Which UK city do you think will host Eurovision?

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

In our house we are guessing either Manchester, because it has the Media City area, and has a reputation for being very vibrant and up and coming, or Cardiff because the waterfront would provide a beautiful backdrop and the Millenium center is right on the bay.

Also hoping for Cardiff, Principality has the roof!

Sadly the infrastructure is lacking. Recent gigs not being attended there by poor sods stuck in their cars coming in to Cardiff.
I'd also question accommodation availability.

Again sadly because I think it would be wonderful for Wales.

A colleague said yesterday there’s a vote but I can’t find that information online.

leeds was the front runner with 25% of the votes. can’t find that info anywhere though

having said that, Leeds is a great city. Plenty of hotels and an easy train to Manchester airport as Leeds Bradford is a lot shitter.

There's not a vote.

AFAIK all interested cities put together a bid showing how they'd do it, what facilities they have and transport etc, submit it to the European Broadcasting Union (BBC is a part of it) and they decide.

Newcastle has an international airport linked to the city centre by metro
It's also on the East Coast mainline so has good fast rail links to the SE & Scotland
Both the station and the metro are very close to the stadium

Manchester. Or Liverpool.

“Good fast rail links to Scotland” is a bit irrelevant for Eurovision, though, isn’t it?

Nearest to an airport maybe?

The issue with the 02 in London is whether there is any capacity in their schedules at a fairly short notice

Which city with an international airport has accepted the most Ukrainian refugees? That would swing it for me.

The issue with the 02 in London is whether there is any capacity in their schedules at a fairly short notice

That'll be true for all potential venues

In Manchester, the first documented evidence of Ukrainians was an entry in the Aliens Register in Salford of J. Koyetsky from Brody (then in the Austrian Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria) in 1897.[1] Some 100 families settled in Manchester prior to World War I, and in the post-war years a community centre was established.[1] An Information Centre was founded in London and religious and cultural links established with Manchester.[1] In 1931, Bishop Andrey Sheptytsky and Fr Josyf Slipyj, each of whom in turn in later years became head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, made a notable pastoral visit to Manchester. Elsewhere, the first generation of Ukrainian immigrants started arriving in the South-East, in particular, Hertfordshire in 1947 as displaced persons.

And

Geographers Graham Smith and Peter Jackson suggest that 35,000 Ukrainians arrived after World War II, and that by the late 1950s there were 70 established Ukrainian communities in Britain, "the largest in Bradford, Nottingham, Manchester and Coventry"

This is enough of a reason for it to go to Manchester if there is a plan to celebrate Ukrainian culture and ties with the UK.

The city has the infrastructure (not just area but also hotels and smaller music venues for fringe events for eurovision itself and other side events which are less official).

To do a big outside broadcast its much better (cheaper) for the bbc for it to be where it has a lot of staff so they can go home after work rather than have to be put up in hotels.

Lets face it the BBC are going to want to make a BIG deal of this.

BBC breakfast runs out of Salford so naturally it would make a lot of sense to have it in the same city.

The Ukrainian community in Manchester is both very active and organised. It is helping the local council and many of the councils in the surrounding areas of the north west.

With respect to many of the other cities mentioned on this thread, there just isn't the same cultural background.

If you are looking at where refugees are coming into the UK, its the SE and particularly around the existing Ukrainian communities.

If its about Ukrainian culture I really don't know how you make the sell on say Liverpool on this basis.

I think you also have to seriously take into consideration where the BBC can pull off the biggest show for the least month as the budget is going to be a big deal. That possibly would mean Glasgow has a fairly good case (along with Manchester). The BBC also has large bases in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and London. That would make me lean towards ruling out the likes of Newcastle, Edinburgh and Leeds.

The other factor I'd be looking at is how much financial support individual cities might throw in. As its the BBC there cant be direct sponsorship but theres perhaps room to do it indirectly. And it depends on whether the government see it as an investment opportunity - throw a load of cash somewhere to regenerate. Except a year isn't that long and you want to make a good impression to the rest of the world for tourism. This is where London does well and places which are most in need of regeneration dont look good on video postcards... You'd have to also seriously consider that the government will want it to go Red Wall though.

So actually, I find it very hard to not put Manchester as the favourite, but I am also completely biased! Not least because I was supposed to go to Rotterdam and am in no way still massively bitter about this!

