Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the United Kingdom! Earlier today the EBU announced that it had approached the BBC and the UK to host the forthcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, this has lead to a massive buzz and high interest from numerous British cities to host the Eurovision party next year!

If the BBC accepts EBU’s invite it will be 9th time that the United Kingdom will play host to our beloved competition. In just a few hours a large number of cities have expressed their interest in welcoming the Eurovision bandwagon next year:

• Glasgow– OVO Hydro Arena
  
• Manchester– AO Arena
  
• Liverpool– M&S Bank Arena
  
• Aberdeen–P&J Live
• Cardiff- Millenium Stadium
  
• London–O2 Arena, OVO Arena Wembley
  
• Belfast- The SSE Belfast Arena
  
• Birmingham– Utilita Arena/Resorts World Arena
  
• Brighton-?
• Leeds– First Direct Arena
  
• Sheffield– Sheffield Utilita Arena
• Bristol– YTL Arena
• Newcastle–  Newscastle Utilita Arena
• Nottingham– Motorpoint Arena
• Woolverhampton-
• Sunderland–

A total of 15 cities have so far shown their interest in hosting next year’s contest, the number of interested cities will surely increase in the coming days. The potential host cities will have to meet the EBU’s requirements and will have to complete the coveted ‘Eurovision Bid Book’ and hand it over to the BBC and EBU.

The Bidding Process

Many British cities are eager to hold the 2023 ESC edition, but will they all comply with the EBU’s requirements in order to host the event? Some of the key factors which are required to host the competition include the following criteria:

• An international airport with flight connections to most European cities (within close proximity)
• An efficient transport system in the city
• An indoor arena with a capacity of circa 10,000 spectators
• Infrastructure/logistics to house the Delegation Bubble, Green Room, Press Centre, Main ESC venue etc.
• Large hotel capacity/ rooms available to host delegations,artists, press and fans
• Social programme/side events
• Venues/ locations to host Euroclub, Blue Carpet, Eurovision Village, Welcome Reception etc.

If the BBC accepts EBU’s invite, what will be the next steps?

The BBC and the EBU are expected to open the 2023 Eurovision host city application window in due course in order to enable the potential host cities to officially submit their respective bids. Hereafter the BBC will evaluate and verify all the submitted bids, ultimately shortlisting them and presenting them to the EBU. A final decision on the 2023 Eurovision host city is expected to take place through the course of the summer.

The EBU is yet to confirm the dates of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

9th time to host Eurovision

The  United Kingdom has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 8 times already. The last time the UK hosted the competition was in 1998. So next year will be the 9th time the country hosts the event.

1. 1960- London
2. 1963- London
3. 1968- London
4. 1972 –Edinburgh
5. 1974 –Brighton
6. 1977 – London
7. 1981 –Harrogate
8. 1998- Birmingham

Source: BBC/ ESCToday
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