The European Broadcasting Union EBU announced in July that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Britain. The reigning winning country, Ukraine, would have liked to host the competition in accordance with tradition, but due to the war, it is not possible.
Now, however, Britain is faced with an embarrassing problem: Britain cannot find a suitable arena for the big event.
Britain’s Sam Ryder finished second in the spring Eurovision. AOP
Arenas per se could be found in the country, but the booking calendars do not match.
BBC News reported that the Eurovision Song Contest would require the use of the arena already 6–8 weeks before the contest week. It seems that the arena chosen for the purpose has to cancel already arranged events to make room for the five.
The final host city and arena will be chosen in the fall. Ticket sales for the scheduled concerts will continue until then.
One of these hosts
BBC announced today that seven of the willing cities have made it to further consideration for hosting: Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield. Of the cities, Glasgow is located in Scotland and the others in England.
Twenty British cities initially expressed their willingness. The EBU eliminated London, Aberdeen and Belfast among others.
The final host city is selected according to exact criteria. In addition to a suitable arena, the city must be able to financially commit to the event and offer cultural activities outside the arena. This should also include Ukrainian music and culture. The city must also be able to accommodate around 2,000 delegation members and 10,000 spectators.
In the betting, Birmingham and Glasgow are leading the race, according to the polls on the Wis website, the fans’ favorites would be Glasgow and Manchester.
The reigning winner is Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra. AOP