The Netherlands won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv just two weeks ago and preparations for next year’s edition have well and truly kicked off in the country. The Dutch will be having the honour to hold the ESC for the fifth time on home soil, thanks to Duncan Laurence’s epic victory in Israel.  Last week Dutch public broadcasters NOS, AVROTROS and NPO officially invited the potential host cities and regions to submit their applications in order to host the event next year. According to the local media, seven cities have officially submitted an application. Let’s check who they are!

As reported initially circa 10 cities showed their interest in welcoming the 2020 Eurovision edition on homeground. RTL Niews reports that only 7 of them have actually officially applied to host the competition so far. So who’s applied and who’s decided to drop out of the bidding process? Are there any cities still in two minds? Let’s investigate further…

On June 5, the NPO must know which cities are participating in the race.

Babet Verstappen from NPO says:

We send those cities a package with all the conditions. They are given four weeks to make an appropriate proposal of their own. Issues such as location, logistics, accommodation and safety are dealt with. Everything that entails organizing the event will be included in the package.

She thinks it is great that there is so much interest from all over the country.

Verstappen adds:

So cool that the Eurovision Song Contest returns after so many years! This is really something for the entire country, we want to emphasize that.

Which cities have applied so far ?

The seven cities which have officially applied to host the 2020 Eurovision edition are:

• Amsterdam
• Rotterdam
• Arnhem
• Utrecht
• Maastricht
• Leeuwarden
• Den Bosch

Which cities have dropped out?

• Zwolle
• Groningen
• Tilburg

Zwolle who first announced that they would participate in the race has stepped out of the battle

Groningen is definitely no longer participating either.

A spokesperson from the Municipality of Groningen told RTL Niews:

We discussed it in the council, and the majority was against it. So Groningen does not get involved in the battle and lets the Eurovision Song Contest pass by.

Tilburg had also initially showcased its wish to host the contest and enter the host city bidding race. Unfortunately, the city does not have a suitable venue to organize the Eurovision Song Contest. That is why it has decided to join forces with other cities in Brabant and enter a joint bid together . The Brabanthallen in Den Bosch will be their location.

Which cities are still in two minds?

•  The Hague

The Hague is still contemplating and investigating if its potential bid is feasible. The Hague’s Municipality told RTL Niews’ Editie NL:

Two locations are conceivable: the ADO stadium with a temporary roof, or a temporary location on Malieveld that still needs to be built from the ground. If there is a positive outcome from the research, then it is certainly conceivable that the song festival will take place here.

The process

In the coming days, NPO will find out whether the cities which have applied actually meet all the requirements.

It will take another  seven to eight weeks to determine the 2020 Eurovision host city.

NPO has also stated that the final number of applicant cities might be larger, as some of the bidding cities have decided to remain silent regarding their respective proposals.

The 2020 Eurovision Host City Selection will consist of three stages with the final decision and announcement expected by mid summer.

NOS, AVROTROS and NPO will be co-organizing the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest along with the EBU. The organizing entities are yet to determine the dates of the 2020 ESC edition