Liverpool Council's Culture Liverpool team promised every possible decision has been made to ensure the Eurovision Song Contest is the best it can be.
As the season draws closer fans have raised questions regarding some of the biggest projects appearing in the city. One of the most pressing concerns was whether or not the EuroVillage, the officially dedicated fan zone, will be ticketed on its final night, May 13.
The EuroVillage sees thousands flock to its ground but has always remained free to enter. The Culture Liverpool team confirmed to The ECHO that the EuroVillage will be free to attend but the fate of the grand final is the only night in question.
READ MORE: Massive Eurovision Song Contest party coming to St George's Hall
They stressed a decision has not yet been made because the outcome lies with potential performers and whether or not they can attend. Claire McColgan of the Culture Liverpool team promised if the grand final is indeed ticketed, it will still be affordable for those who wish to attend.
She told the ECHO: "It won't just be a screen or a TV, there's going to be a whole programme around the village. [Ticketing the grand final] depends on the acts because we're still confirming what might happen, which is really exciting.
"But if some of them are confirmed we may put a charge to it to keep track of the numbers but the charge will never be huge. There's so much going on in the aether at the moment and it's fabulous."
In terms of accessibility, fans praised Turin's EuroVillage location for the ability to sit comfortably on the grass with a blanket to take the weight off their feet. This year's EuroVillage is located on concrete ground which has led to questions about whether or not there will be seating erected to help with the party.
Answering the concerns, Ms McColgan said: "There are positivities and negatives to this. We could have set the EuroVillage much further out in one of our parks but then you would have disadvantaged people who can't travel.
"We wanted it to feel like the whole city was an event site and the Pier Head is our calling card to the world. So that's why we chose it - for its accessibility to the arena and the rest of the city.
"We've got to balance the numbers with seating especially when it gets really busy in the evenings so we will make a further call on that but there would have been major disadvantages to placing it in a park with little transport available. It's just pros and cons really."
The team teased their plans for the EuroVillage, revealing every night will have "a theme." Ms McColgan added: "We're supersizing everything. A lot of it will happen and some of it may not but regardless if you love the show or not, the EuroVillage is not to be missed. It's probably one of the biggest festivals we've ever had in the city."
The Culture Liverpool team also clarified concerns about venue capacity after some fans claimed Pier Head won't be able to house 25,000 people.
Claire said: "We're excellent with our security and safety and numbers. It will be quite unlikely that at any one time, there'll be 25,000 because we have a lot of exciting 'stuff' coming and going over the days which will negate the space but we have taken every measure to ensure the numbers and safety."
Liverpool can expect a region-wide facelift with many of the iconic buildings and streets feeling a touch of art from Ukraine. Explaining the city's makeover, Ms McColgan said: "We will be wrapping buildings and there'll be lots of flags and banners.
"There'll be lots of installations in the streets and lots of wayfinding so that people who've never been here before can find their way from basically flying straight down to the village through to the EuroClub and all of our Eurovision events. You will definitely know Eurovision is in the city."
She also pleaded with local businesses and accommodation providers to not "price people out" just because the demand is there. She said: "[Businesses] are doing their own thing to maximise on the number of people that will be here but what I will say is to not price people out.
"That would be my message both to accommodation providers and restaurants and bars. Visitors coming for Eurovision... loads of people will be here for the first time and they deserve an amazing experience."
The Culture Liverpool team shared their disappointment in hotels across the region hiking up their prices. They said: "There are some brilliant hoteliers in this city who have been really honest and supportive of the city's endeavour because we brought Eurovision to support that sector. There are some people who are unscrupulous and my advice is to not go anywhere near them."
One of the biggest Eurovision street parties ever is coming to St Georges Hall on May 7 for 30,000 fans to attend for free. Bringing together high-profile performances, collaborations and stunning production and staging, this high-energy show will welcome the largest crowd for any single event to be staged in Liverpool for Eurovision 2023.
Up to 15,000 pairs of tickets will be available for free (subject to a small booking fee), for anyone who is a National Lottery player able to claim a pair on a first-come, first-served basis as a thank-you for the £330M they have contributed to across 3,600 music and cultural projects in Liverpool.
A proportion of tickets will be reserved for Ukrainian residents in the UK, including refugees supported by National Lottery-funded organisations, as well as community groups from Liverpool.
Tickets will be released in early April with more details to be confirmed in the coming weeks. The Culture Team also teased an exclusive lineup of acts and performers for their commissioning projects but kept the details of where or when we can see them firmly under wraps
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