The shortlist of cities in the running to host Eurovision 2023 will be revealed by the BBC this week. The contenders will be announced on Friday, August 12 on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
The BBC has said that the UK city will be selected in a "two-stage process", against requirements that assess the city's "capacity and capability", reports BirminghamLive. Bristol is one of the cities that is bidding to host the contest, which has been relocated from 2022 winner Ukraine due to the ongoing war there.
During last month's Pride Day celebrations on The Downs, a video from Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees was played to festivalgoers before headliner Carly Rae Jepsen took to the stage, announcing Bristol's bid to act as a 'caretaker' for next year's competition at the city's brand new arena.
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Bristol has been ranked as low as 16th most likely to host, behind cities like Brighton who have already ruled themselves out. Last week, Cardiff withdrew from the race which meant Bristol could be one step closer to hosting Eurovision 2023 – although the city still ranks low in the bookmakers’ estimations.
Detailing the requirements the host city must meet in order to be considered, the BBC said: "The final decision on selecting the host city will be based on a city or region's capacity and capability in meeting the BBC's and the EBU's requirements, as well as availability of resources and general experience in hosting a large and complex event such as the Eurovision Song Contest.
"For example, last year the EBU's host city criteria was based on providing a venue able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators (as well as a press centre), that should be within easy reach of an international airport and with ample hotel accommodation." The Beeb may "consult" the UK Government on the decision, but the host city will ultimately be decided upon by the BBC and the EBU.
It will be the ninth time Eurovision has taken place in the UK - more than any other country. The host city is expected to be announced by the autumn.
Birmingham, London and Manchester are in the running, as is Sheffield and Newcastle. Glasgow and Aberdeen are also set to launch a bid to host the Contest.
What do you think? Would you love to see Eurovision here on our doorstep for what we're sure would be a moment in history for us all? Let us know in the comments below.
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