Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international song competition held by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1956. This page is a list of cities and venues that have hosted the contest one or more times.
The contest has frequently been held in a capital city. The six editions spanning from 2019 to 2025 (the 2020 edition having been cancelled) are to date the longest span of consecutive editions without a capital hosting the event. This record was previously held by the four editions between 1956 and 1959.
Country | City | Venue | Event | Occasion | Year | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norway | Mysen | Momarken | Songs of Europe | Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the contest | 1981 | [71] |
Slovenia | Ljubljana | TV SLO Studio 1 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet | Pre-qualification round held for the 1993 contest between eastern European countries | 1993 | [72] |
Denmark | Copenhagen | Forum Copenhagen | Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest | Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the contest | 2005 | [73] |
United Kingdom | London | Eventim Apollo | Eurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits | Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the contest | 2015 | [74] |
Netherlands | Hilversum | Studio 21 | Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light | Replacement show for the 2020 contest, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 | [75] |
The tradition of the winning country hosting the following year's event was established in 1958, held in the Netherlands.[76][77][78] A number of exceptions to this rule have occurred since, typically when the winning country had already hosted the event in the recent past. These exceptions are listed below:
With Australia's invitation to participate in the contest in 2015, it was announced that should it win the contest, Australian broadcaster SBS would co-host the following year's contest in a European city in collaboration with an EBU member broadcaster of its choice.[86][87]
The host city insignia is a rotating trophy awarded to cities hosting the Eurovision Song Contest, proposed jointly by the city of Helsinki, the Finnish broadcaster Yle and the EBU in conjunction with the 2007 edition.
The insignia takes the form of a large key ring to which the host cities can attach their city key or other symbol representing the city. The insignia exchange usually takes place in conjuction with the semi-final allocation draw. The insignia is then traditionally put on display in a public place, such as the city hall or another venue of local significance, for the remainder of the year.[88]
The insignia's concept and fob were designed by the Anteeksi group, while the key ring was designed by jewellery designer Taru Tonder. Hand-engraved on the ring are the following texts: "Eurovision Song Contest Host City", all host cities up until 2006, and a "Helsinki 2007" stamp with the initials of the insignia designers. Additionally, the fob has a picture of the Helsinki Senate Square attached to the ring.[89][90][91]
Since the introduction of the two semi-finals system in 2008, a draw has been held to determine in which semi-final a country would participate, as well as in which semi-final a country would vote in. Each year, either five or six countries are exempt from the drawing for competing in the semi-finals: the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and the host country, if the host is not one of the "Big Five". In 2015, the number of countries exempt was seven, as Australia joined the other six exempt countries as a special guest contestant.
Regardless if a country is exempt from competing in the semi-finals, all participating countries are allotted a semi-final in which to vote.
Year | Venue | City | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Old Palace | Belgrade | [92] |
2009 | Marriott Royal Aurora Hotel | Moscow | [93] |
2010 | Euroclub at Smuget | Oslo | [94] |
2011 | Esprit Arena | Düsseldorf | [95] |
2012 | Buta Palace | Baku | [96] |
2013 | Malmö Town Hall | Malmö | [97] |
2014 | Copenhagen City Hall | Copenhagen | [98] |
2015 | Vienna Rathaus | Vienna | [99] |
2016 | Stockholm City Hall | Stockholm | [100] |
2017 | Column Hall of Kyiv City State Administration | Kyiv | [101] |
2018 | Lisbon City Hall | Lisbon | [102] |
2019 | Tel Aviv Museum of Art | Tel Aviv | [103] |
2021[d] | Rotterdam City Hall | Rotterdam | [105] |
2022 | Palazzo Madama | Turin | [106] |
2023 | St George's Hall | Liverpool | [107] |
2024 | Malmö Town Hall | Malmö | [108] |
Previously, the running order was determined at a dedicated event. This has been made redundant following the implementation of producer-created running orders in 2013.
Year | Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1988 | Mansion House, Dublin | [109] |
1993 | National Concert Hall, Dublin | [110] |
1997 | Clarence Hotel, Dublin | [111] |
2007 | Finlandia Hall, Helsinki | [112] |
2008 | Sava Centar, Belgrade | [113] |
2009 | Cosmos Hotel, Moscow | [114] |
2012 | Buta Palace, Baku | [115] |
An official opening ceremony with a red carpet procession has been held since 2009 at a venue in the host city. Prior to that, a welcome reception was typically held for all participating artists and hosted by the mayor of the host city.[116]
Year | Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1985 | Kronhuset | [117] |
1992 | Malmö City Hall | [118] |
1993 | Great Southern Hotel, Killarney and City Hall, Cork | [118] |
Dining Hall, Trinity College Dublin | [119] | |
1995 | Royal Hospital Kilmainham | [120] |
Oslo City Hall | [121][122] | |
1998 | ICC Birmingham | [123] |
1999 | Israel Museum | [124] |
Stockholm Palace and City Hall | [125] | |
Copenhagen City Hall | [126] | |
2004 | Çırağan Palace | [127] |
2006 | Zappeion | [128] |
2007 | Finlandia Hall | [129] |
2008 | Palace of Serbia | [130] |
2009 | Central Manezh Exhibition Center | [131] |
2011 | Tonhalle Düsseldorf | [132] |
2012 | Baku Sports Palace | [133] |
2013 | Malmö Opera | [134] |
2015 | Vienna City Hall | [135] |
2017 | Mariinskyi Palace and Parkovy Congress and Exhibition Center | [136] |
2018 | Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology and Electricity Museum | [137] |
2019 | Habima Square and Charles Bronfman Auditorium | [138] |
2020 | Rotterdam Cruise Terminal X | [139] |
2021[e] | Rotterdam Cruise Terminal | [141] |
2022 | Palace of Venaria | [142] |
2023 | Walker Art Gallery and St George's Hall | [143] |
2024 | Malmö Live | [144] |
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.