Simon Robinson, one of the fans who traveled to Bangkok for the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, said his history with the competition is almost as long as its seven-decade run. He was eight years old when he first saw her with his family in Yorkshire, England, when Britain’s Mary Hopkin finished second behind Ireland’s Dana. “I really liked the concept of uniting Europe after the war,” said Mr. Robinson, 63, who now lives in Melbourne, Australia. He described the annual contest broadcast as a social activity for his family and neighbors. “Eurovision helped create the European identity,” he added. Other fans had their own reasons for traveling to see the first Asian edition of the contest. Some are Europeans living in Asia, looking for nostalgia, while others are Americans who were eager to experience their first Eurovision. Lee Hudson, an American television executive based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said he gets emotional when talking about Eurovision, which he has watched since. 2012. “The only reason I know music from European countries is because I heard it at Eurovision,” he said. “Eurovision Asia makes sense because the musical cultures are different.” Hudson said she still listens to “Euphoria” by Loreen, who won the contest for Sweden in 2012. It was also the first Eurovision Drew Andrea watched from her home in Sydney. A year later, he obtained a passport to fly to Sweden for the 2013 edition and has attended every final since. Coming to Bangkok for Eurovision Asia was much more affordable, he said. “Asia understands the brief: the kitsch costumes, the dance music,” he said. His favorites among the Asian artists were Carmelle from the Philippines and Toc Tien from Vietnam. “I think they hit the nail on the head with the song, the staging, the costumes and the traditional elements,” he said. Luca Cian, a marketing professor at the University of Virginia who grew up in Italy, said Eurovision created a global fan base by offering a shared cultural experience. “Millions of people across Europe watch it at the same time,” he said. “Families celebrate parties with food and drink. There are public debates. Rituals create community.” Carmen Chung, a British accountant, said she took advantage of her family’s vacation in Bangkok to attend Eurovision Asia with her brother Garry Chung, a banker who lives in Hong Kong. “We grew up on Eurovision,” he said of his childhood in Yorkshire. European artists, he said, tend to copy whatever style of music won the previous year. “This year, since there are no expectations, everyone has done their own thing,” he said. She and her brother said they were supporting Bangladesh’s Beatmosphere, a beatboxing group that will perform a love song a cappella. Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said about half of the tickets for Saturday’s final were bought by “super fans” from outside Asia. Organizers have kept the inaugural show modest, with 11 participating countries and a venue that can seat 5,000 people. Andrea said she didn’t mind the small scale. “I’m fine with humble beginnings, as long as they continue to grow each year,” he said.
