Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne has highlighted an important scheduling change for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026: the international final will be held on Saturday 24 October at 22:00 Kyiv time. In its statement published on 15 October, Suspilne said the European Broadcasting Union shifted the broadcast to prime time across many European countries to reach more young viewers.
What to know
- Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne has highlighted an important scheduling change for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026: the international final will be held on Saturday 24 October at 22:00 Kyiv time.
- For Ukrainian viewers, the first online voting window opens at 00:59 on 24 October and ends at 21:59 that day, just before the live show.
- Suspline's notice is a practical reminder to broadcasters and audiences not to rely on older listings.
The corresponding official contest listing specifies a 21:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST) start. The event remains scheduled for 24 October at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali; the key update concerns the evening broadcast time, not a change of date or host venue.
For Ukrainian viewers, the first online voting window opens at 00:59 on 24 October and ends at 21:59 that day, just before the live show. The time-zone conversion matters: the contest's international voting announcement gives 23:59 CEST on 23 October to 20:59 CEST on 24 October, corresponding to the following hour in Kyiv.
The second online voting period will open after all participating artists have performed on 24 October and last about 15 minutes. As in previous editions, voters must choose three favourite songs and may include their own country's entry. Suspilne emphasizes that voting is free, so supporters in Ukraine can vote for their representative.
Ukraine will be represented by Erika Kolesnichenko with 'NOT A LULLABY', a song written and composed by Svitlana Tarabarova, musical producer of the national selection. The running order released by Junior Eurovision places Ukraine eleventh among the 16 competing countries. Fans following her performance should use the revised evening start time.
Suspilne's notice is a practical reminder to broadcasters and audiences not to rely on older listings. The official contest site also displays 21:00 CEST. Anyone scheduling a viewing party or planning an online vote should verify the local conversion and use the updated official information.
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Last verified: 16 October 2026.
