Having kept their cards close to their chest, Croatia’s HRT have now confirmed their participation for Eurovision 2020. The confirmation came in the form of the announcement that DORA will be returning in 2020. This means that Croatia will be selecting their entry using the national final for the second time in a row.

Speaking to ESCXTRA recently, Croatia’s HRT stated that talks regarding their future Eurovision participation were ongoing. They later revealed that their plans for the contest would be discussed in more detail in October. However, we now have confirmation that Croatia will be participating in Eurovision 2020. This comes as little surprise, as their representative was very hopeful regarding their participation.

We hope everything is going to be all right, and that there is no worry about joining the Eurovision magic in Rotterdam 2020. HRT speaking to ESCXTRA

Eurosong.hr revealed the return of DORA via the announcement of HRT’s Autumn programming for the 2019/2020 season. HRT announced the return of three well-known formats – The Voice, Stars Sing and Dora – the selection of a Croatian representative for Eurovision. This thereby confirmed that Croatia will be participating in the 2020 contest. Further, the presentation event was attended by the Croatian representative for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest Severina .

DORA returning once again for 2020

To the delight of many long-term fans of Croatia at Eurovision, HRT announced the return of Dora for the 2019 season! The 16 participating entries were selected by a jury consisting of representatives from major Croatian broadcasters, as well as critics, singers, songwriters and composers.

The final of DORA took place on the 16th of February, following two nights of programming from Opatija. On night one, there was a televised concert of ‘Chansons and Optaija Serenades’ by the Symphony Orchestra. On night two, HRT’s Jazz Orchestra performed ‘Dora classics’. The eventual winner was Roko Blažević with “The Dream”, who topped both the regional televote and jury vote on night three.

Unlike many national selections for Eurovision, the full studio recordings of the entries wasn’t revealed until after the final. Instead, snippets were released prior to the show. However, this may change for the 2020 edition.

Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest

Croatia have competed in the contest 24 times as an independent nation. Previously, they competed as Yugoslavia alongside Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. As Yugoslavia, seven of the 27 entries were Croatian, including Riva’s “Rock Me”, which won the contest in 1989.

Croatia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993, where they were represented by Put with “Don’t Ever Cry”. They finished in 15th place with 31 points. Despite winning DORA, Roko’s “The Dream” failed to make it out of the second semi-final in Tel Aviv, placing 14th in the semi-final with 64 points.

Are you excited to see DORA return? Are you happy to see Croatia confirm their participation in Rotterdam 2020? Let us know in the comments below or at social media. Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates!