Eurovision 2023 is going to be the event of the decade for music lovers across the UK. General sale tickets for the big event sold out in less than half an hour when they went on sale earlier this week.
But there is still hope for revellers hoping to join in with celebrations as it's just been announced that 30,000 free tickets will be given away for an event outside the main show.
The National Lottery will be hosting ‘The Big Eurovision Welcome’ - a live show outside St George’s Hall in the heart of Liverpool on the evening of Sunday, May 7 at the start of Eurovision celebrations. Up to 15,000 pairs of tickets will be available for free, for anyone who is a National Lottery player on a first-come, first-served basis.
READ MORE : Eurovision handover and allocation draw - what it involves and how you can watch
Organisers have also revealed that a proportion of tickets will be reserved for Ukrainian residents in the UK, including refugees. The war-torn country did win last year's competition but because of ongoing troubles, the UK is hosting the event instead.
Tickets will be released in early April with more details to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Adam Chataway from The National Lottery, said: “This is a giant free Eurovision party for the people of Liverpool and beyond. It’s our way of thanking anyone who has ever bought a National Lottery ticket. Their funding has been uniting people through music and other cultural projects for years and we can’t wait to host The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome.”
Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson said, “The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome is the latest announcement in what is destined to be an extraordinary fortnight in May. No city throws a party or offers a welcome as warm as Liverpool, so this free event is going to be something very special. Not since the launch of European Capital of Culture in 2008 will St George’s Hall have seen such a big night out!”
Mae Muller has been confirmed as the UK’s act for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. She will be performing her I Wrote A Song track in Liverpool.
Appearing on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on March 9, the 25-year-old from north London announced herself as this year’s competitor, adding: “Oh my God, I have been waiting to say that for months. I am shaking. That has been on my lips and in the brain and in the soul and on the nails.”
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