Since the confirmation that the United Kingdom will be officially hosting Eurovision 2023, five cities so far have confirmed their bid to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, whilst a number of other cities have expressed their interest in hosting the contest.
A total of five cities have officially submitted their bid to become Eurovision 2023’s host city: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Britsol, Glasgow and Liverpool, whilst a further ten cities (Belfast, Brighton, Cardiff, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffied, Sunderland, Wolverphampton) have all expressed their desire to bid to host.
Birmingham
Birmingham Live report that the city is officially in the running to host Eurovision 2023, with the Resorts World Arena as the host venue, as West Middlands Mayor, Andy Street, explains: “The venue is ready to host next year’s show after clearing the required dates in its diary to accommodate the prestigious event.”
Should Birmingham be crowned as Eurovision 2023 host city, it would be the second time that Eurovision has come to Birmingham. The National Indoor Arena in the heart of the city, played host to Eurovision 1998.
Bristol
At the beginning of July, the City of Bristol in Southwest England, confirmed that they will bid to host Eurovision 2023, in the event that it cannot be held in Ukraine.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, announced the citiy’s plan to place a bid to roughly 20,000 people at Bristol Pride Day Festival: “…Bristol’s got the perfect site where we can custom build the perfect Eurovision Song Contest. We’ve got the Space, Man. Bristol’s ready with a really strong bid, and we need you to help us bring this home…”
The YTL Arena, located in The Brabazon Hangars, would be the chosen venue for Eurovision 2023, should it come to Bristol. Once completed, it is expected to have a capacity of 17,000, making it the largest indoor arena in the region.
The City of Bristol, with a population of roughly 467,099, is one of the United Kingdom’s top tourist destinations. It boasts an international airport, ample hotels and transport links throughout the city, and is a leading city for food, art and music, among many other things.
Liverpool
The Liverpool Express have confirmed that “Liverpool has officially offered to host the event in solidarity with Ukraine.”
The North Western city has stated that it will draw up plans for potential venues for all the Eurovision shows, as well as all the other Eurovision-related events such as Eurovillage. It is also looking at opportunities to incorpotate Ukrainian culture into various events aroud Liverpool.
Speaking of a potential Eurovision hosting Gig, The Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, has said: “We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and would like the opportunity for Liverpool to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest and in doing so pay tribute to their wonderful country. We are an events city and no one can stage a party like us. Culture is synonymous with Liverpool and we tick all the boxes to be next year’s host – great venues, enviable experience, a world-renowned music heritage, UNESCO City of Music status and of course the warm Scouse welcome that just can’t be beaten….”
The Director of Culture for Liverpool has also chimed in, stating: “…This city knows how to stage an event, and more importantly how to stage it appropriately given the circumstances in which it has come to the UK. Liverpool is committed to doing all it can to mark, honour and promote Ukraine during the event and in doing so, ensure the global platform is used to celebrate national identity, creativity and extraordinary resolve.”
The Liverpool Arena, or as it is now know, the M&S Bank Arena, is a multi-purpose Arena in the heart of the city, and has previously hosted live music events, comedy performances and even sporting events. It has a capacity of 11,000.
What do you Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool’s chances are of hosting Eurovision 2023? Do you think they’ve got what it takes to host the biggest music event in the world? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
