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Eurovision 2023: Everything we know so far about bringing the song contest to Aberdeen

An artist's impression of how majestic Aberdeen's P&J Live could look hosting Eurovision.
An artist's impression of how majestic Aberdeen's P&J Live could look hosting Eurovision.

It has been confirmed that the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the UK in 2023 – but which city will host the event?

The bidding process for potential host cities will officially begin this week, managed by the BBC alongside the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The 2023 event will mark the ninth time Eurovision will be hosted in the UK.

It was previously held in London in 1960, 1963, 1968 and 1977. Edinburgh played host in 1972, Brighton in 1974, Harrogate in 1982 and Birmingham in 1998.

Following the announcement yesterday, Aberdeen City Council confirmed its interest in bringing the popular contest to the north-east – having previously approved a £30,000 to make the bid.

Officials have highlighted the city’s “track record” for delivering major international events and said representatives are looking into the next steps of the shortlisting process.

How will the bidding process work?

Any interested cities, which meet the requirements, have been asked to make contact with the BBC.

This must be done by the local authority rather than potential venues.

Not a lot of specifics are known at the moment about the bidding process, but it has been confirmed a two-stage process will be carried out to select the host city.

P&J Live would be the venue of choice in Aberdeen. Picture by Scott Baxter/DC Thomson.

It will start with an open application to establish overall interest, as well as each city’s capacity, capability and ability to meet the minimum requirements.

A shortlist will then be created from these applications to move to the next stage.

All applicants will have to submit a detailed proposal to show why their city is best suited to host the 67th edition of Eurovision.

The BBC and EBU will evaluate all the proposals and ultimately decide the winning city.

Applications must be returned by August 9, and the host city will be announced within the next few months so they can start planning for the event.

What are the city requirements?

The BBC will contact potential cities tomorrow to set out the requirements for the 2023 contest.

In past years, cities were required to have a venue to accommodate 10,000 spectators and a press centre for up to 1,500 journalists covering the event.

The city must also be served by an international airport and have enough hotel rooms for 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators.

P&J Live in Aberdeen has already showed its interest in being the venue of choice, even sharing a mock-up photo of what Eurovision in the north-east could look like.

As the largest indoor arena in Scotland – and the fifth largest in the UK – it definitely has the space required for the song contest.

The venue would be able to allocate the required 10,000 seats. Picture by Heather Fowlie/DC Thomson.

It is also no stranger to large events, having previously hosted the Sports Personality of the Year Awards in 2019 and has welcomed musical artists, such as Michael Buble and Rod Stewart.

The host venue usually needs to be available for up to six weeks before the final, which could cause some last minute rescheduling.

Jurassic Live is currently scheduled to be held at P&J Live on April 10 and 11, while Magic Mike The Arena Tour will arrive on April 20.

The dates for the Eurovision 2023 semi-finals and final are still to be announced, but are expected to be in May as has been the norm in the past.

Eurovision host city odds

Aberdeen is not the only city in the UK that has voiced its interest in welcoming Eurovision next year – but which city has the best odds at the moment?

  1. Glasgow 10/11
  2. Manchester 6/4
  3. London 4/1
  4. Birmingham 5/1
  5. Liverpool 12/1
  6. Cardiff 18/1
  7. Leeds 22/1
  8. Aberdeen, Belfast, Newcastle 25/1
  9. Sheffield 28/1
  10. Brighton, Edinburgh, Nottingham 40/1
The UK got it’s best Eurovision result since 1998 this year, coming second to Ukraine. Photo: Luca Bruno/AP/Shutterstock.

Including Ukraine

The BBC has confirmed it will work closely with Ukrainian colleagues to make sure the winning country’s music, culture and heritage are still celebrated at the 2023 event.

Kate Phillips, director of Unscripted BBC, said: “We are honoured that we have been asked to take on hosting duties for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine.

“Clearly the set of circumstances our colleagues find themselves in is not what we wanted but we will work with UA: PBC and the other participating broadcasters to deliver a special event that has glorious Ukraine at its heart.”

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