Manchester’s Eurovision fans who failed to secure tickets for the annual singing contest will be able to line up the next best thing. The show is set to be broadcast live from Vue cinemas as it goes out to the world on May 13.
Vue Manchester Printworks and Vue Manchester Quayside, at The Lowry in Salford, will be showing the event, with tickets set to go on sale on March 27. Though Manchester was in the running to host Eurovision this year, the honour instead went to Liverpool.
The winning nation usually hosts the following year’s contest, but that honour went to Ukraine last year, with Kalush Orchestra’s song ‘Stefania’ being voted best. Due to the continuing conflict in Ukraine, it was decided last summer by the European Broadcasting Union that the venue be moved.
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Robert Lea, head of screen content at Vue Entertainment, said: “Eurovision is one of the biggest television events of the year, and is set to be bigger than ever in the UK this year as Liverpool plays host, so we are thrilled to be bringing it to the big screen for the first time.
“Every song, every vote and every larger than life moment will be live streamed in amazing picture and sound quality for fans to enjoy with each other in the comfort of our premium seating.”
Nearly 170 million people watched the contest live last year. This year, the UK will be fielding singer Mae Muller, who will be singing the track I Wrote A Song.
On finding out earlier this month that she’d be representing the UK, she told the BBC: “To compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant. I'm a huge fan of so many of the artists that have found success at Eurovision, from ABBA to Måneskin.
“Sam Ryder was so amazing last year and proved the UK can be back on the left-hand side of the leaderboard. This is obviously such a level up from anything I've ever done, and I can really feel it. You've got to go big and you've got to do it right.”
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