A few hours ago, the EBU revealed that the United Kingdom will be hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023! This decision was a long-awaited confirmation following Ukraine’s win in 2022.
Eurovision in the United Kingdom
The Eurovision Song Contest was won by Ukraine, this year, with Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania” taking the first spot. However, after considering the geopolitical situation, the EBU decided last month that the 2023 contest could not take place in Ukraine, for security reasons. The statement also said that the EBU was in talks with the BBC to hold the contest in the UK, the country that came 2nd in 2022.
Now, the EBU has released the information that the UK will indeed host the 2023 contest. It also gave us information on what to expect from the contest itself, and from the months leading up to it. This will be the 9th time that the United Kingdom will host the contest.
Reactions from around the country
Following the news, many prominent figures in the United Kingdom have shared their thoughts on social media. It was also shared as a Breaking News item on the BBC.
Even though Prime Minister Boris Johnson previously said that he would like to see Eurovision in Ukraine, he tweeted that “the UK will […] put on a fantastic contest on behalf of our Ukrainian friends.”
Johnson also refers to the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, who shared a post on social media following Ukraine’s win. In this post, he stated his hope that Ukraine is able to host the contest in their own, free country. Zelenskyy has not yet commented on the EBU’s decision to host the contest in the United Kingdom.
Nadine Dorries, British Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has also shared her excitement about the Eurovision Song Contest heading towards the UK:
Of course, British Eurovision artists from previous years are extremely excited about the news as well.
Sam Ryder, this year’s Eurovision representative (and the reason this is all happening), shared the following video via his Instagram:
Lucie Jones is saying exactly what is on every British Eurofan’s mind right now:
The search for a host city
Finally, the official bidding process for hosting the contest within the UK will start this week, according to the BBC’s Director-General, Tim Follie.
Almost 20 cities have already publicly shown interest in hosting, through the voices of their mayors or councils. Following the official news from the EBU, certain cities have already expressed that they will officially submit a bid to host the contest:
We can definitely expect to see a bid from these two cities, and there are probably many more that will be added to the list. Even before the news, the following cities showed interest in hosting the contest:
What do you expect from the 2023 contest? Which city do you think will win the bidding process? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, make sure you follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts.
