Junior Eurovision 2026 takes place on Saturday 24 October 2026, and the live show starts at 21:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time) at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali, Malta. That is 20:00 in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal, 15:00 in New York and 06:00 on Sunday 25 October in Sydney. Below you will find the start time in dozens of cities, the estimated schedule of the evening, the voting times and where to watch the contest.
What time does Junior Eurovision 2026 start in your country?
The 24th edition of Junior Eurovision will be broadcast live on Saturday 24 October at 21:00 CEST, the same time as the adult Eurovision Song Contest. Here is the start time in different parts of the world:
| Country or city | Time zone | Start time |
|---|---|---|
| Malta, Spain (mainland), France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino | CEST (UTC+2) | Sat 24 Oct, 21:00 |
| United Kingdom | BST (UTC+1) | Sat 24 Oct, 20:00 |
| Ireland | IST (UTC+1) | Sat 24 Oct, 20:00 |
| Portugal, Canary Islands (Spain) | WEST (UTC+1) | Sat 24 Oct, 20:00 |
| Cyprus, Ukraine | EEST (UTC+3) | Sat 24 Oct, 22:00 |
| Georgia, Armenia | UTC+4 | Sat 24 Oct, 23:00 |
| New York, Toronto | EDT (UTC-4) | Sat 24 Oct, 15:00 |
| Chicago | CDT (UTC-5) | Sat 24 Oct, 14:00 |
| Denver | MDT (UTC-6) | Sat 24 Oct, 13:00 |
| Los Angeles | PDT (UTC-7) | Sat 24 Oct, 12:00 |
| Mexico City | CST (UTC-6) | Sat 24 Oct, 13:00 |
| Bogotá | UTC-5 | Sat 24 Oct, 14:00 |
| São Paulo, Buenos Aires | UTC-3 | Sat 24 Oct, 16:00 |
| Johannesburg | SAST (UTC+2) | Sat 24 Oct, 21:00 |
| Dubai | UTC+4 | Sat 24 Oct, 23:00 |
| New Delhi | IST (UTC+5:30) | Sun 25 Oct, 00:30 |
| Perth | AWST (UTC+8) | Sun 25 Oct, 03:00 |
| Tokyo | JST (UTC+9) | Sun 25 Oct, 04:00 |
| Brisbane | AEST (UTC+10) | Sun 25 Oct, 05:00 |
| Adelaide | ACDT (UTC+10:30) | Sun 25 Oct, 05:30 |
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra | AEDT (UTC+11) | Sun 25 Oct, 06:00 |
| Auckland | NZDT (UTC+13) | Sun 25 Oct, 08:00 |
Please note: in Europe, clocks go back one hour on the night of Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October, so the show is still held on summer time. The United States and Canada change their clocks later, on 1 November, and Australia and New Zealand are already on summer time.
Why does Junior Eurovision 2026 start at 21:00 CEST?
The start time is one of the biggest novelties of this edition. The contest has traditionally taken place in the afternoon or early evening: Madrid 2024 started at 18:00 CET and Tbilisi 2025 at 17:00 CET, while earlier editions in Paris, Yerevan and Nice began at 16:00 CET. In 2026 the EBU has moved the show to prime time, the same slot as the Eurovision Song Contest, which brings it closer to the time at which the contest started in its first editions (around 20:00).
The EBU’s busy calendar also forced it to bring the contest forward. The inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia (Saturday 14 November in Bangkok, Thailand) led the organisers to move Junior Eurovision to 24 October, the first time it has ever been held in October.
The late start has one drawback: the show will end very late in the east of the continent. In Georgia and Armenia, where it starts at 23:00, it will finish after midnight.
Estimated schedule for the evening
Junior Eurovision does not publish exact times for each part of the show, so the following times are estimates based on previous editions. The contest usually lasts between 2 hours and 2 hours 30 minutes. The 2025 show, with 18 songs, was scheduled to last about two hours and twenty minutes, and with 16 songs in 2026 it could be slightly shorter. Our estimate assumes that the songs end around one hour and twenty minutes after the start.
| Moment | CEST | BST (UK) | EDT (New York) | AEDT (Sydney) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live show starts: the 16 songs | 21:00 | 20:00 | 15:00 | 06:00 (Sun) |
| All songs performed; second online voting window opens (about 15 minutes) | about 22:20 | about 21:20 | about 16:20 | about 07:20 (Sun) |
| Jury points and online points are announced | about 22:50 | about 21:50 | about 16:50 | about 07:50 (Sun) |
| Winner of Junior Eurovision 2026 | about 23:15 | about 22:15 | about 17:15 | about 08:15 (Sun) |
Because it is a live show, delays of a few minutes are possible, so it is best to tune in a few minutes early.
What time is the voting for Junior Eurovision 2026?
Online voting at JESC.TV has two windows, and the official times are:
- Window 1: from 23:59 CEST on Friday 23 October until 20:59 CEST on Saturday 24 October, just before the live show starts in Malta. That is 22:59 to 19:59 in the United Kingdom and 17:59 on Friday to 14:59 on Saturday in New York.
- Window 2: it reopens after the final song has been performed in the live show, and you will have approximately 15 minutes to vote before it closes.
All votes are converted into points, which are revealed during the show. We explain how the winner is chosen in our guide to the voting system of Junior Eurovision 2026.
Where to watch Junior Eurovision 2026
The contest is broadcast by the public broadcasters of the 16 participating countries: Albania (RTSH), Armenia (AMPTV), Cyprus (CyBC), France (France Télévisions), Georgia (GPB), Ireland (TG4), Italy (RAI), Malta (PBS), Montenegro (RTCG), the Netherlands (AVROTROS), North Macedonia (MRT), Poland (TVP), Portugal (RTP), San Marino (San Marino RTV), Spain (RTVE) and Ukraine (Suspilne). Some non-participating broadcasters also air the contest. Check your local listings for the channel and the exact time.
For viewers outside the participating countries, the official Junior Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel offers a live international stream of the show, without commentary.
Who is performing and in what order?
Sixteen young artists will take the stage in Ta’ Qali. Maria of the Netherlands opens the show with “Stronger Together”, and Lucas Paulano closes it for Spain with “Cuore Bello (Te Quiero, Te Quiero)”. The hosts, Gaia Cauchi, Destiny and Keane Cutajar, will present the evening. See you on 24 October at 21:00 CEST.