Who will host the 2023 Eurovision?

T

he BBC has revealed that either Glasgow or Liverpool will host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

Host Graham Norton is set to reveal the winner on Friday, during an appearance on The One Show.

The two cities beat five other shortlisted host cities — Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield — in their bid to host the annual singing competition.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC previously announced that the 2023 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest would be hosted in the UK on behalf of Ukraine, which won the contest this year.

Ukraine will automatically qualify for the grand final but will be unable to host because of safety concerns due to Russia’s invasion.

The BBC reported that 20 cities applied to host the contest, with London and Belfast among the cities that didn’t make the initial shortlist.

Here’s everything you need to know about which city is likely to host the song contest.

When will the BBC reveal the host city of Eurovision 2023?

The BBC is set to reveal the Eurovision 2023 host city on Friday, with Graham Norton revealing the news on the BBC One Show, which will air from 7 pm until 7.30 pm.

The television host and Sam Ryder will then discuss the news.

Mr Norton revealed the news during an interview on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, earlier on Friday.

He said: “Myself and Sam, on Friday night, we will be discussing where Eurovision is going to be — because we’ll know by then.”

Then, later in the evening, Sam will be a guest on The Graham Norton Show, which starts at 22:40 pm.

How was the shortlist chosen?

In a statement by the BBC, it was revealed that the initial shortlist was based on the cities’ abilities to show they have “the capacity, capability, and experience to host an event of this scale and complexity”.

It added that the process was ”heavily weighted towards demonstrating past experience in hosting major international events, as well as being able to demonstrate their credentials in hosting a celebration of contemporary music”.

The seven remaining cities were scored on a set of criteria, the BBC said, including;

• Having a suitable venue and sufficient space to deliver the requirements of the Song Contest
• The commitment that can be made by a city or region to hosting the event, including the financial contribution
• The strength of the cultural offer, which includes off-screen local and regional activity as well as showcasing Ukrainian culture and music
• Alignment with the BBC’s strategic priorities as a public-service broadcaster, such as providing value to all audiences and supporting the creative economy in the UK

Which city is most likely to host?

Even before the final two contenders were announced, Glasgow was the frontrunner. Currently, the odds that Glasgow will host the song contest are 1/2, with Liverpool’s odds at 13/8.

Leading bookmaker William Hill previously tipped Glasgow as the winner of the seven-strong race to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, with bets at 11/10.

Glasgow was closely followed by Birmingham, at 9/4. Music-scene locations Liverpool and Manchester, were also viable options at 7/1 and 8/1, with Leeds sitting next at 10/1. Newcastle and Sheffield were less likely to be chosen to host, at 16/1 and 25/1.

When the shortlist of seven cities was announced, William Hill’s Tony Kenny said: “The seven potential cities to host Eurovision 2023 have been shortlisted, and Glasgow is our early frontrunner at 11/10.

“Birmingham, currently showing its readiness to welcome major events having hosted the Commonwealth Games, is next in the market at a well-supported 9/4.”

“Meanwhile, the North is well represented with Liverpool and Manchester 7/1 and 8/1 respectively as the race hots up to host the famous competition.”

Liverpool has been selected as host city for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, the wildly popular music competition that will be entering its 67th year. The city of the Beatles won out Friday over Glasgow, the fellow finalist from a shortlist of UK cities that included Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

The news comes after the UK over the summer was awarded to host Eurovision, an honor traditionally given to the winning country the previous year. Ukraine won that right this year with Kalush Orchestra taking the title, but the country was forced to bow out because of its ongoing war with Russia.

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The UK finished second with Sam Ryder’s Space Man, giving it second position to become host.

The 2023 contest will hold semifinals on May 9 and May 11 at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, with the grand final Saturday, May 13.

“Liverpool is the ideal place to host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine,” Eurovision executive supervisor Martin Österdahl said today. “The city is synonymous with music and Liverpool Arena exceeds all the requirements needed to stage a global event of this scale. We have been very impressed with the passion the city has shown in embracing the Contest and their inclusive ideas for placing last year’s winners, Ukraine, front and centre when thousands of fans visit next May.”

The 2023 Eurovision contest will be the ninth to be hosted in the UK, which hasn’t hosted for 25 years. The BBC will be the host broadcaster.

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