Bristol has been left off a list of possible British Eurovision host locations by a news website dedicated to the contest, despite the announcement that Mayor Marvin Rees wants the city to host it. At last weekend's Bristol Pride festival, a video from Mr Rees was played which announced that he wants Bristol to host the competition when it comes to the UK in 2023.
Winner of the 2022 contest Ukraine is no longer able to accommodate it next year due to the ongoing conflict in the country, and now the BBC has been asked to take on the duty of hosting. But Eurovisionworld.com has put together a list of the British cities which "have what it takes" to put on the show, and it does not include Bristol.
Their article, written by Pedro Santos, uses four criteria to decide which cities are eligible - a host venue able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, a press centre for 1,500 journalists, a city served by an international airport, and hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators.
Read more: Bristol bid to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023 announced during Pride
And according to the article, only 12 British cities meet these requirements - Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. But despite being left off the list, Bristol does meet some of the criteria outlined by the website.
It has its own airport - even if it is technically in North Somerset rather than Bristol. And it reportedly has enough hotel rooms, too. The website of the Bristol Hoteliers Association, an organisation of hotels with BS postcodes, says that the 40 hotels which make up its membership have 4,000 rooms between them.
The one snag would be the lack of an arena. The 17,000 capacity YTL Arena at the Brabazon Hangars in Filton is not due to open officially until 2024. However, the site has hosted live music already - legendary rock band Queen played a secret gig there in May of this year.
And a statement on the mayor's website says that the council is "working in partnership with YTL Arena Bristol on a bid to bring Eurovision to the Brabazon Hangers." It continues: "We have the perfect site, where we can custom-build the perfect Eurovision Song Contest, with sustainability, inclusion and legacy at its core."
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