I think we need to get other people to pitch their city of choice as a counter to my logic....

Interestingly, there's nothing scheduled for the Hydro in Glasgow between 28 April and 21 May.

Why?

May 2023 looks pretty clear for the AO Manchester Area.

I have to say I might be tempted to try and get it at the GMex rather than the arena though. Its smaller and acoustics aren't as good, but its an historic building which makes it more interesting.

There isn't necessarily anything to stop it being outdoors though. Yes you would need to cover the stage but i dont see a reason why you couldn't have it outdoors provided you could run the performance to a high standard. The British have the skill and experience in this area to pull off something spectacular outdoors.

. Destiny

Belfast ticks all the boxes.

@Delphigirl
It wasn't my main point but it's not necessarily irrelevant if you consider transporting visitors

Can’t see anywhere in Scotland, Wales or NI getting a look in sadly. My money is on Manchester or London. Same old, same old.

Bitter much?

Anywhere outwith Scotland, but for different reasons.

Glasgow! I will be so happy and I’m an SNP supporter just to even things up on this thread😂

Bring it back to Harrogate! It was held here after Buck Fizz won. They could film the contestants queuing up for their tea at Betty’s.

Glasgow. Most suitable facilities, literally opposite the BBC, plenty of accommodation and vibrant local music scene. And vocal support for Ukraine. Will be really surprised if it's anywhere else actually.

I came on to say something similar.

A city with a suitable venue and an international airport is essential, but once that's taken care of, I would be looking at the size of the Ukrainian community and in how the host city plans to involve them in the event.

The host city selection process is going to be in two stages:

All applications will be considered. A shortlist will then be drawn up “based on their ability to meet the requirements and their responses around capability and experience”.

“The final decision on selecting the host city will be based on a city or region’s capacity and capability in meeting the BBC’s and the EBU’s requirements, as well as availability of resources and general experience in hosting a large and complex event such as the Eurovision Song Contest.

“For example, last year the EBU’s host city criteria was based on providing a venue able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators (as well as a press centre), that should be within easy reach of an international airport and with ample hotel accommodation.”

The BBC may consult the Government, but the host city will ultimately be decided upon by the BBC and the EBU.

Cities that are definitely intending to bid:
Aberdeen
Birmingham
Bristol
Glasgow
Liverpool

Cities that are still considering their position and are thinking of bidding:
Belfast
Brighton
Derry
Leeds
London
Manchester
Newcastle
Nottingham
Sheffield
Sunderland
Wolverhampton

Cardiff have said they are dropping out the race due to the complexity of hosting.

Worth pointing out Leeds is 2023 City of Culture.

I have to say looking at the arena capacity I'd rule out Belfast, Bristol, Brighton, Derry, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.

Uk indoor arenas by size:
Manchester AO Arena 21,000
London The O2 Arena 2007 20,000
Birmingham Utilita Arena 15,800
Birmingham Resorts World Arena 15,685
Aberdeen P&J Live 15,000
Glasgow The OVO Hydro 14,300
Leeds First Direct Arena 13,781
Sheffield Arena 13,600
London OVO Arena Wembley 12,500
Newcastle upon Tyne Utilita Arena 11,400
Liverpool M&S Bank Arena 11,000
Belfast SSE Arena 1999 10,800
Nottingham Motorpoint Arena 10,000

Yes Belfast, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham do have a venue big enough but I think they will want to maximise capacity - with so many alternatives, I think they will want a minimum of 13,000 capacity for the UK. I think the comments about complexity rule out a temporary or outdoor venue. Cardiff's exit is notable on that score.

That makes a possible short list down to
Manchester, London, Birmingham, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Leeds and Sheffield.

I'd rule out Aberdeen due to it being a pain in the backside for BBC logistics and cost. Leeds and Sheffield might also suffer on that score too because they aren't BBC bases. The BBC are going to want to keep hotel costs down.

That leaves Manchester, London, Glasgow and Birmingham as your most viable options. I'd probably rule out London for cost too and because my suspicion is they will want to go for regionality. Birmingham is doing the Commonwealth Games so I think they will look to somewhere different.

Its hard to get past Glasgow and Manchester as your red hot favourites based on logic and practical considerations. Leeds possibly is your wildcard outsider.