 5 people would… Read more »

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

I would say there’s normally 2 types of approach when countries use the jurors to comment during the shows. The first one is to explain why they voted that way (Pabandon is Naujo, for example) and this indeed helps with transparency, even if it can lead to uncomfortable situations. In other cases like the French shows, I guess it’s more for entertainment purposes. You give the audience some familiar faces to say good things about the acts and make people stay tuned and get excited to vote for their favorite.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
2 years ago
Reply to  Sabrina

The jury is necessary in Spain to avoid certain audiences to unite and decide to send to Esc something weird and shameful as it already happened twice in past years.

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Maybe I wasn’t clear enough, but I’m in favor of the presence of a jury, I just think it could be bigger. Like at least 5 local and 5 international, you know? Or even 10 Spaniards voting. I just fear that the result gets too close and the jurors become easy targets for that. Since RTVE apparently took some inspiration from Sanremo (the demoscopic jury), I would even consider adding a press room voting in the near future. But I guess first Benidorm Fest has to become a big stable event, so more news outlets will cover it and then… Read more »

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
2 years ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Yes but you never know with Spaniards.

Europotato
Europotato
2 years ago

Not gonna lie, it looks like Northern Ireland’s UTV news room.

lisa thompson
lisa thompson
2 years ago
Reply to  Europotato

bit like a classic StarTrek set.lol

Addie
Addie
2 years ago

Hmm, the staging seems simple but good. Each act is going to be so different. Wow, the voting seems complicated, but what can I do? I don’t even live in Europe, so I can’t vote. But look at Germany’s voting this year, it seems that German people can start voting from February itself. Well, anyway, back to Spain. I think RTVE is finally taking Eurovision seriously, I hope Benidorm fest is gonna be successful!

Fabio
Fabio
2 years ago
Reply to  Addie

The voting system is not complicated at all…

Xxx
Xxx
2 years ago

That’s the ugliest stage i’ve ever seen.

Rich
Rich
2 years ago
Reply to  Xxx

Wow, you must have seen exactly one stage in your entire life.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
2 years ago
Reply to  Xxx

To enjoy songs and music not much is needed or are you the kind who needs lots of special effects and lights to enjoy ESC?

Letifa
Letifa
2 years ago

Who cares, Azerbaijan will win Eurovision 2022!

Addie
Addie
2 years ago
Reply to  Letifa

What the-

Nikko
Nikko
2 years ago
Reply to  Letifa

Oh no. Did Azerbaijan again buy people to spam in the comment sections of everything Eurovision related thing :/

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago
Reply to  Letifa

Azerbaijan should invest in better crafted entries or more local sounds instead of bots if they want to win Eurovision again

ete sech
ete sech
2 years ago

I didn’t expect a great stage from Spain, but this is quite nice and seems to fit the venue perfectly

Kåre Eriksen
2 years ago

Who thought it was a good idea that the show starts at 22:40

Frisian esc
Frisian esc
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre Eriksen

Southern people are weird. They eat dinner at northern european bed time.

Sebastian
Sebastian
2 years ago
Reply to  Frisian esc

Come on! Here in Latin America is the same. We are not the weirds, you are the weirds hahaha (kidding)

joselito
joselito
2 years ago
Reply to  Frisian esc

I actually believe northern people are weird. They sleep when it’s normal dinner time. 😀

gabriel
gabriel
2 years ago
Reply to  Frisian esc

AT 10.00 pm in summer time in Spain enjoying the sea and 23 degrees in a terraza nobody want to go to bed but enjoy life with friends having a drink and eating..They are not weird

James
James
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre Eriksen

They may have shows in their schedule that they couldn’t preempt and that’s actually very typical in many countries where most special programming are scheduled at a later time.

Efraim
Efraim
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre Eriksen

That’s standard Spanish prime time these days. For some reason.

Addie
Addie
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre Eriksen

Which time zone? Unfortunately, I live in Asia, so I watch Eurovision at 12:30 am. Watching the grand final last year was so hard, I had to be awake the whole night….

Europotato
Europotato
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre Eriksen

You think that’s bad? Sanremo rolls on to about 3 in the morning. Lol

Sabrina
Sabrina
2 years ago
Reply to  Kåre Eriksen

I wonder if it’s a Latino thing to have dinner later than in most countries. But he thing is that depending on where you live, if you leave work at 6pm, you won’t be able to get dinner before 8 even if you want to. For example, in a big Latin American city it’s not unusual to find people who needs more than one hour just to make the way back home. In Brazil, for example, the “8pm soap opera”, traditionally a primetime show, now starts around 9:30pm. But there’s still older people calling it the 8pm soap opera to… Read more »

Last edited 2 years ago by Sabrina
Brko
Brko
2 years ago

Ouch! It looks a bit cheap, simple and uninspiring. Feels like a rushed idea just to have a stage ready. Sorry to all people who like the stage. And this choice of colours they chose to present in the photo does not do anything for me either. But luckily those are easily adapted to the theme of the song. Sorry, but I don’t like it. 🙁

Last edited 2 years ago by Brko
impressiveinstants
impressiveinstants
2 years ago

You should have added the picture of the full stage. Not only the main one.

Yoo
Yoo
2 years ago

So, we gonna get 2017 Spain scenario? ?

GojoSatoru
GojoSatoru
2 years ago

Nice looking stage to be honest. Usually, the Spanish NF stage looked very lackluster, but this is beautiful. It is as if RTVE is ready to host Eurovision next year.

Xxx
Xxx
2 years ago
Reply to  GojoSatoru

Y’all crazy, it’s three led screens and 10 strobe lights. It looks very cheap. Benidorm Fest participants deserve more, i know Spain can do better.

Last edited 2 years ago by Xxx
GojoSatoru
GojoSatoru
2 years ago
Reply to  Xxx

A stage doesn’t need to have over the top stuff to look beautiful. There might not be much, but you can easily see RTVE acually cares to make the stage look nice.

“It looks cheap.” So what? Something doesn’t need to look expensive to look good.

GojoSatoru
GojoSatoru
2 years ago
Reply to  GojoSatoru

For those who dislike the “Something doesn’t need to look expensive to look good” comment, just look at UMK 2021. That looked cheap, but was very beautiful.

And if we don’t look at stages, but at props of a Eurovision performance: Duncan Laurence’s piano was expensive, looked beautiful, but also looked cheap. Something doesn’t need to look expensive to look beautiful. Eurovision and certain national finals proved that throughout time.

It is all about how you present it.

Last edited 2 years ago by GojoSatoru
Xxx
Xxx
2 years ago
Reply to  GojoSatoru

Are you serious? UMK 2021 stage was slick and modern. Also had much more going on than 10 strobe lights. It’s basic. If you like it, it’s fine with me, but don’t pretend like it’s some masterpiece.