Gal Gadot to Appear at Eurovision in Tel Aviv, Madonna Still in Talks

TEL AVIV – Israeli actress Gal Gadot, aka Wonder Woman, will be appearing at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv next month. Producers of the extravaganza told Breitbart News that they are still finalizing negotiations with Madonna to perform at the grand finale on May 18.

Producers also said that the 2019 Eurovision would be the largest ever international event hosted by Israel.

7,280 seats will fill for the grand finale.

Director of Eurovision Tel Aviv, Yuval Cohen, said he could not yet confirm that Madonna, “who loves Israel,” would come and perform but that hopes were high.

“We’re hoping to have Madonna too,”  Cohen said. “We are still in talks for her to sing two songs.”

Other performers at the event include mentalist Lior Suchard; former Israeli Eurovision winner Dana International; Idan Raichel, who will be accompanied by an ensemble of 24; the Shalva Band — comprised of musicians with special needs who made it into the late stages of the Eurovision competition but bowed out due to rehearsals taking place on Shabbat — and of course last year’s winner Netta Barzilai, who will perform a new song.

The show will be hosted by  Israeli presenters Lucy Ayoub, Assi Azar, Erez Tal, and supermodel Bar Refaeli.

According to Tamir Dayan, CEO of Expo Tel Aviv, where the contest will take place, more than $2 million was invested in construction. Efforts were also made to create an environmentally friendly contest, including investing in waste separation systems and changing the lighting to LED.

According to Eitan Schwartz at the municipality, 10,000 tourists are expected to visit Tel Aviv. Each tourist spends between $200-250 a day, bringing in some $10 million in revenue for the city.

Tel Aviv has worked to offer many free bonuses for tourists, including free buses on Shabbat, a Eurovision Village where revelers can watch all the shows on a large screen while partying, and free tours. Bars throughout the city will also offer beer and wine for the reduced price of $2.50.

Schwartz told Breitbart News that he didn’t expect disruptions from BDS activists and said the campaign to derail Israel’s bid for Eurovision largely failed.