Eurovision 2023 hosting: Glasgow will officially submit a bid to host the contest

• Glasgow is one of the cities that has officially confimred they they will be bidding to host the next Eurovision Song Contest. 

  Following EBU's official announcement that the United Kingdom will host Eurovision 2023 the cities are openly confirming their plans to join the bidding race for hosting the competition. 

  Among those Glasgow is in the game for good as the city's officials are confirming that the city is vying to host the next contest. Glasgow City Council's spokesperson stated to The Herald: 

  Since it became a possibility that the UK might host on behalf of Ukraine we’ve been working hard on our bid.

  We know we meet all the technical requirements, and we know Glaswegians are desperate to welcome the world with open arms.

  Time is now really short to organise the contest and, having recently hosted COP, we know Glasgow is the safest of safe pairs of hands.

   

  EBU's requirements for hosting Eurovision 

  In order for a city to host the Eurovision SOng Contest in 2022 it must meet a specific number of  requirements. Namely the host city must have: 

  • An international airport no more than 90 minutes from the city.

  • Over 2,000 hotel rooms in the area close to the event.

  • An infrastructure (stadium/venue/centre) capable of hosting a large-scale live broadcast with the minimum requirements listed below.

  In addtion the infrastructure should:

  • Be indoors with air-conditioning and have a well defined perimeter;

  • Have an audience capacity in the main hall of around 8,000 – 10,000 during the event (which corresponds to 70% of maximum capacity of that venue for regular concerts, taking into consideration the specific stage and production needs of the Eurovision Song Contest);

  • Have a main hall with the capacity to house the set and all other requirements needed to produce a high level broadcast production (this includes good specifications of load capacity in the roof, clearance to low beams, easy load in access, etc);

  • Have ample space within easy access of the main hall to support additional production needs, such as: a press centre, delegation spaces, dressing rooms, artist facilities, staff facilities, hospitality, audience facilities, etc;

  • Be available exclusively for 6 weeks before the event, 2 weeks during the show (which will take place in May) and a week after the end of the event for dismantling.

   

  Glasgow as a potential Eurovision 2023 host city
   
  
   
  Glasgow is going to be one of the strong contenders in the Eurovision 2023 host bidding race and has strong basis to claim next year's contest. 
   
  The potential venue: Glasgow is vying to host the next contest at the Ovo Hydro, which was was used for exterior shots of the venue for the fictional 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

  The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland, and is the largest entertainment venue in Scotland.The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro Electric.The arena was known as The SSE Hydro until October 2021, when it was announced that the name was to change to "OVO Hydro", after its new sponsor OVO Energy, with a focus on making the venue more sustainable.The arena was officially opened on 30 September 2013, with a concert by Rod Stewart. 

  The OVO Hydro arena is located adjacent to the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo and hosts international musical stars, global entertainment and sporting events; with a maximum capacity of 14,300 spectators,

  Transportation: Glasgow has a large urban transport system that makes moving fro one side of the city to the other very easy while the city has three international airports within 45 minutes travel of the city centre, as well as a centrally located seaplane terminal. Two are dedicated to Glasgow while the third is Edinburgh International which, as it is situated on the west side of Edinburgh, is relatively close to Glasgow. These airports are Glasgow Airport (GLA) (eight mi or thirteen km west of the city centre) in Renfrewshire, Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) (30 mi or 50 km southwest) in Ayrshire, Edinburgh Airport (EDI), (34 mi or 55 km east) in Edinburgh.
  

  Accommodation: The Scottish capital has a major number of hotels and apartments that can live up to the contests requirements. 

  The city has many amenities for a wide range of cultural activities, from curling to opera and ballet and from football to art appreciation; it also has a large selection of museums that include those devoted to transport, religion, and modern art. Many of the city's cultural sites were celebrated in 1990 when Glasgow was designated European Capital of Culture. In addition it's nightlife is satisfying with plenty of restaurants and bars there to server all kind of visitors' options. 

   

   

  News Source: ESCToday

  Cover photo: BBC

  Image: inhabitat.com