Eurovision 2023: Host city bidding race down to two cities; It's gonna be Glasgow or Liverpool
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BBC and EBU have shorlisted two cities in the Eurovision 2023 host city bidding race, with Glasgow and Liverpool remaining in the last run to the finish line.
And then there were two! Following BBC's announcement which had shorlisted seven cities in the bidding race for the next Eurovision host city, EBU and BBC now have revealed the two cities that remain in the race. Eurovision 2023 will be landing either in Glasgow or Liverpool.
In the next step BBC and EBU will be going onsite in both cities to inspect the infrastructure and the facilities that each one offers in order to host such a major event Eurovision is.
Eurovision Song Contest's Executive Supervisor, Martin Osterdahl stated about the process:
The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) would like to warmly thank all the 7 British cities that put so much effort and enthusiasm into their bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine. We very much appreciate their cooperation and the quality and creativity of all the bids received.
The Eurovision Song Contest is the most complex TV production in the world with very specific logistical requirements to accommodate around 40 delegations and thousands of crew, volunteers, press and fans.
We’re confident our final two cities are the best placed to meet this challenge and look forward to continuing our discussions to choose the one which will stage the world’s largest music event next May".
In addition the head of BBC's Host City Selection Committee, Phil Harold commented saying:
"Thanks to all 7 cities across the UK who have demonstrated the enthusiasm and passion for Eurovision that exists right across the UK.
We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of all the city bids, in what was a highly competitive field. The Eurovision Song Contest is a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer; we will continue our discussions with them to determine the eventual host city.
We are determined to make the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest one that both reflects the winning position of Ukraine and is also an event that all of the UK can participate in."
Liverpool Vs Glasgow
Liverpool as the potential Eurovision 2023 host city
Photo source: visitliverpool.com
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of 498,042 in 2019, it is the tenth largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.24 mllion.
In 2019, Liverpool was the fifth most visited UK city. It is noted for its culture, architecture and transport links. The city is closely associated with the arts, especially music; the popularity of the Beatles, widely regarded as the most influential band of all time. Liverpool is internationally known for music and is recognised by Guinness World Records as the World Capital City of Pop.Musicians from the city have produced 56 No. 1 singles, more than any other city in the world.
Mathew Street Festival is an annual street festival that is one of the most important musical events in Liverpool's calendar. It is Europe's largest free music event and takes place every August.Other well established festivals in the city include Africa Oyé and Brazilica which are the UK's largest free African and Brazilian music festivals respectively.
Potential venue: There are numerous music venues located across the city, however the M&S Bank Arena is by far the largest. Liverpool Arena, known for sponsorship reasons as the M&S Bank Arena, and previously Echo Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The venue hosts live music, comedy performances and sporting events, and forms part of Liverpool event campus ACC Liverpool – an interconnected arena, exhibition and convention centre.
Opened in 2008 the 11,000-seat arena hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards the same year and since then has held host to world-renowned acts such as Andrea Bocelli, Beyoncé, Elton John, Kanye West, Kasabian, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Oasis, Pink, Rihanna, UB40.
Transportation: Liverpool has an extensive local public transport network, which is managed by Merseytravel, and includes buses, trains and ferries. Additionally, the city also has an international airport and a major port, both of which provides links to locations outside the country.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which is located in the south of the city, provides Liverpool with direct air connections across the United Kingdom and Europe. In 2008, the airport handled over 5.3 million passengers and today offers services to 68 destinations.
Accommodation: Liverpool is the sixth most visited UK city and one of the 100 most visited cities in the world by international tourists. Therefore the city has numerous hotels and places for acccommodation.
Liverpool has a thriving and varied nightlife, with the majority of the city's late-night bars, pubs, nightclubs, live music venues and comedy clubs being located in a number of distinct districts
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.
The final decision by BBC and the EBU for the Eurovision 2023 host city is expected sometime in the first two weeks of October.
News Source: BBC
Image: EBU
AUTHORS
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Angelos D.
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