And while we are mere days away from the announcement of the Eurovision 2023 host city, the first details about the proposed scheduled events came to light. In particular, Liverpoolecho reveals exclusive details of how Liverpool intends to organise the Competition, should it be selected.
We are at the final homestretch of the selection process for the city that is going to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Despite announcing yesterday that only Glasgow and Liverpool remain at the course of claiming, it seems that for the bookmakers there is an absolute favourite!
According to the bookmakers, Glasgow has 64% chance to host the contest, while Liverpool concentrates the remaining 36%.
It should also be pointed out that the variability of the odds was recorded mostly the last days, before BBC’s announcement regarding the predominant cities.
Specifically, as shown at the panel above (screenshot that was taken yesterday), while Glasgow remained for long as the absolute favourite for the bookmakers, Liverpool managed to make an outstading leap in odds. However, this dynamic was not preserved after the BBC announcement, with Glasgow retaking it’s edge overnight.
Will the bookmakers be proven right or Liverpool is going to make a surprise? Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the details!
A BBC delegation is due to visit Glasgow this Friday, to carry out a thorough inspection/assessment of the city’s infrastructure. This assessment will be then taken into account for the final stage of the host city selection procedure.
The OVO Hydro has a capacity of up to 14,500 standing spectators and opened 2013. The OVO Hydro was also used in the filming of the Eurovision movie, Eurovision The Story of Fire Saga, where a fictional ESC took place in Edinburgh. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the fourth largest in the United Kingdom with a population of over 635,000 people.
The EBU and the BBC announced today that Glasgow and Liverpool are the final two cities in the running to host Eurovision 2023.
Eurovision 2023 will be the first Competition since 1979, where the previous year’s winner will not host the event, even though such thing happened six times in the past.
Which city do you prefer as the host city of Eurovision 2023?
We have already reported that the decision about the Host City Eurovision 2023 will be announced in the Fall. What we didn’t know is how lengthy and elaborative BBC’s process really is. A recent discussion, however, between Liverpool Echo and Cllr Harry Doyle (a Liverpool city official) has shed some light into the procedure and give us a full picture of the BBC’s roadmap.
According to Liverpool Echo, the seven shortlisted cities must now provide BBC with their complete bids until September the 8th.
After an initial examination of the submitted bids, BBC will pay a visit to all the aspirant host cities (during September), in order to inspect the arenas and cities’ infrastructure.
Following the local inspection, BBC will once again deliberate, together with EBU, having this time all the necessary information to make the best choice. As a Liverpool city official maintains the final decision concerning the Eurovision 2023 Host City will be made public in late September or early October.
Stay tuned for all the updates regarding Eurovision 2023 and the Host City bid race!
Following the BBC’s announcement of the shortlist of cities on 12th August, one aspirant organising city has become bookies’ absolute favourite to host ESC. Glasgow, albeit being ahead of competition from the very beginning, has now managed to crystallise its position, according to the betting odds, securing an overwhelming 52% chance of holding the event!
Interestingly, Glasgow has more than doubled its chances to host ESC since August the 11th, a day before the official announcement of the shortlisted cities. Birmingham and Manchester are the bookies’ second and third favourite, with 17% and 11% chance of hosting ESC respectively, having no considerable fluctuations in the betting odds over the last three weeks.
However, the Host City bid race is far from over. The seven shortlisted cities have now entered the first stage of the two stage bidding process. In the second stage, the cities will be narrowed down to two, and one will prevail and take over hosting duties from Turin, ESC 2022 Host City.
Have the bookies correctly predicted the Eurovision 2023 Host City? Which other city could possibly intercept Glasgow’s victorious course?
We have previously highlighted the great interest shown by cities across UK to host the ESC. And while we await BBC’s announcement of the shortlist, on August 12, we still have two cities that enter the Host City bid race, Liverpool and Belfast. Liverpool submitted an official bid to host ESC, and the city of Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland, seems to be planning to submit an official bid soon.
Liverpool City Council announced today that it has submitted its bid to host the ESC 2023, ahead of the BBC’s share of the shortlist this Friday. Liverpool was among the first cities to express interest in hosting the event, when it was first announced that the EBU and the BBC were discussing the scenario of hosting Eurovision in the UK.
The city is world famous as the birthplace of the Beatles, as well as for its international music events such as “Africa Oyé”, “Liverpool International Music Festival” and “Sound City”. The city has a population of around half a million, and it is known for its iconic music venues and cultural events. It is also well connected to the world with its international airport (Liverpool John Lennon Airport).
Assistant Mayor and Councilor for Culture and Economy, Harry Doyle, said (translated):
We are excited to have submitted a bid for Liverpool to host Eurovision 2023.
Making a major event like this possible in such a short timeframe is complicated and is going to need some careful and creative planning, but we think Liverpool would be the perfect stage to celebrate this unique Eurovision.
We look forward to finding out if we have been successful in getting through to the next stage of the process.
