Acts from more than two dozen countries will take the stage in Basel, Switzerland, to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

BASEL, Switzerland — There has already been triumph and tears, singing onstage and in the streets, and a touch of political division, as the 69th Eurovision Song Contest approaches its grand final in the Swiss city of Basel .

In a blaze of laser lights, artists from 26 countries were preparing to rip the roof off at Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest final, the world's biggest live music television event. The 26 songs in contention are a showcase of Europe's different musical scenes.