The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international music competition that has been held since 1956. It was first held in Lugano, Switzerland with only seven countries participating!
The format of the contest involves each country awarding points to the other countries’ songs, based on a combination of jury votes and viewer votes. The winner is the country with the highest total number of points at the end of the competition. The winning country is then given the opportunity to host the contest the following year.
In 2022 Ukraine won the contest but it was concluded that the event could not be held in the winning country for safety and security reasons so the UK agreed to host the event on behalf of Ukraine.
In August 2022, the final list was narrowed down, from a list of 20 UK cities, to Glasgow and Liverpool with Liverpool chosen in November 2022 on behalf of Ukraine.
The Eurovision 2023 final will take place on Saturday, May 13, with the two semi-finals set to take place on Tuesday, May 9, and Thursday, May 11.
The event was sold out with 36 minutes of the tickets going on sale – it is a popular event!
The slogan this year is ‘United By Music’ demonstrating the unique partnership between the United Kingdom, Ukraine and host city Liverpool. It also reflects the very origins of the contest, developed to bring Europe closer together through a shared television experience across different countries.
Representing the UK this year is Mae Muller singing a self-penned song – ‘I Wrote a Song’
Did you know?
- The contest has a rule known as the “Eurovision Rule,” which states that a song must not exceed three minutes in length. However, the rule has been broken a few times!
- The most successful country in the history of Eurovision is Ireland, which has won the contest seven times.
- Australia has competed in Eurovision since 2015, despite not being a European country. They were invited to participate as a one-off in 2015, but their success led to their inclusion as a permanent participant.
- In 1974, ABBA won Eurovision with their song “Waterloo”, which launched their international career and helped make them one of the most successful bands of all time.
- In 1978, during the voting process, a tie occurred between France, Israel, and the United Kingdom. The rules at the time didn’t have a provision for a tiebreaker, so all three countries were declared winners.
- In 1998, Dana International became the first openly transgender person to win Eurovision representing Israel with her song “Diva”.
- The 2017 winner, Salvador Sobral, from Portugal, set a record for the highest score ever achieved in Eurovision history, with 758 points.
Eurovision has launched the careers of many famous artists, including Celine Dion (who represented Switzerland in 1988), Julio Iglesias (who represented Spain in 1970), and Conchita Wurst (who represented Austria in 2014).
Eurovision is known for its flamboyant costumes, extravagant staging, and over-the-top performances. One of the more memorable acts in recent times was Lordi, who won the contest for Finland in 2006 dressed as monsters!
The UK & Eurovision
The United Kingdom have been in a poor run of form when it comes to their Eurovision results in recent years. However in 2022, TikTok star Sam Ryder was selected to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with his track Spaceman. To the shock of many fans, he finished in second place, topping the jury votes, only losing to winners Ukraine
The Brits have won the competition five times; in 1967 with Sandie Shaw’s Puppet On A String; in 1969 with Lulu and Boom Bang-a-Bang; in 1976 with Brotherhood of Man and Save Your Kisses for Me; in 1981 with Bucks Fizz and Making Your Mind Up and in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves and Love Shine a Light.
Will we be lucky in 2023?
So why book your event in Liverpool?
Liverpool has been a UNESCO City of Music since 2015, is famous for The Beatles and has a rich music heritage. It also has the 5th largest Cathedral in Europe!
Liverpool is easily accessible from major UK cities such as London, Manchester, and Glasgow, and has its own international airport. It also has excellent transport links, including a well-connected train station, making it easy for attendees to reach the city.
Liverpool has a variety of excellent conference venues, ranging from large-scale convention centres to smaller meeting spaces.
We have written a short blog about just some of the meeting space and hotels that we can book for your events in Liverpool. There are many, many more hotels and venues we can book for you so please get in touch.
What is Liverpool famous for?
The Beatles: Liverpool is the hometown of the world-famous band, The Beatles. The city is known for its vibrant music scene and the numerous places associated with the band, such as The Cavern Club, Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane.
Football: Liverpool is home to two Premier League football teams – Liverpool FC and Everton FC. Liverpool FC is one of the most successful football clubs in English football.
Port city: Liverpool is an historic port city; the waterfront and the Albert Dock is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Culture and arts: Liverpool has a rich cultural and artistic heritage. The city boasts numerous museums and galleries, such as the Tate Liverpool, the Walker Art Gallery, and the Museum of Liverpool.
Architecture: Liverpool has many beautiful and unique buildings, including the iconic Royal Liver Building. This building on the city’s waterfront is one of the most recognisable landmarks in Liverpool. It was built in 1911 and features two liver birds, the symbol of the city.