We have already reported the interest in organizing the Competition in the capital of N. Ireland, and the support of this initiative by previous Eurovision winners. Belfast City Council has confirmed that the city is indeed interested in hosting the event, with the final decision expected to be made tomorrow, August 10.
The announcement of the Municipal Council is as follows:
An initial expression of interest for Belfast to host the Eurovision event has been submitted and is now being considered by event organisers.
If shortlisted, the next step would be to submit a full event proposal, outlining how Belfast would meet the detailed requirements to become a host city.
This will be a decision for elected members and will be considered by the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee at its next meeting on Wednesday 10 August.
What’s your take on the Host City bid race? Could Liverpool or Belfast host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest?
We have already reported the flurry of excitement across UK, and among cities willing to host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest. And while we await the announcement of the shortlist on August 12, the developments on this front are still coming through, with Newcastle confirming the submission of an official bid, and Derry clarifying that it is no longer interested in hosting the event.
According to a recent article, Derry, the second most populous city in N. Ireland, appears to have changed its mind and will not proceed with an official bid to host the Competition in the city, despite its initial interest. A spokesperson for Derry City Council said:
Following the resolution at June’s Council meeting “that Council Officers investigate the feasibility of submitting a bid to host the 2023 Eurovision Final”, Council has advised its elected members that the hosting criteria has been reviewed.
The Council area is unable to fulfill a number of the essential minimum criteria in relation to the provision of a suitable venue and supporting accommodation infrastructure. On that basis, it was recommended that a Stage 1 bid is not submitted.
The formal bid was submitted by the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative (NGI) on behalf of Newcastle City Council. Confirming the Council’s plans, NGI Director, Ian Thomas, said:
This is a once in a generation opportunity to welcome a huge number of international visitors, performers and media to the North East of England and to showcase our world- class culture, rich heritage and vibrant region to the world.
Our bid is a region-wide effort with support from our local authorities, and public and private sector partners from across the North East as we recognise the enormity of this opportunity.
The potential impact of Newcastle hosting Eurovision 2023 is phenomenal. Eurovision will play a significant role in rejuvenating and sustaining our visitor economy, supporting our businesses and creating an even better place for our residents.
Addressing the city’s success at hosting other large scale events, he added:
We’ve seen other large events such as the European Professional Rugby Club finals attract 95,000 fans to the region which contributed £24m to our visitor economy in 2019, and World Transplant Games also in 2019 brought in attendees from over 50 countries which pushed hotel occupancy rates up by 13%, supporting the hospitality supply chain and helping to sustain jobs within the industry.
Eurovision will be on an even bigger scale, and we welcome this fantastic opportunity to bring this to the region.
Councillor Alex Hay of the Newcastle City Council, said:
“We are delighted to be bidding to host Eurovision 2023 on behalf of Ukraine and stand in solidarity with its people. We are collaborating with partners across the region to help make this a reality for Newcastle, to do Ukraine proud and to embody everything that Eurovision stands for.
We’re committed to making Newcastle a better place for our residents and visitors, and hosting Eurovision will be a crucial tool in achieving that.
It will not only showcase the city and its incredible people on a global stage, but it will have a tangible social and economic impact in bringing financial investment into the city, helping change perceptions of the North East, and build a lasting legacy for our city.
We are a certified City of Sanctuary, which strengthens our message that everyone is welcome here. Music is a big part of our heritage and it’s time for us to write a new verse in that history.
We are Newcastle, we are a safe city, famous for our Geordie welcome, we stand united with Ukraine – and we are the perfect host for Eurovision 2023.
Would Newcastle be a good host for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest? Stay tuned for any updates!
Amidst the increasing interest by cities within UK to host the ESC, Northern Ireland’s local press reports that seven past winners from across the island of Ireland, together with three Belfast City Councillors, are putting forward a strong case for Northern Ireland’s capital city, Belfast.
As we have previously reported, the Eurovision 2023 host city will be decided upon by the BBC and the EBU, with the final decision expected in early Fall ahead of the May 2023 contest.
A number of UK cities have already submitted bids, but to date Belfast City Council has not yet had a formal meeting about a potential proposal.
Belfast City Council’s idleness regarding a possible proposal propelled past Eurovision winners to join forces in order to trigger interest about the event’s multiple benefits for the local economy.
In the same context, three Belfast City Councillors are exerting their efforts in preparing for a bid as a matter of urgency.
One of the Councillors, Mr. Seamas de Faoite, commented that Belfast “is the best city to host the Ukrainian victors”, because people in Belfast “understand the promise and importance of peace more than any other host”.
According to the local press, Belfast ticks all of the EBU’s boxes and more:
Dana Brown
Rosemary Dana Brown won Eurovision back in 1970 when she was only 18 years old. She said about the prospect of Belfast hosting the Contest:
People in Northern Ireland have experienced the devastation of years of unrest and have successfully come through it. We understand and empathise with so much of the pain suffered by Ukraine’s people.
