Liverpool will see 12 huge lit-up nightingales and a Ukrainian Eurovision Song Contest winner perform as part of a series of events which will take place around the same time as the international competition. The Soloveiko Songbirds – which will have accompanied audio to represent different regions of Ukraine and are designed with unique plumage – are one of the 24 commissions announced by EuroFestival on Tuesday. The nightingale is a national bird of Ukraine.
Last year, Ukraine won Eurovision with Kalush Orchestra but due to the ongoing Russian invasion is unable to host the song contest so the UK has stepped after Sam Ryder came second. EuroFestival in May – a two week series of events which includes collaborations between artists in the UK and Ukraine – will be “unique in every sense” according to the director of Culture Liverpool, Claire McColgan.
She added: “No other Eurovision host city has ever curated a creative programme of such scale and scope, paying homage to the culture and heritage of both Liverpool and Ukraine in the most unforgettable way. This is the spirit of Eurovision spilling onto our streets. Free for all. Accessible to all. Uniting us all.”
