The latest British city to officially confirm that it will be bidding to host Eurovision 2023 is none other than the majestic Scottish capital, Edinburgh.
Thus Edinburgh joins the list of British cities who have so far confirmed that they will be officially bidding to host Eurovision 2023: Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol etc.
Edinburgh has already hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 and thus became the first British city to welcome the Eurovision Song Contest outside London, as all previous editions were held in London (1960, 1963 and 1968).
Edinburgh Council Leader Camy Day gave the following statement to Ediburgh Live:
We’re very excited to have submitted our bid for Edinburgh to host Eurovision 2023.
It is, of course, of great regret that this year’s winners Ukraine aren’t able to host the 2023 contest in their own country, but we would be honoured to step in – not least with Kyiv being our cherished sister city and Edinburgh having become home to many thousands of Ukrainians in recent months. I have no doubt we’d do them proud.
The capital, of course, became the first city outside London to host the event in 1972 and more recently, fictionally, in the Netflix film “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga!” .But the opportunity to host in 2023 is a once in a generation chance to welcome our friends from participating countries for the iconic song contest, showcasing the capital’s world class culture, heritage and history.
Hosting an event on this scale is a complex undertaking but something the Capital has lots experience in and I’m sure, working with partners across the city, we’d host a show in-keeping with the Eurovision legacy. We look forward to finding out if we’ve made it through to the next stage.
Edinburgh has a lot to offer when it comes to history, heritage and culture and has a bustling entertainment scene. The Scottish capital has an efficient transport system, an international airport within close proximity and an ample hotel capacity.
It is yet unclear which will be the proposed venue by the City of Edinburgh if it gets to host the competition.
The Host Bidding Race has kicked off
The BBC has opened the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest Host City Bidding Process. The potential city has to meet a series of requirements in order to win the coveted bid:
- An indoor venue that can house circa 10,000 spectators
- An international airport in close proximity
- Hotel capacity (2,000 rooms available) for delegations, artists, journalists and accredited officials
- An efficient transport system in the city
- Infrastructure/ venues/ locations to house the Eurovision Village, Press Centre, Delegation Bubble, Euroclub, Opening Ceremony Event, Turquoise Carpet.
The EBU will be releasing the shortlist of potential Eurovision 2023 host city via on BBC Radio 2 on Friday 12 August via BBC 2 Radio’s ‘Good Morning Show’ , whilst the the name of the 2023 Eurovision Host City will be disclosed by Autumn.
Source: Edinburgh Live
Photo credit: Hoteles.com