A few days ago, Austrian broadcaster ORF announced that Vienna will host the Eurovision Song Contest next year, for its 70th edition and anniversary. Along with the local government and the EBU, they have also confirmed the locations of some side events in the Rathaus (City Hall) area.
Village, Club and Opening Ceremony at the Rathaus
Just like in Basel 2025, the Eurovision Village and EuroClub will be hosted next to each other. The village will be back to an open-air area, on Rathausplatz, in front of the City Hall, while EuroClub will be located inside the building itself, which will also host the Opening Ceremony, on Sunday 10 May.
The Eurovision Village
The Eurovision Village is an area open during the day, which fans and tourists can visit for free. They will usually find food stands and stands operated by local and international sponsors, where they can compete in games, learn about the local area, etc. The Village also hosts concerts from Eurovision entrants and alumni, and viewing parties for the semi-finals and finals.
The 2025 village was located indoors, for the first time, within the Messe Basel congress centre. Next year, it will return in the open air, where it already was back in 2015, in front of the Rathaus, the City Hall, on Rathausplatz.
EuroClub
EuroClub is the “party space” for delegations, journalists and fans, opening late in the evening, and throughout the night, usually closing at 5am. There, it was also located in Messe Basel, just in front of the Village, but in previous years the two locations have been separate, like in Malmö 2024 or in Vienna 2015, when it was at the Ottakringer brewery.
Rules of access for EuroClub have changed throughout the years, but in recent years, it has been open to fans for a fee, with the possibility of paying for a weekly pass. It is sometimes the occasion to party with past and current artists, with many of them holding short concerts in the venue at night. The Thursday evening party is also the place where many fans discover the Grand Final running order, which is displayed on a projected screen soon after its official reveal in the middle of the night.
Opening ceremony
The Eurovision opening ceremony takes place on the Sunday before the first semi-final, so Sunday 10 May next year. It is the occasion for artists to parade in front of fans and journalists, on the now traditional “Turquoise Carpet” (although the carpet was still red the last time it was unrolled in Vienna).
It is not yet clear how large the ceremony will be. Past carpets have usually taken place outdoors, but Basel’s Turquoise Carpet stretched over more than 1,3km, with artists being moved from the City Hall to the Messe Basel centre on old trams, before focusing on the “media” part of the carpet indoors, in a building next to the Village. It is possible the carpet may have once again both an “outside” and “inside” section, but nothing has been confirmed.
From Messe Basel to Wiener Rathaus – concentrated fan zones
Just like in Basel, these plans showcase an intent to concentrate some of the most classical side events in one area and place : Messe Basel in 2025, and the Vienna City Hall in 2026. Although no information has been given yet for next year, the Eurovision Café was also placed in Messe Basel this year, in the entrance hall of EuroClub.
This concentration has an impact on transportations and logistics, helping in making the contest more sustainable. The Rathaus itself is about 2km away from the arena, and both locations are connected by Tram line 49, with the Stadthalle next to the Urban Loritz Platz station, and the Rathaus close to the Ring/Volkstheater U end of the line, with the Austrian Parliament separating both buildings. The whole journey should take 15-20 minutes in total.
Vienna announced that there will be more side events, following on the examples of Malmö and Basel, which had both set up a “Eurovision Street”, completed by a “Eurovision Square” in 2025. It is not yet clear what these events will be, and where they will take place. Among other usual sights of Eurovision week, the Eurovision Café, or the recently-created “EurofansClub” have yet to be confirmed and to find locations (although the EurofansClub is not affiliated to the Eurovision organisers, and was likely not part of the bid).
How do you feel about partying in the City Hall? Or watching Eurovision just in front, as fans did ten years ago? Will you attend the contest in Vienna? Tell us more in the comments below or on social media at @escxtra!
