Kiwi wine company Invivo to guest star at Eurovision

Invivo co-founders Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron with Graham Norton.

Kiwi wine company Invivo has achieved what no New Zealand band ever has - a starring role at Eurovision.

The company, which has earned a reputation for its cheeky marketing ploys, is the official wine sponsor of Eurovision and will supply wine to both guests and performers at the event.

It's the closest New Zealand has ever come to being part of the iconic event, which is notorious for its outrageous outfits, flamboyant performers and questionable melodies.

Founded in 1956, the competition invites members of the European Broadcasting Union to perform one original song live on television. Members then vote for the best song and the Eurovision champion is crowned.

But while organisers broke with tradition and invited Australia to be part of the competition in 2015 as part of the event's 60th anniversary celebrations, New Zealand has never been represented at the event.

In recent years, the competition has seen a resurgence of popularity, particularly amongst the gay community, where extravagant Eurovision parties have become a calendar highlight.

British chat show host Graham Norton, who has his own wine range with Invivo, will host this year's event, which screens next weekend.

Forty-two countries will participate in this year's event, with crowds of more than 11,000 expected to fill Kiev's International Exhibition Centre.