Azerbaijan, Baku, May 22 / Trend /
Today Baku hosts the first semi-final of Eurovision 2012 song contest.
The contest is being held at the Baku Crystal Hall, built on the shores of the Caspian Sea specifically for Eurovision 2012. The hall seats 23,000 spectators and another 16,000 spectators are able to watch the contest's semi-finals and final live on big screens.
The television audience of Eurovision 2012 is more than 100 million people in 50 world countries.
Baku Crystal Hall consisting of metal structures was built in record time, in less than eight months. Its form resembles a faceted crystal, hence its name. Baku Crystal Hall is especially beautiful in the evenings when numerous crystals attached to the facade begin to shine by artificial light.
The first semi-final is being held today. The second semi-final will be held on May 24 and the grand final on May 26.
The logo for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest is 'Fire Flower', while the motto is Light your fire.
Representatives of 42 countries participate in this 57th contest starting 00:00 local time that is 8pm GMT.
Eurovision participants from Montenegro, Iceland, Greece, Latvia, Albania, Romania, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Finland, Israel, San Marino, Cyprus, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Moldova and Ireland participate in the first semi-final.
Azerbaijan won the right to host the prestigious European song contest after the victory of Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal (Ell / Nikki) at Eurovision 2011 in Dusseldorf, Germany last May.