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Eurovision UK host city faces major problem if chosen for 2023 song contest-Stella Akinwumi-Entertainment – Metro
The city bidding continues.
The UK will be hosting Eurovision next year (Picture:Getty)
Council officials have reported that there are currently no arenas with a gap in its listing to host Eurovision next year, proving a problem for any potential host city.
Last month the BBC confirmed the UK would be taking charge of next year’s contest after it was previously announced winners Ukraine had been ruled out amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
The news sent Eurovision fans into a frenzy, as the guesses began over which UK city may end up putting on the show.
According to the broadcaster, Eurovision organisers informed them that a venue would be needed ‘six to eight weeks ahead of the song contest.’
Upcoming shows including Magic Mike Live! and Elton John all have shows booked in places bidding to hold the contest during that period, including Liverpool, Leeds and Glasgow.
This year’s head of show in Turin, Claudio Santucci told BBC: ‘It’s a long period of rehearsals to make it work.
Ukraine won this year with Kalush Orchestra (Picture: Getty)
The UK’s 2022 entry Sam Ryder finished in second place (Picture: WireImage)
‘It’s an event that would normally take two years to organise but instead you have less than a year because you only know when you win.’
It was recently reported that the upcoming song contest could cost the BBC tens of millions of pounds despite huge cuts at the broadcaster.
The Times stated that the BBC would provide the funds for the majority of the costs, which came to a cost of $76million (£63m) in Azerbaijan in 2012, $53m (£44m) in Denmark two years later and approximately $35m (£29m) in Ukraine in 2017.
Which UK city could host Eurovision 2023?
After the announcement that the UK will be hosting Eurovision in 2023, with Ukraine officially ruled out, here are the top six cities likely to host the competition as it’s broadcast by the BBC, according to bookmakers:
Belfast
The SSE Arena at the Odyssey Complex in the Northern Irish city’s Titanic Quarter boasts a 12,000-person capacity, and councillors Anthony Flynn and Seamas De Faoite have urged the city to put a bid forward.
Cardiff
The Welsh city’s Principality Stadium, which held every FA Cup final between 2001 and 2006, can hold a whopping 74,000 people and comes equipped with a roof. The competition has never been held in Wales before.
Manchester
Not only does Manchester’s AO Arena have the ability to house 21,000 guests, but it’s also extremely close to the BBC’s main studio in Salford. However, Sir Elton John and Magic Mike shows are already scheduled to take place at the arena next May.
Birmingham
Birmingham has already proven it’s capable of hosting Eurovision, having done so in 1998 when Katrina and the Waves’ song Love Shine a Light won the previous year.
London
The English capital has hosted the competition four times in the past, the last time being back in 1977. The show could take place at the Wembley Arena, which has a capacity of 12,500 people, or the O2 Arena, which could hold 20,000 individuals.
Glasgow
The bookies’ favourite is currently the Scottish city of Glasgow, with Edinburgh having hosted Eurovision in 1972. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already suggested the city, which was named the UK’s top cultural and creative city in 2019.
Following the confirmation that the UK will host Eurovision 2023, a BBC spokesperson said in a statement: ‘The Eurovision Song Contest is a co-production of the host broadcaster and participating members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
‘There are a number of funding options to be explored that will contribute towards delivering a fantastic event and great value for Licence Fee payers.’
Eurovision 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder shared a video message emphasising that the 2023 event is ‘Ukraine’s party’, but the UK is ‘just inviting them to throw it at our house’.
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‘I know how much it meant to Kalush and the Ukrainian delegation that Eurovision would be held at home in Ukraine next year, and I’m not the only one whose heart is heavy knowing that can’t be the case at this moment in time’, he said.
‘But, what I would love to say to anyone watching this from Ukraine, is that we know how to throw a party here in the UK and our excitement is outshone only by our focus on that one sole objective – to hold space and to be on hand to help wherever needed, to host an event that celebrates Ukrainian culture, history, and music.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to BBC for comment.
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