Eurovision fans planning on dressing up in national costumes for song contest

A special flight to the event was laid on by easyJet on Monday from Gatwick Airport, with many passengers in fancy dress.

Eurovision fans prepare to board a special party flight from Gatwick (David Parry/PA) (PA Wire)

More than a third of Britons will be tuning into this week’s Eurovision Song Contest, with some dressing up in national costumes, new research suggests.

Airline easyJet said its study of 2,000 adults found that many people will hold house parties while they watch the competition.

The airline said it will fly 40,000 visitors from across Europe into Copenhagen Airport, which provides direct access to the host city of Malmo in Sweden, where the semi-final and final events will take place.

The UK led the ranking of nations whose fans bought tickets for one of the Eurovision live final events, accounting for a fifth of all ticket sales, said easyJet, the contest’s official airline partner.

Many of those surveyed said last year’s finals in Liverpool had inspired them to travel to the contest.

One in three respondents said they will tune in to the contest this week, including Saturday’s final.

A special flight was laid on by easyJet on Monday from Gatwick Airport, with many passengers in fancy dress and an onboard talent show.

Michael Brown, director of cabin services at easyJet, said the flight was a “memorable adventure”.