The #esc chat is an international chatroom for Eurovision Song Contest fans around Europe and the whole world. If you want to get to know people from many different countries, this is the place for you.

The chat tends to be most active in the evening (European time) and during the national final and Eurovision season, as well as when we’re hosting one of our many chat events.

We love to chat about every aspect of ESC, but you’ll often find us talking about all kinds of other things too. There’s only one rule: Just be friendly, don’t be an idiot!

Like in ESC, we operate a free language policy – so if you find people who speak the same language(s) as you, feel free to communicate in that language. However, please try not to do long monologues in a language no one understands!

Don’t forget to read the topic whenever you enter the chat, whether you’re using our webchat or dedicated chat software. The topic is the technical term for the line at the top of every chat session, and it contains important information such as event announcements, links to relevant escgo! articles and dates for your diary.

If your question isn’t answered on this page, ask someone in the chat or get in touch via our Contact form.

How do I access the options menu?

1. Click this icon in the top left corner of the chat window:
2. Click “Options”.

What kind of nickname should I pick?
That’s up to you! Some of us make up a nickname using our real first name followed by the first letter of our surname. For example, Lys Assia might decide to use the nickname “LysA”. Try to avoid very common nicknames, as they may already be taken by another user and the server will change your nickname automatically.

Changing your nickname
Type the example line below, replacing “NewNickname” with the new nickname you want to use, then press enter:

Expressing an action in the third person
Type the example line below, replacing “listens to the winning song of 2030″ with whatever it is you are really doing:

Joining a subroom (useful on nights with multiple national finals)
Type the line below, replacing “#demoroom” with the desired room name:

Are there software-based alternatives to the webchat?
Yes, although we very much recommend using the webchat for the easiest possible access. There are many software-based options for both computers and smartphones. We recommend the following in particular:

mIRC for Windows
Textual for Mac

These might not get updated anymore:
Colloquy for Mac 
Mobile Colloquy for iPhone and iPad
AndChat for Android phones

You can find help and information on how to setup the software on the respective websites. Whatever software you use, you will need the following information to find us:

Server: irc.euirc.net
Chatroom: #esc