Thousands of people enjoyed the sunshine at Liverpool waterfront as the first Eurovision Song Contest 2023 semi-final took place.
People in bright and sparkly clothing took over Liverpool's waterfront once again, ahead of the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday, May 9. Crowds gathered outside the M&S Bank Arena ahead of the show which featured Finland, Norway and Israel as well as interval acts Rita Ora and Rebecca Ferguson.
People dressed for the occasion with many wearing their country's colours, dressing as their favourite acts and wearing anything sparkly. One of the most eye-catching outfits were those of Jan and Patrick from Amsterdam, who arrived in Liverpool on Tuesday, May 9, for the contest.
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They went to the EuroVillage at Pier Head dressed in an inflatable orange wigs and blue t-shirts with "keep calm and stay in tune" written on them.
When asked about where the idea for the outfits came from Patrick said: "We had this [the outfits] ready for years and years."
Jan explained: "It started off with the T-shirt, and we sort of bought the wigs and then we had to add the flag and the clogs. My mother sewed the typical Dutch clothing, traditional clothing."
The pair managed to grab tickets for two of the jury shows on Wednesday and Friday and said they were hoping to see Finland win the competition.
Ian Naughton, who was born in Childwall but lives in Ireland, said he knew he had to come back to his home city once Eurovision was announced "It’s been on my bucket list for years and there’s no better place than Liverpool". The 56 year old has got tickets for Thursday's semi-final show.
Elsewhere in the city today the EuroVillage hosted a number of musical acts between 12.30pm and 8pm. Some of the performances included Belgium's Eurovision act Gustaph, Hope University Musical Theatre Choir and Sonia.
Two trains carrying hundreds of Eurovision fans also arrived at Liverpool Lime Street today. Superfans who travelled from London Euston Train Station were welcomed by drummers, drag queens, and dance troupes.
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