How to watch Eurovision 2021 - live stream the Eurovision Song Contest for FREE

(Image credit: Vyacheslav Prokofyev\TASS via Getty Images)

published 22 May 2021

The Eurovision Song Contest returns to our screen with all its empowering, brilliant, and downright bizarre showcasing of European talent. Yes, after a year void of the garish, wonderfully celebratory event, Eurovision 2021 finally kicks off in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Find out how to watch a Eurovision live stream where you are.

After its unceremonious cancellation back in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Eurovision fans can delight in a night of flamboyance, celebrating music across Europe (and Australia, apparently).

Considering it had to miss its annual slot last year, it's hoped to be an even more joyous occasion - though the UK should lower expectations of scoring points anything above 'nil pois' considering current international relations.

Still, if you're in the UK you can benefit from a free live stream of the Eurovision Song Contest. Happen to be out of the country to catch your native broadcaster? You can always use a VPN to bypass those geo-restrictions.

What time can I live stream the Eurovision Song Contest?

Taking place at the Ahoy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the final of the 2021 Eurovision takes place on Saturday, May 22 at 9pm CEST (local time).

That's 8pm BST / 3pm ET / 12pm PT and 5am AEST on Sunday morning in Australia.

How to watch the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 for FREE in the UK

In the UK, Eurovision fanatics are lucky enough to get a full Eurovision 2021 live stream completely 100% for free on BBC iPlayer, with coverage kick off at 8pm BST.

You can watch coverage beamed straight into your living room on BBC One on your TV, or online via iPlayer on a number of compatible devices, including:

Smart TVs: JVC, Philips, LG, Polaroid, Panasonic, Samsung
Desktop: Windows, Mac
Mobile: iOS, Android
Media streamers: Amazon Fire TV, Now TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku
Consoles: Xbox One, PS4

How to watch Eurovision 2021 if you're abroad

If you're out of the country for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, you can still get access to a live stream - simply use the best VPN around to avoid geo-restrictions.

With most domestic broadcasters locking streaming services to their country, you may hit a wall when it comes to accessing the likes of BBC iPlayer when overseas. However, by getting yourself a handy streaming VPN, you can hop onto a server within the UK or Europe (or anywhere else for that matter depending on where your online content is geo-restricted to), and this will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.

ExpressVPN is our pick of VPN providers - With its consistent high speeds, and wealth of security features, alongside its ability to unlock geo-restricted content, you can live stream the Eurovision Song Contest with ExpressVPN.

Better still, it offers new customers a 30-day money back guarantee, allowing you to give it a go and find out if it's actually the service for you before you well and truly part with your hard-earned dollar. Better still, right now you can save 49% and receive an additional 3 months with your plan for free.

- Try out ExpressVPN 100% risk free to watch Eurovision 2021

New to VPN? Find out how to use one to unblock geo-restrictions

How to watch Eurovision 2021 anywhere else in the world

Down under and want to watch the Eurovision Song Contest? While it will be an early start of 5am AEST on Sunday morning, you can enjoy coverage for free thanks to SBS and SBS On Demand in Australia.

For those across the shores in New Zealand, sadly there is no Eurovision broadcaster available, so you may be better off getting yourself a VPN and tapping into Australia's free coverage, or another country of your choosing. The action starts at 7am NZST on Sunday morning.

Admittedly, the early start may not be worth it since Montaigne was wiped out in the first semi-final, but it promises to still be an excellent evening for those bleary-eyed Aussies. Tune in live or watch back the whole show at 7.30pm in the evening.

For those in the US - never one's to be left out of the action - you can get a live stream of the Eurovision Song Contest through NBC's streaming platform, Peacock TV, costing $4.99 a month. Better still, you can make the most of its 7-day free trial and not pay a thing to catch every second of the 3 hour and 45 minute event.

US coverage starts on Saturday at 3pm ET / 12pm PT.

In Canada, you should be able to tune into OMNI Television to watch Eurovision 2021. OMNI showed both semi-finals this week, though has yet to confirm it will be showing tonight's grand finale event. Cross your fingers, you should be able to tune in at 3pm ET / 12pm PT.

If in doubt, sign up to an excellent VPN and access your chosen broadcaster no matter where you are around the world.

How to use a VPN to unblock any restrictions

If you're outside of your preferred broadcaster's boundaries, you can use a VPN to unblock any geo-restrictions and live stream the Eurovision Song Contest as if you were right at home. Here's our step-by-step guide on how to do just that.

VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anomality as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
Most VPNs offer a list of locations where its servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for Mac, VPN for Android smartphones, an iPad VPN, and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it.
To watch Eurovision 2021, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions with the likes of BBC iPlayer opening its online gates to you.
We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money back guarantee.

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Alice is eCommerce Editor at Future, with a focus on streaming services such as Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max, as well as VPN. Nowadays she looks after and writes guides and how to watch articles across TechRadar and CinemaBlend. Previously a Commercial Content Writer for Trusted Reviews, Alice has worked in the eCommerce space for over five years and over two years writing about consumer tech.