Crowds were gathering in the Swiss town of Basel on Saturday for the grand final of the world’s largest live music event, the Eurovision Song Contest. (May 17)

The day has come. For many Eurofans the day of the Grand Final is the best moment of the year. A whole year of waiting, the beginning of the season in

Of 37 countries that sent performers to Eurovision, 11 were knocked out by public voting in semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday. Another six automatically qualified for the final: the host, Switzerland, and the “Big Five” that pay the most to the contest — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.