Kyiv announced as host city of Eurovision 2017

In the last few minutes, NTU (Natsionalna Telekompaniya Ukrainy) have confirmed that the city of Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city, will be the host city of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. The contest is due to be held on 9th, 11th and 13th May and will take place at the International Exhibition Centre which has a potential capacity of around 13,000 spectators.
This decision comes after a high-profile host city selection process marketed as Battle of the Cities where six Ukrainian cities took part in a live presentation and debate. Kharkiv, Kherson and Lviv were eliminated after this live broadcast, with Dnipro, Kyiv and Odessa continuing on to the final stage of the process. Representatives from the EBU visited these cities in late July and over the past few weeks each city has been submitting more and more details in order to attempt to win the honour of hosting.
The official press release says as follows, courtesy of the EBU:
Kyiv, selected as host by NTU and approved by the EBU and the ESC Reference group, is located in the north-central part of Ukraine on the Dnieper River. The city is a modern megalopolis with everything fans visiting for the competition will need. From hotels and easy transport links to beautiful architecture, green spaces, nightlife and a rich history, the city has shown itself to be a worthy host.
“After a thorough selection process, we are very pleased to be announcing today that NTU will be working with Kyiv as host city for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest” commented Jon Ola Sand, the EBU’s Executive Supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest. He continued, “We would like to congratulate NTU on their extensive and careful assessments of each bid. Kyiv presented an excellent case and we are looking forward to working together to create the most electrifying show yet next May”.
NTU Deputy Director General Victoria Romanova commented; “In the course of the selection we were deeply impressed with the efforts made by the bidding cities, the professionalism of their teams and the serious approach to their participation in the Bid. The process has demonstrated an unprecedented interest in the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine. We look forward to maintaining that momentum, with thanks and congratulations to Kyiv – the host city of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest.”
The decision was made after six candidate cities originally presented their bids to the Organising Committee of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, televised live in Ukraine. At that stage Kharkiv, Kherson and Lviv stood down, allowing Kyiv, Dnipro and Odesa to continue their bids for final consideration. The committee and representatives from the EBU then reviewed and inspected the final city hopefuls and have now declared Kyiv the host for 2017.
Let us know below whether Kyiv was your preferred choice, or if you’d have preferred Dnipro or Odessa.