And like them, the people of Northern Ireland are steeped in music, culture, the arts, creativity and in particular, Eurovision success. An all-inclusive Northern Ireland bid for Eurovision 2023 should be held in the capital city Belfast, I believe it’s the very best place to represent the people of Ukraine.
Linda Martin is from Belfast, Niamh Cavanagh is now living near Belfast, myself and Johnny Logan’s father are from Derry Londonderry so that adds up to five Eurovision wins. Add Phil Coulter, the composer of UK’s first ever Eurovision win, Puppet on a String.
Belfast also has the full support of Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan who won Eurovision with “Rock and Roll Kids” so that takes us to seven winners.
Is it not fitting that Belfast could be the Eurovision host for Ukraine? We have the huge capacity SSE venue right next door to the globally recognised Titanic centre. We have very talented people at BBC NI and TV production companies as well as excellent logistics to facilitate.
Northern Ireland and Belfast can do justice to the people of Ukraine in hosting Eurovision 2023, not only because of our logistical abilities but because of our big-hearted and community-driven people.
Johnny Logan
Johnny Logan is the only performer to win the Eurovision Song Contest twice, first in 1980 with ‘What’s Another Year’, written by Shay Healy and then in 1987 with ‘Hold Me Now’ which he composed and performed himself. Johnny said:
Belfast should host Ukraine for Eurovision 2023 – and why not Belfast? Northern Ireland has produced so many great musicians and singers, my father Patrick O’Hagan among them, and hosting Eurovision 2023 would be a wonderful opportunity to highlight the positive side of the north of Ireland and its people.
So yes, I fully support the Belfast bid, it’s a great musical city with great people and I believe it can deliver.
Linda Martin
Linda performed at the Eurovision Song Contest contest twice and won in 1992 with “Why Me?”. She said:
Belfast is perfect for Eurovision 2023. It’s a beautiful city with an 11,000 seater arena, thousands of hotel rooms and two airports, one of them right beside the world renowned Titanic experience.
Niamh Kavanagh
Niamh won the competition in 1993 with the song “In your Eyes”. Niamh said:
Belfast would be an amazing choice to host the Eurovision on behalf of the Ukraine, it’s a thriving city with a great heart that understands surviving conflict.
Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan
They won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, with “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids”. Paul said:
I think it’s a brilliant idea. I lived and worked in Belfast for some years and it’s a sparkling place and the people are creative and talented. Music can unite and triumph. So yes, I fully support Belfast for Eurovision 2023.
Brendan Graham
Brendan is the writer of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids” in 1994, and Eimear Quinn’s winning song, “The Voice”, in 1996. Brendan said:
Belfast would be a super city to host Eurovision 2023, in partnership with Ukraine. The amenities are all there, not to mention the history and the surrounding beauty of Northern Ireland.
In some elemental and visceral way Belfast and its people might have a more natural empatico with the cities and people of Ukraine than perhaps other cities might have. Belfast is a city of hope and belief in the future…and would be a city of huge welcome and embrace for Ukraine.
What do you think? Is Belfast a suitable host city for Eurovision 2023?
We don’t often get to see a National Broadcaster publishing FAQ for the Host City bidding process. Actually, we think, that’s a first! BBC has probably been overwhelmed by messages from officials all over UK, and has responded to it with the most British way possible, namely by issuing a Frequently Asked Questions document that briefly summarises the process. You can view the FAQs below:
Frequently asked questions about the Host City application process for Eurovision 2023
How do you apply to be a Host City?
Any local authority interested in becoming a Host City can email esc.hostcity@bbc.co.uk
Does it cost to enter a bid?
There is no charge to enter a bid. It is up to Cities whether they incur costs to support their bid.
Who decides who will be the Host City?
The selection of the Host City for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be determined by the BBC and the EBU.
How does the process work?
It is a two-stage process and to be considered, any potential candidates must meet a set of minimum standards that demonstrate they have the capacity, capability and experience to host an event of this scale and complexity.
What are the key requirements?
The final decision on selecting the Host City will be based on a city or region’s capacity and capability in meeting the BBC’s and the EBU’s requirements, as well as availability of resources and general experience in hosting a large and complex event such as the Eurovision Song Contest.
For example, last year the EBU’s Host City criteria was based on providing a venue able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators (as well as a press centre), that should be within easy reach of an international airport and with ample hotel accommodation.
Will there be different rounds?
There will be two rounds. Once we have received applications, we will shortlist cities based on their ability to meet the requirements and their responses around capability and experience.
Will the government have a say on who hosts it?
We may consult with the UK government but the decision on who will be the Host City will be determined by the BBC and the EBU.
When will you announce the Host City?
We expect the process to be completed in Autumn and we will announce the successful Host City then.
Which shall be the Eurovision 2023 Host City? Stay tuned for updates!
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?
