The City of Den Bosch will definitely submit its bidbook in its quest to host the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest next year. The City Council of Den Bosch is ready to make a substantial financial contribution in order to host the competition.

Den Bosch is gearing up in full steam in order to bring the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest on home soil, with its City Council set to make a substantial financial contribution.

Den Bosch to submit its bidbook

The City of Den Bosch will definitely register as a host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 by submitting a bidbook to NPO broadcaster before Wednesday 10 July 12 noon. The majority of the Bossche city council decided this Tuesday evening in a non-public meeting.

Den Bosch would like to say something about the content of the bid book and the millions involved in organizing the song contest at the Brabanthallen only after next Wednesday.

Mr. Jack Mikkers (Mayor of Den Bosch) says:

We are happy that we are going to seriously participate and think that we can organize the festival.

Den Bosch’s City Council held a secret meeting yesterday in order to disccuss its Eurovision bid and the council’s financial contribution to hold the event:

 The consideration of making money available is a delicate issue. We think it’s worth it, but a maximum amount has been agreed.

Contribution from Brabant province and EBU

It was already known that the municipality is counting on a substantial contribution from the province and that the 2020 Eurovision organzing body consisting of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the NPO (including AVROTROS and NOS) will also pitch in.

The budgets of previous Eurovision editions have ranged from 14 to 25 million euros. With a song contest with  circa 180 million television viewers alone, millions of euros can also be earned back.

The submitted bidboook  must include various factors, key requirements in detail apart from the financing:

• Main Eurovision venue (Brabanthallen)
• Press Centre
• Eurovision Bubble
• Accommodation and hotels
• Euroclub (location and venue)
• Eurovision Village (location and venue)
• EuroCafé (location and venue)
• Safety and security plan
• Logistics
• Transport
• Side events
• Cultural program
• City Dressing

The conditions set by EBU and NPO are secret and kept under wraps.

Eurovision on 12, 14 and 16 May?

After July 10 2019 the EBU and NPO will visit the candidate cities. The decision is expected to be made in August.

The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest will probably be held next year on 12, 14 and 16 May (provisional dates) taking into account  Liberation Day (5 May), European football matches and the Grand Prix Formula 1 in Zandvoort, which will probably be held during of the first two weekends of May.

The 2020 Host City Bid Process

Initially a total of nine cities applied to host the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, but only six remain in the battle now.

A total of six Dutch cities/regions are in the 2020 Host City  race: 

• Amsterdam
• Rotterdam
• Utrecht
• Maastricht / Limburg,
• Arnhem 
• Den Bosch

Breda withdrew its application yesterday, following Leeuwarden and The Hague who have also decided not to proceed with their bids. The remaining candidates have until 10 July 2019 to submit their respective proposals to the organization via the so-called bidbook. The 2o20 ESC Host City is expected to be unveiled in August.

The Netherlands will have the grand honour of hosting the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest thanks to Ducan Laurence‘s magnificent victory in Tel Aviv last May.