It was only fitting that the final last first rehearsal of the 2021 Junior Eurovision Song Contest would be done by the host nation. Like an Olympic flagbearer, and hailing from the 2024 Olympic host country, Enzo has brought the curtain down on today’s rehearsals with Tic Tac.

What a way to end these two days! France have always been a bit outlandish and colourful with staging at JESC, and this one is seeped in gold. A huge gold staircase that might as well have come straight out of a music-hall in Pigalle, five dancers all dressed in gold, and Enzo, the star, giving it a golden performance. It’s fast (“faster than adult music”), but Enzo does a fantastic job of keeping up.

There are also some LED projection tricks that give the impression of there being many more dancers on stage, and the staircase being about three times the size, just what you need for this number fit for a cabaret.

At once, it feels like an homage to the Belle Époque in Paris, but also, given Enzo’s energetic, youthful charm, very modern and up-to-date. Those home-crowd screams of delight we love each year at Eurovision will be well-warranted with this one!

And that’s Wednesday! Thanks for reading, and join us again tomorrow, when we arrive at the press centre!