The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 will be the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will take place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the 2010 Contest with Lena Meyer-Landrut's song "Satellite". The contest will be held in Düsseldorf's Esprit Arena, which beat out three challenging venue locations across Germany in a bidding phase in late 2010.
The dates set for the two semi-finals are 10 May and 12 May 2011, with the final planned for the evening of 14 May 2011.[2] Forty-three countries have confirmed their participation in the contest,[3] with those returning including Austria, which last participated in 2007; Hungary, which last competed in 2009; and San Marino, which last participated in 2008. Italy also returns to the Contest, marking its first participation since 1997.