Eurovision 2021: An audience will be allowed to attend the live shows

Eurovision 2021: An audience will be allowed to attend the live shows
Thursday, 01 April 2021

  • An audience of 3.500 people will be allowed to attend the live shows of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam this May. 

    Although it's might hear as an April fools joke it is confirmed!! The public will be allowed to attend the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam Ahoy in May. This has been confirmed by the organisers of the competition. The cabinet wants to organize the event as a so-called field lab, a practical test to investigate how larger events can take place in a safe and responsible manner with an audience.

    At all nine shows - six rehearsals, two semifinals and the final - a maximum of 3,500 spectators can be present at a time. They must have a negative corona test result to be allowed in. Circa 3,500 people per show is about half the number expected at a time last year.

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    The contest's Executive Producer, Sietse Bakker, says: 

    “The fact that we now have the opportunity to open the script for a Eurovision Song Contest with an audience again is something we could only dream of. "We are grateful to the cabinet and Fieldlab Events for this perspective and the confidence they give us in it."

     

    Focusing on Scenario B

    In recent months, the EBU and the Dutcch organisers had been working initially on four scenarios to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to take place. Keeping an eye on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Dutch Host Broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS and the City of Rotterdam ruled out in early February that the 65th Contest can take place “as normal” in 2021. The organizers have focused on implemeting the Scenario B for Eurovision 2021 , according to which the event will take place with social distancing measures, the acts performing in Rotterdam and maitaining on the table options depending on how the pandemic develops. 

    In order for Scenario B to go ahead the number of people in the national delegations will be reduced from previous editions. The number of journalists who can attend the event will not go above 500 with a further 1000 able to cover the show in a new online press centre. A decision on whether an audience can be present at the shows and on what public activities can take place around the event in Rotterdam will be decided at a later time.

    Within the framework of Scenario B and organising a safe Eurovision EBU and the Dutch broadcasters have released have published an extensive COVID-19 Health and Safety protocol for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. According to the plan egular tests will be taking place on daily basis, the limited in size delegations will have to stay in their hotel, except when they travel to Rotterdam’s Ahoy Arena for rehearsals, the live shows and other programme related activities.

     

    The 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place on May 18, 20 and 22, 2021 at Rotterdam Ahoy arena in Rotterdam , The Netherland and will see a total of 39  nations compete for the trophy. 

     

    News Source: NOS