Portugal: Cláudia Pascoal wins Festival da Canção 2018
All Aboard! Tonight the final of the Portuguese selection Festival da Canção took place with 14 finalists but only one winner: Cláudia Pascoal with the song "O jardim"
Cláudia Pascoal will represent Portugal at Eurovision Song Contest 2018 on home soil with the song O jardim.
The final of the Portuguese selection for Eurovision 2018, Festival da Canção, took place tonight live from Pavilhão Multiusos in Guimarães, organized by the Portuguese broadcaster RTP.
Cláudia Pascoal will be the 50th artist to represent Portugal in Eurovision Song Contest.
O jardim is written by Isaura.
Festival da Canção 2018 – Results
4 March 2018
Hosts: Filomena Cautela and Pedro Fernandes
- Cláudia Pascoal – "O jardim" (22 points, 12 from televotes)
- Catarina Miranda – "Para sorrir não preciso de nada" (22 points, 10 from televotes)
- Peu Madureira – "Só por ela" (16 points)
- Janeiro – "(sem título)" (12 points)
- Rui David – "Sem medo" (8 points)
- Anabela – "Para te dar abrigo" (7 points)
- Joana Barra Vaz – "Anda estragar-me os planos" (7 points)
- Lili – "O vôo das cegonhas" (6 points)
- Joana Espadinha – "Zero a zero" (5 points)
- Peter Serrado – "Sunset" (3 points)
- Maria Inês Paris – "Bandeira azul" (3 points)
- Susana Travassos – "A mensageira" (3 points)
- Minnie & Rhayra – "Patati patata" (2 points)
- David Pessoa – "Amor veloz" (0 points)
Both Cláudia Pascoal and Catarina Miranda finished with 22 points. Cláudia Pascoal was ranked highest by the public televote and is therefore the winner.
Festival da Canção 2018
There have been 26 songs in Festival da Canção 2018, competing for the honor of representing Portugal at Eurovision Song Contest 2018 on home soil. 26 composers penned the songs for Festival da Canção 2018, and they also had the task of picking the artists (or themselves) to perform their songs.
The songs were divided into two semi-finals with 13 songs each.
- Semi-final 1: 18 February 2018
- Semi-final 2: 25 February 2018
- Final: 4 March 2018
The semi-finals took place at RTP's studios in Lisbon, while the final was held at Pavilhão Multiusos in Guimarães.
There were 14 songs in the final – seven songs from each of the two semi-finals.
In the semi-finals the results were decided by a jury panel appointed by RTP combined with public televoting.
In the final the winner was decided by regional juries combined with public televoting.
The winner of Festival da Canção 2018 will be the 50th artist to represent Portugal in Eurovision Song Contest. This time on home soil in Lisbon on 12 May.
Portugal in Eurovision Song Contest
Portugal has participated 49 times since 1964. It was a very bad start, as they managed to get Zero Points in the debuting year. Before Eurovision 2017 they have never won the contest, and never made the top-5. In fact Portugal held the record for most appearances in the contest without a win! But that changed in 2017, where Salvador Sobral won with "Amar Pelos Dois".
Since the introduction of Semi-finals in 2004 Portugal only qualified for the Grand Final 4 out of 12 times.
