Eurovision Song Contest 1988
The Eurovision Song Contest 1988 was the 33rd edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following Johnny Logan's win at the 1987 contest with the song "Hold Me Now". Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ), the contest was held at the RDS Simmonscourt on 30 April 1988 and was hosted by Irish broadcaster Pat Kenny and the Miss Ireland 1980 Michelle Rocca, marking the first time since the 1979 contest that two presenters had hosted the contest.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1988 | |
|---|---|
| Dates | |
| Final | 30 April 1988 |
| Host | |
| Venue | RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion, Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland |
| Presenter(s) |
|
| Musical director | Noel Kelehan |
| Directed by | Declan Lowney |
| Executive supervisor | Frank Naef |
| Executive producer | Liam Miller |
| Host broadcaster | Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) |
| Website | eurovision |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 21 |
| Debuting countries | None |
| Returning countries | None |
| Non-returning countries | Cyprus |
Participation map
| |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 point(s) to their 10 favourite songs |
| Winning song | Switzerland "Ne partez pas sans moi" |
Twenty-one countries took part, after an initial plan of twenty-two, as Cyprus' song was disqualified for breaching the contest's rules by being published a few years earlier, in an attempt to represent the country at a prior edition of the contest. The Cypriot song had been drawn to be performed 2nd in the running order.
The winner was Switzerland with the song "Ne partez pas sans moi", performed by Canadian singer Céline Dion and composed by Atilla Şereftuğ with lyrics in French by Nella Martinetti. Switzerland beat the United Kingdom by just one point in the last vote to win the title. The victory helped launch Dion's international career, subsequently leading her to become one of the best-selling artists of all time.