Liverpool is set to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, the music competition organizers announced on Friday, choosing the birthplace of the Beatles for one of Europe’s top cultural events.
The M&S Bank Arena, an 11,000-capacity arena, will host the tournament on May 13, 2023, according to organizers.
The announcement comes after Ukraine, which won the right to host next year’s event after winning this year’s contest, has given the war-torn country the “security and operational guarantees” it needs.
Instead, the 2022 runner-up, the United Kingdom, was named the host. Liverpool were shortlisted from seven cities, including runners-up Glasgow, along with Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.
Hosting Eurovision “means everything” for Liverpool, with the city’s cultural director Claire McColgan saying: told the BBC On Friday.
“We are doing it for Ukraine first and foremost, for our glorious city and for the people who come here,” said McColgan. “It’s going to be incredible.”
Ukraine offered three potential locations that it said would be safe from fighting. Lviv in western Ukraine. Transcarpathia region borders Hungary and Slovakia. and Kyiv, the capital.
However, the European Broadcasting Union, which hosts the competition, announced in July that it would be hosted by the UK instead. Together with the delegates, they pledged to “celebrate and represent Ukraine throughout the event.”
BBC director Tim Davey also said the network is “committed to not only showcasing the diversity of British music and creativity, but also to making the event a true reflection of Ukrainian culture.” said.
Eurovision began in 1956 and brought together music artists from across Europe, including Australia and Israel.
The UK has hosted the event eight times, most recently in 1998 in Birmingham.
The election puts Liverpool in the international spotlight. When his Ukrainian rap act Karush and his orchestra won in Turin, Italy, in May he was watched by more than 160 million people.
Sixty-two years after the Beatles formed, Liverpool still maintains close ties to some of the most influential rock bands. The Band is the center of attraction in the city, with Beatles-themed museums, tours, and statues along the waterfront.
Liverpool hasn’t produced a star international act lately, but the local music scene is small and “healthy,” says the author of Hit Factory: A Journey Through the Industrial Cities of British Pop. says Carl Whitney. “There are a lot of great bands in Liverpool,” he said.
The city plans to collaborate with Ukrainian street artists, designers and musicians to bring the country’s culture to the city.liverpool echo reported this week“This is their party, they just happen to be at our house,” Culture Liverpool director Claire McColgan told the newspaper, referring to the Ukrainians.
“There is no doubt that Eurovision will take over Liverpool in a way that has never been done before if we are chosen as the host city,” she said this week.