Eurovision 2023: Cardiff pulls out from the host city bid race!

It was announced today that Cardiff will not proceed with its host city application for Eurovision 2023, due to the unavailability of the Principality Stadium (proposed venue) during the Eurovision period.

That is despite the fact that the Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government and the Principality Stadium had initially expressed a great interest in hosting the show in May 2023.

The above actors clarified, in their joint statement, that hosting Eurovision would have caused cancellations of a great number of significant scheduled events.

Here is the joint statement by the Principality Stadium, the Cardiff City Council, and Welsh Government’s officials:

“Since it was confirmed that the UK would host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government and Principality Stadium have been working at pace to establish the feasibility of a bid to host the event in Wales’ capital city.”

“Cardiff’s very strong track record in hosting major events, and the world-class Principality Stadium, would have made it a natural fit for such a significant production.”

“The BBC, as the event organisers, have released detailed specifications for each city wishing to bid to host the event. As partners, we have been working through these in detail. It is clear that on many of these Cardiff would have a very strong case to become the host city for Eurovision 2023.”

“However, the complexity of staging the event means that a significant number of scheduled events in the Principality Stadium during Spring 2023 would have to be cancelled as a result. These include the European Wheelchair Rugby Championships, ‘The Road to Principality’, a key event in the WRU Community rugby calendar, and a major international artist contracted to appear, among other events.”

This development, albeit not a cause of celebration for Welsh eurofans, might strengthen some other cities’ bid. Taking Wales out of the game, leaves plenty of room for Scotland’s cities to manoeuvre, with Glasgow of course leading the race in the betting odds so far.

Which is the most suitable host city for Eurovision 2023? Should the ESC take place in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland?