Latest news with #70thEurovisionSongContest
Leader Live
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Vienna to host Eurovision Song Contest 2026
The city will become joint fourth on the list of places which have hosted the contest the most times, alongside Copenhagen, Malmo and Stockholm, with Austrian broadcaster ORF hosting the event. Eurovision's 70th final will take place at the city's Wiener Stadthalle arena on May 16, after a bidding process for cities saw officials examine facilities, infrastructure and the ability to accommodate visiting delegations, fans and journalists. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said: 'The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) is thrilled that Vienna has been selected as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. 'Vienna's reputation as one of the most musical cities in the world, and its location in the heart of Europe, makes it the perfect host city for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. 'The city's exceptional Stadthalle was a great venue for the 60th contest in 2015 and we're very much looking forward to welcoming delegations, artists and fans alike back there next May as the world's largest live music event celebrates 70 glorious years of being united by music. 'Together with host broadcaster ORF and the city of Vienna we will create a spectacular celebration of music that will reverberate across the world.' Vienna's City Hall will host the event's opening ceremony on May 10, and go on to host EuroClub, the contest's pop-up, nightlife spot, while the square outside will host the Eurovision Village, an open air screening zone. Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, added: 'In Vienna, we can be proud that our city has been selected by the EBU and ORF as the most suitable host city for one of the world's largest events. 'We submitted a convincing overall package with enormous accommodation capacities, excellent infrastructure, and a lot of experience in hosting international events. 'Additionally, we placed great emphasis on offering numerous Eurovision Song Contest events in public spaces that can be visited free of charge. 'As the mayor of Vienna, it is very important to me that cultural events are accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of their wallet. 'As the mayor of Vienna, I am, of course, pleased that Vienna was able to prevail and that Austria can represent itself again next year. We will have a great May together, I am convinced of that.' Further details including ticketing will be released later this year. Eurovision's 2025 final saw Israeli singer Yuval Raphael finish as runner-up, after her team said she was left 'shaken and upset' after pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards a barrier while she was on stage. Following the incident, Swiss police confirmed two people were handed over to them and that they were later released, while the organiser, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, released a statement saying that a crew member was hit with paint but was 'fine'.
South Wales Guardian
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
Vienna to host Eurovision Song Contest 2026
The city will become joint fourth on the list of places which have hosted the contest the most times, alongside Copenhagen, Malmo and Stockholm, with Austrian broadcaster ORF hosting the event. Eurovision's 70th final will take place at the city's Wiener Stadthalle arena on May 16, after a bidding process for cities saw officials examine facilities, infrastructure and the ability to accommodate visiting delegations, fans and journalists. A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision) Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said: 'The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) is thrilled that Vienna has been selected as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. 'Vienna's reputation as one of the most musical cities in the world, and its location in the heart of Europe, makes it the perfect host city for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. 'The city's exceptional Stadthalle was a great venue for the 60th contest in 2015 and we're very much looking forward to welcoming delegations, artists and fans alike back there next May as the world's largest live music event celebrates 70 glorious years of being united by music. 'Together with host broadcaster ORF and the city of Vienna we will create a spectacular celebration of music that will reverberate across the world.' Vienna's City Hall will host the event's opening ceremony on May 10, and go on to host EuroClub, the contest's pop-up, nightlife spot, while the square outside will host the Eurovision Village, an open air screening zone. Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, added: 'In Vienna, we can be proud that our city has been selected by the EBU and ORF as the most suitable host city for one of the world's largest events. 'We submitted a convincing overall package with enormous accommodation capacities, excellent infrastructure, and a lot of experience in hosting international events. 'Additionally, we placed great emphasis on offering numerous Eurovision Song Contest events in public spaces that can be visited free of charge. 'As the mayor of Vienna, it is very important to me that cultural events are accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of their wallet. 'As the mayor of Vienna, I am, of course, pleased that Vienna was able to prevail and that Austria can represent itself again next year. We will have a great May together, I am convinced of that.' Further details including ticketing will be released later this year. Eurovision's 2025 final saw Israeli singer Yuval Raphael finish as runner-up, after her team said she was left 'shaken and upset' after pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards a barrier while she was on stage. Following the incident, Swiss police confirmed two people were handed over to them and that they were later released, while the organiser, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, released a statement saying that a crew member was hit with paint but was 'fine'.
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Vienna to host Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Eurovision's 70th final will take place at the city's Wiener Stadthalle arena on May 16, after a bidding process for cities saw officials examine facilities, infrastructure and the ability to accommodate visiting delegations, fans and journalists. Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said: 'The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) is thrilled that Vienna has been selected as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. 'Vienna's reputation as one of the most musical cities in the world, and its location in the heart of Europe, makes it the perfect host city for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. 'The city's exceptional Stadthalle was a great venue for the 60th contest in 2015 and we're very much looking forward to welcoming delegations, artists and fans alike back there next May as the world's largest live music event celebrates 70 glorious years of being united by music. 'Together with host broadcaster ORF and the city of Vienna we will create a spectacular celebration of music that will reverberate across the world.' Vienna's City Hall will host the event's opening ceremony on May 10, and go on to host EuroClub, the contest's pop-up, nightlife spot, while the square outside will host the Eurovision Village, an open air screening zone. Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, added: 'In Vienna, we can be proud that our city has been selected by the EBU and ORF as the most suitable host city for one of the world's largest events. 'We submitted a convincing overall package with enormous accommodation capacities, excellent infrastructure, and a lot of experience in hosting international events. 'Additionally, we placed great emphasis on offering numerous Eurovision Song Contest events in public spaces that can be visited free of charge. 'As the mayor of Vienna, it is very important to me that cultural events are accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of their wallet. 'As the mayor of Vienna, I am, of course, pleased that Vienna was able to prevail and that Austria can represent itself again next year. We will have a great May together, I am convinced of that.' Further details including ticketing will be released later this year. Eurovision's 2025 final saw Israeli singer Yuval Raphael finish as runner-up, after her team said she was left 'shaken and upset' after pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards a barrier while she was on stage. Following the incident, Swiss police confirmed two people were handed over to them and that they were later released, while the organiser, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, released a statement saying that a crew member was hit with paint but was 'fine'.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Vienna chosen to host 70th Eurovision Song Contest
Vienna has been confirmed as the host city for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in May 2026. Austria's capital was selected by national broadcaster ORF and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) following a competitive bid process. The Grand Final will be staged at the Wiener Stadthalle on Saturday 16 May, with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 May. This will be the third time Vienna has welcomed Eurovision. The city first hosted in 1967 after Udo Jürgens' victory the year before, and again in 2015 following Conchita Wurst's win. Next year's contest comes after Austria's JJ triumphed in Basel this May with Wasted Love, securing the country's third Eurovision crown. Martin Green, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, said Vienna's reputation as "one of the most musical cities in the world" and its central European location made it the ideal choice. He added that the Stadthalle proved to be an "exceptional venue" when it staged the 60th edition. Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig said the city would ensure events around the contest are accessible to everyone, while Tourism Director Norbert Kettner described Eurovision and Vienna as a "perfect match". Eurovision has delivered significant boosts to recent host cities, with Liverpool, Malmö and Basel all reporting major gains in tourism and international profile.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
RTE requests Eurovision vote breakdown as TDs call for audit of vote for Israel
RTÉ has requested a breakdown of voting numbers from last weekend's Eurovision after questions were raised about how many votes Israel received. It follows similar moves by broadcasters in Spain and Belgium. Spain's national broadcaster RTVE and Belgium's national broadcaster VRT called for transparency into the Eurovision voting system. Both Belgium and Spain's televoters awarded Israel 12 points, while the juries gave the country zero points. The Irish televote gave Israel 12 points in the second semi-final and 10 points in the final. The Irish jury, consisting of five industry professionals, gave Israel seven points in the Eurovision grand final. An RTÉ spokesperson confirmed that it had "requested a breakdown in voting numbers from the EBU and its voting partner Once". Referencing a statement from Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, RTÉ added that it looked "forward to participating in the discussions and review outlined within this statement". Mr Green said: "We can confirm that we have been in touch with several broadcasters since Saturday's Grand Final regarding voting in the competition. "Now the event has concluded we will have a broad discussion with participating broadcasters, to reflect and obtain feedback on all aspects of this year's event as part of our planning process for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest next year. "It is important to emphasise that the voting operation for the Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world and each country's result is checked and verified by a huge team of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns. "An independent compliance monitor reviews both jury and public vote data to ensure we have a valid result. "Our voting partner, Once, has confirmed that a valid vote was recorded in all countries participating in this year's Grand Final and in the Rest of the World." In Leinster House on Tuesday morning, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy stated that there needs to be a "full boycott" of Israel, and this includes Israel being "kicked out" of the competition as it is the "normalisation of a genocidal state". He said that while he did not watch the competition, he was aware of "suspiciously high votes for Israel in a range of countries" and if there were question marks being raised there should be an audit. Labour's George Lawlor, however, said it would be "tokenistic" for Ireland to pull out of the competition next year if Israel does compete. However, he said that the results "seemed very unusual" and that an audit should be conducted if necessary. Rory Hearne of the Social Democrats stated that it should be Israel that does not participate in the Eurovision, rather than Ireland pulling out. He added that an audit of votes would be an "important thing to do".
