Ask An Expert: Why are Icelanders SO obsessed with Eurovision?

With the Eurovision Song Contest glittering on the horizon, we at the Reykjavík Grapevine have found ourselves wondering, “Why are Icelanders SO obsessed with Eurovision?” In desperate need of answers, we turned to Felix Bergsson, who heads up Iceland’s Eurovision delegation at RÚV.

Here is what Felix had to say:

1. The obvious reason is we LOVE competing on equal ground with the big boys, and in music, Iceland actually stands a chance of winning. It is a slim chance but it does exist. And like always, Icelanders take that kind of challenge very seriously.

2. Icelanders are fiercely nationalistic. Even though they won’t admit it. They are so happy when they see the Icelandic flag with a sea of other flags in Eurovision. It fills them with pride. And they will support their representative all the way.

3. The not so obvious reason is that Icelanders love their kids. They are generally good parents and they love to do fun things with their children. And the children are crazy about Eurovision. People who would normally not give Eurovision a second thought end up getting really into it. Then the kids grow up and they host their own Eurovision parties and so it goes, on and on and on…

4. Last but not least, Icelanders have realized how much fun Eurovision is. They make fun of it like most nations, but never in a nasty way. Many of the ESC entries are played on Icelandic radio and many become popular before and after the competition. That is very different from other countries in the competition.

To read more about Eurovision and Icelanders obsessions with it, click here