Glasgow Or Liverpool To Host Eurovision

Glasgow and Liverpool are the final two cities in the running to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. The BBC have announced that the decision will be made “within weeks” following the announcements that Sheffield, Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds, and Manchester were eliminated from contention.

It was announced the UK would be hosting the song contest after the European Broadcasting Union announced that 2022 winners Ukraine would be unable to safely host the competition, due to the Russian invasion. Chair of BBC’s host city selection committee, Phil Harrold, spoke of the broadcasting company’s desire to represent both Ukraine and the United Kingdom at the event: “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.”

Regarding the eventual location of the event, Harrold discussed that the decision will be well considered before a final decision is made, saying, “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.”

The United Kingdom came second place in the 2022 competition with Sam Ryder’s song "Space Man," which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Ryder’s placement was also the best UK result in the competition since 1998.

Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson took to Twitter to express her joy that the city had been selected as one of the final two options, writing, “Nowhere throws a party quite like us. The people, communities & businesses of our city are ready to put on a show - for Ukraine, the UK & for Europe.”

Lawrence Chaney, Winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, tweeted her support for Glasgow being the chosen city: “I would LOVE to see Glasgow host Eurovision! I’ve got my fingers and my legs crossed."

The competition is expected to air in mid-2023 on BBC One.