The United Kingdom will host the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with Liverpool being backed to be host city.
Next year’s contest would have taken place in Ukraine after its 2022 entry took home the crown. But due to safety and security concerns following Russia’s invasion, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) has sought to move the event elsewhere.
It was confirmed earlier today that the UK and BBC would now host the event on behalf of Ukraine in 2023. In a statement confirming the offer to host, BBC Director-General Tim Davie said the broadcaster “will now begin the process to find a host city to partner with us on delivering one of the most exciting events to come to the UK in 2023."
READ MORE: Liverpool will make 'serious case' to bring Eurovision Song Contest to city
In June, Liverpool City Council quickly declared its interest to host the event after the EBU took the difficult decision to not host the event in Ukraine. The City Council has confirmed it will bid for the event with Mayor Joanne Anderson publicly backing Liverpool’s ambition to host the occasion. The possibility was also discussed at a recent Culture and Visitor Economy cabinet meeting where it was said the event would cost Liverpool around £2m.
While no formal bids have been lodged, Liverpool has received significant support in a poll asking fans which UK city should take on host duties. Conducted by Eurovision World, a fan-led website, Liverpool is currently leading the way in terms of backing.
At the time of writing, Liverpool has received 32% of the votes, with Leeds coming in second on 24%. Glasgow on 11%, London on 10% and Manchester on 7% make up the top five. Just under 27,500 votes have been submitted so far.
While the poll isn’t binding or will directly contribute to the bidding process, it shows firm support for Liverpool hosting on behalf of Ukraine next year. Writing on Twitter on Saturday and encouraging people to back Liverpool, Mayor Joanne Anderson said: “Music is the lifeblood of Liverpool. The people, communities and businesses of this city would embrace the fantastic chaos of this global music event.”
In order to host the event, cities wishing to bid must have a venue able to accommodate 10,000 spectators, a press centre for 1,500 journalists and be served by an international airport. Cities wishing to host must also have hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators.
Liverpool M&S bank arena has a capacity of 11,000 and therefore could be one of the host locations in Liverpool’s Eurovision bid.
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