AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Some were Asia-based Europeans chasing nostalgia.

Others were Americans eager to experience their first edition of the song contest.Fans gathering ahead of the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia finale on Saturday in Bangkok.Credit...Lauren DeCicca for The New York TimesNov. 14, 2026, 10:27 a.m.

ETSimon Robinson, one of the fans who traveled to Bangkok for the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, said that his history with the competition is nearly as long as its seven-decade run.He was eight years old when he first watched it with his family in Yorkshire, England, when Britain's Mary Hopkin finished in second place behind Ireland’s Dana.“I really liked the concept of bringing Europe together after the war,” said Mr. Robinson, 63, who now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

He described the contest’s annual broadcast as a social activity for his family and neighbors.“Eurovision helped to create the European identity,” he added.Other fans had their own motivations for traveling to see the contest’s first Asian edition.Some are Europeans living in Asia, on the hunt for nostalgia, while others are Americans who were eager to experience their first Eurovision.Lee Hudson, an American television executive based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said that he gets emotional when he talks about Eurovision, which he has watched since 2012.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?

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