It was announced today (27 September) that Glasgow and Liverpool remain contenders to become the host city for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.
On 12 August the BBC announced that seven cities (Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield) had been shortlisted as candidate host cities. Following a detailed assessment process these seven cities have now been reduced to two: Glasgow and Liverpool.
Further discussions will now take place with officials from Glasgow and Liverpool and a final decision will be made within weeks.
Sarah Green, Chief Executive Officer of NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) said:
“Congratulations to Glasgow and Liverpool who both remain contenders to host an amazing Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Working with BBC, Newcastle City Council, and partners it has been an incredible opportunity to showcase the city and the brilliant people who call our region home. I know we demonstrated the warmth of our welcome, and our spirit of collaboration to the best of our ability. This really was a region-wide effort and being a shortlisted host city has enabled us to tell the North East’s story nationally and internationally.
“I am immensely proud of the city and would welcome more opportunities of this scale. As well as having a great feel-good factor, events and conferences are significant to the local economy, helping fill hotels and restaurants and creating jobs. As a region we are continuing to invest in this sector and we look forward to the opportunities created by the £300m+ brand-new international conference centre, The Sage, on Gateshead Quays which will enable us to welcome more visitors, international events, and further investment.
“I would like to say thank you to the Ukrainian community, our businesses, partners, and residents who showed immense civic pride. This is not the end of our journey. As a city we will still be celebrating Eurovision, with the UK and the chosen host city.
“We know our city is full of world class culture, infrastructure and ambition and we will continue to champion our destination as a place where people from all over the world are welcome.”
Cabinet Member for a Resilient City for Newcastle City Council, Cllr Alex Hay, said:
“Naturally I am very disappointed. Right from the very start our residents, businesses and communities have come together to get behind our campaign, and I couldn’t have been prouder with our efforts, and I would like to thank them all for their amazing efforts.
“Newcastle was a strong contender throughout the process, but I take my hat off to Glasgow and Liverpool the two remaining shortlisted cities and I wish them all the very best.
“I am sure I speak on behalf of the city when I say Newcastle wishes them both good luck. This isn’t the end of Newcastle’s Eurovision journey. We’ll be hosting all sorts of events in the city to celebrate Eurovision and Ukrainian culture which residents and visitors can get involved in.”