In 1984, exactly thirty years ago, the first OGAE club was founded in Savonlinna, Finland.
OGAE (Organisation Générale des Amateurs de l’Eurovision) is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profitable organisation, which brings together national Eurovision fan clubs. Since its foundation, it has become the largest Eurovision fan organisation, with branches in 42 countries and almost 10,000 members around the globe.
Every country that has ever taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest is eligible to establish its own national OGAE club. Countries which cannot meet these criteria or which have not established their own OGAE club fall under OGAE Rest of World. All 42 national OGAE clubs and OGAE Rest of World are part of OGAE International.
“OGAE clubs have shown significant development in the past few years. Their work has become more professional,
particularly with the introduction of the international OGAE membership card, and with wider recognition of OGAE, the number of members has grown significantly. 30 years is a long time for any organisation and we are happy that today we are making history!” said Maiken Mäemets, President of OGAE International.
Tonight, OGAE Finland is hosting a sold-out gala event in Helsinki, which will bring together hundreds of Eurovision fans from across Finland, Europe and beyond. The gala will be intertwined with lots of Eurovision music and performances from past Eurovision artists.
“Eurovision and its fanbase are doing well in Finland. Annually we organise dozens of events all over Finland. We also distribute tickets to the Eurovision Song Contest, and national finals in countries nearby. In 2014 we had 6 preview events in Finland, but we also organise Eurovision parties, cruises and club contests. We’ve got a team working on the OGAE news magazine and the annual Eurovision Cruise has become one of the biggest fan events in the World.
This year we’ve grown with 100 new members and what’s notable is that entire families join OGAE Finland. This shows that the Eurovision Song Contest is still strongly a family event. Most of our members live in the Greater Helsinki area, and we have an equal amount of men and women as members. Eurovision fandom is doing well and it is an honour to be President of such an active OGAE club. Eurovision – music for everybody!” said Jouni Pihkakorpi, President of OGAE Finland.
The whole team from ESC Bubble and all our readers wish OGAE International a very happy 30th birthday!
