The next edition of Eurovision Song Contest in the United Kingdom it already has a venue and confirmed dates. Finally, after weeks of waiting, the British BBC and the European Broadcasting Union have chosen Liverpool as the host city of the musical contest, to be held the next days 9, 11 and 13 of May of the year 2023, discarding Glasgow, the great favorite throughout the election process.
The Liverpool Arena, with a capacity close to 11,000 people, will be the venue in which the birthplace of The Beatles and twinned with Odessa (Ukraine) will host the European festival, which will feature the Ukrainian flag at the heart of its main logo.
? It’s OFFICIAL! Liverpool is the Host City of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 and will host #Eurovision on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/VUGYRV0FGQ pic.twitter.com/twC8ev7ICX— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) October 7, 2022
The confirmation of Liverpool as the host city of the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest comes after several weeks of waiting. The British town has given the surprise in the process of choosing the BBCwhich began at the end of July with an open call initiated after the EBU confirmed an agreement with the United Kingdom, considering that Ukraine did not comply with “operational and security guarantees required” due to the war that began with the Russian invasion.
In total, more than 20 British cities have participated in this shortlist for hosting the European event, including Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield, who fell out of the competition in the last phase of the selection process initiated by the BBC and the EBU.
In this way, Liverpool debuts as the host city of the Eurovision Song Contest after the EBU agreed with the BBC to organize the festival after the Ukrainian victory of the Kalush Orchestra in the edition held in Turin (Italy) during the month of May. Eight The last editions of the musical contest hosted by the United Kingdom were held in London (1960, 1963, 1968 and 1977), Edinburgh (1972), Brightons (1974), Harrogate (1982) and Birmingham (1998).
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Despite being held in the United Kingdom, the semi-finals and the grand final will incorporate Ukrainian elements for the victory of Kalush Orchestra with the theme ‘Stefania’ last May in Turin. In addition to this, Ukraine will automatically qualify for the grand final of the next edition together with the so-called ‘Big 5’, the group of countries that contribute the most economically made up of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, so there will be 26 countries again at the aforementioned gala on Saturday.
In addition, the EBU also revealed that representatives of UA:PBC, a Ukrainian public broadcaster, will work with the BBC to develop and implement the Ukrainian elements of next year’s programs and that the logo of the 2023 event will reflect the unique staging of the next year’s festival and the cooperation between the host country and this year’s winners.