In 2023, Britain will step in as the host country for Ukraine, which won the competition this year with the Kalush Orchestra. Originally, 20 British cities had applied to host the event, with Liverpool and the Scottish city of Glasgow recently competing.
“We did it,” jubilated Joanne Anderson, the Mayor of Liverpool, on Twitter. The Beatles once started their career in Liverpool. Frankie Goes to Hollywood also came from the northern English city.
Thanks to overwhelming support from the audience, the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the ESC final in Turin, Italy in May with their song “Stefania”. Briton Sam Ryder came in second. Germany came last.
Normally, the winning country is the host of the ESC in the following year. Because of the Russian war of aggression, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not want to organize the next ESC in Ukraine for security reasons. The Ukrainian government initially opposed the cancellation, but was not able to assert its objections.
The EBU had been in talks with the BBC since June. In July, Great Britain agreed to step in as alternate hosts. But Ukraine is automatically set for the final. The Ukrainian government approved a UK-hosted event that has a strong Ukrainian flavor.
Great Britain has already hosted the ESC eight times, including four times in London alone, but also in Edinburgh, Brighton and Harrogate and most recently in 1998 in Birmingham.
