The Eurovision song contest 2023 will not be held in Cardiff, it has been confirmed. In July it was announced that the UK would take over hosting duties for next year's show in place of Ukraine. Given the ongoing invasion of the country, it was decided it was too dangerous for the 2022 winners to host the event.
After the announcement was made, Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government and The Principality Stadium had initially expressed an interest in hosting the iconic show, but have now said that it is not feasible to host it in the capital. They said the number of events that would need to be cancelled or rescheduled to accommodate the world-renowned show meant it was not possible for a Cardiff bid to go forward.
It was confirmed in July that should Wales enter a bid to host the show only the Principality Stadium in Cardiff - which can hold 74,500 - would be able to accommodate the scale of the event. However, many people still had doubts about the city's ability to host such a show, you can read about that here.
Read more: People are calling for Eurovision to be hosted in Cardiff, and it could be the best night ever
Putting rumours - and for many people hope - to rest, a joint statement by Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government and the Principality Stadium issued on Wednesday said: "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.
"We have been in rapid discussion with the BBC to explore any potential options which might have been able to accommodate the event alongside the existing schedule. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find a workable solution, and therefore we have collectively agreed that it will not be possible for a Cardiff bid to go forward. We thank the BBC for their positive engagement with us, and we wish the winning city all the best in staging the 2023 competition."
The UK was selected as the host city for this year's competition after coming runner-up in the 2022 show. Sam Ryder, stormed to the top of the Eurovision leaderboard at one point during the 2022 competition with his song, Space Man, which was co-written by Welsh-based singer, Amy Wadge who is based near Pontypridd when she's not flying around the globe working with the likes of Diana Ross, Alicia Keys and more.
READ NEXT:
