As regular readers will be aware, our household’s biggest festival of the year is Eurovision, so as a half-term treat I headed to the National Science and Media Museum with Calum and Skye to explore the new temporary exhibition, Setting the Stage: 70 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest. And honestly? Before we’d even stepped through the doors, we were already buzzing. The signs outside alone were enough to spark excitement, and the children knew immediately that we were about to have a heck of a lot of fun.

Following a wonderfully warm welcome at the door, we embarked on a journey right back to the very beginning of Eurovision itself. Calum and Skye loved seeing footage of the contest’s very first winner, Lys Assia, before immediately throwing themselves into a surprisingly challenging Eurovision-themed jigsaw puzzle which, despite plenty of confidence, proved no easy feat. 'United by music' may be the modern Eurovision slogan, but in that moment we were perhaps more united by confusion and missing corner pieces.

From there we wandered through decades of Eurovision history, taking in iconic clips and memorable moments from throughout the years. One huge highlight for Calum was spotting Käärijä’s unforgettable neon green Eurovision outfit up close — cha cha cha indeed. Meanwhile, both children absolutely adored the interactive Nil Points Jukebox, where visitors could rate infamous Eurovision songs and performances. I’m pleased to report that James Newman’s Embers received an impressive douze points from both of my youngsters, proving there are at least two people still proudly flying the flag for that performance. Others did not fare quite so strongly. Let’s just say Jemini may still be Cry Baby(s).

What really makes Setting the Stage shine is the way it goes beyond the glitter cannons and key changes to explore the technology and production wizardry behind Eurovision itself. The exhibition cleverly balances nostalgia with genuinely fascinating insight into how the contest has evolved over seventy years. From early television broadcast equipment like the Marconi Mk III camera head through to modern staging, lighting and projection technology, there’s loads to engage both lifelong Eurovision devotees and curious younger visitors alike.

Calum, in particular, became utterly invested in the technical side of things after absolutely acing one of the production games and confidently announcing that he was now destined for a future career backstage at Eurovision. Honestly, with enough determination and sequins, who am I to argue? Meanwhile, Skye and Calum both took great delight in encouraging me towards the karaoke performance area where, against all better judgement, I delivered a rendition of Rim Tim Tagi Dim. Thankfully no footage exists of this particular moment. Some things are best left off the Eurovision archives.

While I was attempting to enjoy Conchita Wurst’s excellent talking-head feature without interruption, the magnetic pull of the badge-making and keyring activities proved too much for my two. The hands-on elements throughout the exhibition are brilliantly pitched for families, giving children plenty to interact with while still keeping adults fully entertained. It never feels like a museum where children are simply tolerated — they’re actively encouraged to get involved, experiment and play.

And of course, one of the joys of visiting the National Science and Media Museum is that the fun doesn’t stop with the temporary exhibition itself. After immersing ourselves in Eurovision glitz and glamour, the children happily drifted into the museum’s permanent galleries, extending our visit into a full four-hour adventure that absolutely flew by.

By the time we finally left — exhausted but very happy — a Eurovision selfie on the way out felt entirely essential. Setting the Stage perfectly captures why Eurovision continues to endure after seventy years: the spectacle, the creativity, the music, the emotion and, perhaps most importantly, the sheer joy of it all. Or, to borrow another Eurovision lyric, “love, love, peace, peace” — and quite a lot of sequins too.