Eurovision 2023: Who will host Eurovision 2023? What date is Eurovision 2023? What cities are on the Eurovision Shortlist?

We are now a step closer to knowing which UK city will be chosen to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

The UK city chosen to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is being selected in a “two-stage process” after it was decided that the event could not be held in Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion.

The BBC – who broadcast the contest in the UK and will make the selection alongside the EBU – have specified that the host city will be chosen using a two-stage selection process.

A shortlist of seven cities has now been selected to host the event.

Kalush Orchestra, Eurovision winners from Ukraine, performing their first UK gig at Shangri-La's Truth Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture date: Saturday June 25, 2022.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is in the Eurovision shortlist?

The Eurovision 2023 shortlist was announced on Friday 12 August, as part of BBC Radio 2’s breakfast programme.

Glasgow was named on the shortlist, along with Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Glasgow Eurovision 2023

Glasgow has declared it is “the safest of safe pair of hands” after hosting climate summit COP26 last year.

The council said Glasgow met all the “technical requirements” for the event, which could be worth more than £20 million for its economy.

Glasgow was named on the shortlist, thanks to the 14,000-capacity of the OVO Hydro, the world’s second busiest music venue in 2019.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “We’re delighted to progress to the next stage of the process. Delivering such a unique event in such a short timescale presents a challenge, but Glasgow has an unrivalled track-record for successfully hosting major global events and we’re confident we can present a Eurovision that reflects a true celebration of Ukrainian culture.

“As the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music – a title we share with Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv – Glasgow offers one of the most immersive live music experiences in the world and international visitors regularly cite our enviable music credentials as a reason for coming here. Add to that our OVO Hydro, which is consistently ranked in the world’s top five entertainment arenas, and our famously warm Glaswegian welcome, and we tick all the boxes for hosting a show that the Eurovision community, and the world, will long remember.”

1969 Eurovision winner Lulu said she was rooting for the city.

“I am excited about it, especially because of Ukraine. My heart and everyone’s heart goes out to Ukraine and this is chance to represent them and do right by them.

“It is so touching, I think it is going to be an amazing year,” she said.

No large arena in the UK has enough of a gap in its event listings to host Eurovision next year, with organisers telling the BBC that a venue would be needed by producers six to eight weeks ahead of the song contest.

Shows involving Celine Dion, Magic Mike, André Rieu and Elton John would all need to be rearranged by Glasgow during the six to eight-week period needed for any potential venue.

Eurovision 2023 in Aberdeen or Edinburgh?

Aberdeen had also stated that they would be bidding for Eurovision, along with a late last minute attempt by Edinburgh.

However, neither have been selected for the shortlist and are eliminated as a result.

Who has withdrawn from hosting Eurovision 2023?

On Wednesday, Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government and the Principality Stadium released a joint statement announcing they had been exploring the viability of bringing the song contest to Wales’s capital city, but will not proceed due to the “complexity of staging the event”.

When will we know who is hosting Eurovision 2023?

The seven cities will now have their merits considered by organisers, and according to Zoe Ball on the BBC2 Breakfast Show, it is likely to be around the time of autumn that the final city is revealed.