High turnout: ORF started volunteers casting for the Eurovision Song Contest
More than 500 interested individuals came to the Vienna Funkhaus on Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, 2026, for the start of the big volunteer casting for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. This is where the ORF's ESC team has been preparing for the world's biggest TV entertainment show since autumn. Dedicated volunteers with team spirit and passion are being sought for the major event, which will host up to 500,000 guests at the Eurovision Song Contest events in Vienna.
Michael Krön, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest, opened the casting with the following words: „Today is an incredibly important milestone for the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, and this fantastic casting weekend shows just how popular the event is and how many people want to be part of it.“ According to Lisi Schrenk, Head of Volunteers, „We are primarily looking for people who embody the fan culture of the Eurovision Song Contest. But actually, we don't need to look any further, because everyone here is already so motivated.“
Tangible excitement in the Funkhaus
The volunteer casting took place in several stages. Right at 1:00 PM, the doors opened for the first group on Saturday. After the official registration, a photo was taken for later accreditation. After that, the aspiring volunteers proceeded to individual interviews. Among the applicants, enthusiasm for the event was palpable, which was also evident from the diverse range of participants. Both new and familiar faces, who had already participated as volunteers at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015, were among the applicants. More than 400 former volunteers are still active on the community platform, demonstrating the importance of the shared experience for those involved over ten years ago.
In two weeks, the last of three casting appointments will take place. In particular, those who are interested in the role of the delegation hosts have applied for this one. Language skills will be tested at this session so that the hosts will be able to communicate with the delegations in their native language later on. Already in mid-March, the future delegation hosts will meet the official representatives of the respective delegations.
By the beginning of April, around 600 volunteers will receive their confirmation and find out in which area they can participate. The opportunities for participation are varied. Volunteers will welcome international guests at the welcome and information desks, support journalists in the media center, and ensure that everything runs smoothly backstage.
ORF has been reviewing since December
Since the beginning of December 2025, ORF has been looking for volunteers, i.e., voluntary helpers, in areas such as Guest & Delegation Services, Audience & Public Interaction, or Sustainability & Support. After an initial registration phase, prospective volunteers had to submit their resumes and video applications. Numerous impressive personalities have come forward to volunteer as supporters for good spirits and lived hospitality and to experience one of the world's largest music shows up close. In addition to German and English, the candidates who were represented at the auditions speak 44 other foreign languages, covering most of the national languages of all participating countries. Apart from that, almost all professional groups were represented among the applicants – from students to people in executive positions who took time off work specifically to be part of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. In total, interested parties from more than 30 nations registered, including many European countries, but also the USA, Canada, and Australia.
(March 01, 2026)