Tuesday, May 15, 2018 6:27 AM

As I get closer to the stage (once I figure out where the stage is), the crowd grows more and more dense until I can't move forward any further. Thousands of people are dancing in the square, celebrating the return of our Eurovision winner. DJs spin a variety of songs including, every few minutes, snippets of the winning hit. Giant screens show the Eurovision performance and a Pride promo. Since all of the music has the same meter and tempo, it blends together seamlessly. I have to leave before the star is scheduled to appear, so I move steadily backward through the crowd. There are fewer people as I work my way through, but I'm continually jabbed by the elbows of people doing the song's signature chicken dance. I don't see a security cordon at the back at first, but it's there, about a block further away than I expected. The music gradually fades into a deep droning beat until it is is eaten by street noise and echoes and disappears.