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Eurovision 2023

Jonathan

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I know it's very early to start this, but with this morning's announcement of the shortlisted cities to host next year's Contest, I thought the timing was perfect to make a start on the 2023 Eurovision thread. The shortlisted cities are as follows:
  • Birmingham
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Liverpool
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Sheffield
The actual venue is due to be announced in the autumn, with tickets and the like to be sorted in due course. I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be there. I don't care how much it costs or where it is - I'll be there. I'm not gonna miss out on the chance to attend a Eurovision event.
 
I think Birmingham will get it based on nothing but a gut feeling and them being the most recent city to host a big event
 
The Times has very kindly published an article on why they think Sheffield should host Eurovision next year. Annoyingly it's behind a paywall (that's The Times for you), could anyone who has a subscription please quote it for me?

 
The Times has very kindly published an article on why they think Sheffield should host Eurovision next year. Annoyingly it's behind a paywall (that's The Times for you), could anyone who has a subscription please quote it for me?

People subscribe to the Times?
 
Birmingham does feel like the biggest contender to me.

Resort’s World and the NEC seem to have enough capacity and space to host such an event. Birmingham also hosted the Ukraine concert recently, have successfully pulled off the Commonwealth Games in a very small turnaround window compared to the usual 7 years most host cities get, plus with Birmingham International and the airport being in really close proximity.

Reversely, could be seen that Birmingham has had a lot in terms of major events in recent years so they may want to give other city locations a chance.

Does feel like Birmingham has a good shot though.
 
Birmingham does feel like the biggest contender to me.

Resort’s World and the NEC seem to have enough capacity and space to host such an event. Birmingham also hosted the Ukraine concert recently, have successfully pulled off the Commonwealth Games in a very small turnaround window compared to the usual 7 years most host cities get, plus with Birmingham International and the airport being in really close proximity.

Reversely, could be seen that Birmingham has had a lot in terms of major events in recent years so they may want to give other city locations a chance.

Does feel like Birmingham has a good shot though.
All 7 cities have a good chance as they all meet the initial criteria (must have a venue that seats at least 10,000 plus space for a press centre, must have sufficient access to an airport and must have sufficient hotel capacity close to the venue).
 
Liverpool with the arena, conference centre, and exhibition centre all next to each other plus being right on the Mersey so would look great.

Two major airports nearby, plenty of hotels etc.

Only issue for me is I've got a ticket to see Elton John I bought in 2018 which has already been postponed twice and that would get postponed again if Liverpool wins the bid.
 
It's just been confirmed that the final two cities are Liverpool and Glasgow. Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield are out of the running.
 
Pretty dire decision. The AO in Manchester holds over 20,000 yet they choose somewhere that barely holds half of that and will likely be down in the 7-8k range when all the kit is loaded in. Deliberately restricting what will be a huge potential visitorship!
 
Anyone planning or attempting to go near Liverpool for this?

The hotel/accommodation situation is dire. I knew it would be bad but I'm kind of shocked at how not just Liverpool but all towns/nearby cities are fully booked. Maybe I'm a bit naive, is it like this for host cities every year? I feel for those who are having bookings cancelled and relisted at 2 or 3x the price. It's actually laughable looking through prices on booking sites.
Screenshot_1.png

Reduced from £7,200? Bargain! :laughing:
 
Anyone planning or attempting to go near Liverpool for this?

The hotel/accommodation situation is dire. I knew it would be bad but I'm kind of shocked at how not just Liverpool but all towns/nearby cities are fully booked. Maybe I'm a bit naive, is it like this for host cities every year? I feel for those who are having bookings cancelled and relisted at 2 or 3x the price. It's actually laughable looking through prices on booking sites.
Screenshot_1.png

Reduced from £7,200? Bargain! :laughing:
I managed to book a hotel with Mike in Manchester (right by Deansgate station) as soon as Liverpool got confirmed so as to try and beat the inevitable price increases. Gonna be a bit of a trek to & from the arena, but we think it'll be workable.
 
I imagine creating a final shortlist of two didn't help either as anyone looking to prebook just in case (or for profit) could do it easier, and hotels could start to increase their prices at that point.

It's a bit of a walk from the arena back to Lime Street so I hope it finishes at a good time for you. You'd hope more transport gets put on but seems unlikely in this country. I'm sure most the bars will be open very late that night at least if not.

I'll definitely be trying for all manner of the available tickets for the semis and the finals.
 
The semi-final allocation draw will take place on Tuesday 31st January at St George's Hall in Liverpool, hosted by AJ Odudu and Rylan Clark, assisted by children from a local school and members of the Ukrainian community who have settled in Liverpool since the 2022 invasion.

Link

In a first for the UK, the draw will be screened on BBC Two (it's usually been live on ESC's YouTube channel before), and will also be at 19:00. In the past, it's been held at lunchtime, but to have it at primetime is a huge development.

Also, during the draw, the unique look and slogan for the year will be revealed.

Starting to get excited now. :D

...Still waiting for news about tickets, mind. :p
 
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