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53rd contest

Eurovision 2008

The 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, the 53rd edition, was held in Belgrade, Serbia at Belgrade Arena and was won by Russia — Dima Bilan with “Believe”.

The first contest with two semi-finals, the format used ever since.

The facts

Host country
Serbia
Host city
Belgrade
Venue
Belgrade Arena
Winner
Russia
Artist
Dima Bilan
Song
“Believe”

This was Russia’s only Eurovision win. Their full record

Compiled from the public record of the contest. Years, hosts, winners, songs and performers are stated; participant counts and pre-2000 venues are left blank rather than estimated, and will be filled in as each is checked against a primary source. This is a different standard from the two-independent-sources bar that a 2027 confirmation has to clear, and it is held to a lower one — spotted an error? It is worth telling us about.

Not affiliated with the EBU. “Eurovision Song Contest” is a trademark of the European Broadcasting Union.