AP PHOTOS: Eurovision performers gear up for grand final with sparkles and songs

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BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — The 69th Eurovision Song Contest will hold its grand final on Saturday night.

The Swiss city of Basel played host this week to competitors representing 37 countries. They danced, they sang, they engaged in disco diplomacy as part of one of the world’s biggest spectacles.

Semifinal performances on Tuesday and Thursday whittled the competitors down to just 26 acts. They're competing for the coveted crystal microphone trophy.

The finalists are: Norway, Luxembourg, Estonia, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Austria, Iceland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Greece, Armenia, Switzerland, Malta, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, France, San Marino and Albania.

The contest airs Saturday at 9 p.m. local time (1900GMT).

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Photographer Martin Meissner from Germany switches from sports to entertainment for a week to photograph his fifth Eurovision.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.