Page 897 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Liverpool’s deep musical heritage that edged its winning bid to host the Eurovision Song

Contest, which screeches into the city this week in a blaze of colour and song.

It’s an annual spectacle bigger than the Super Bowl in the US, akin to an Olympics of
singing — and 100,000 fans are expected to descend on Merseyside this week, while

millions of eyes will linger on Liverpool as it plays first-time host to the world’s biggest

live music event on its 67th outing.

This year, the BBC hosts de facto, on behalf of and in collaboration with last year’s

winner, Ukraine, which is unable to do the honours owing to the war with Russia.

Having clinched the silver-medal spot last year, the UK got first dibs. It’s been 25 years

since the competition came to the UK, when a Swede and an Irishman (Ulrika Jonsson
and Terry Wogan) co-hosted at Arena Birmingham, and the contest’s first transgender

winner, Israel’s Dana International, emerged victorious with the song Diva. Since then,

Ireland hasn’t had a great run of it but Liverpool’s proud Irish heritage will no doubt be

on show.

Liverpool’s Waterfront area
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