Eurovision: Liverpool should be 'blueprint for future hosts'

Liverpool's approach to hosting the Eurovision Song Contest should be considered as a blueprint for future contests, a report has found.

The city hosted the competition on behalf of Ukraine in 2023.

The report, commissioned by the British Council, said Liverpool was the first to host a large cultural programme around the contest.

Christine Wilson, from the British Council, said the city created an "amazing atmosphere".

She told BBC Radio Merseyside: "One of the things that really comes out is the point about the warmth of Liverpool and how important it was - not just the place but also the people.

"There was something for everyone during the whole of Eurofest and, from a British Council position, that is what we are about."

Liverpool's EuroFestival programme was a first for a host city and saw 24 artistic commissions and a cultural embrace of Eurovision across the city.

Ms Wilson said the way the city hosted the event was "a best practice case study".

She also cited how quickly the event was turned around after it was revealed the UK would hold the event on behalf of Ukraine.

"No one else in the country has a team quite like Liverpool," she said.

She said that Culture Liverpool's approach to the event was "transformative, not just for Eurovisions of the future but also other cultural events that could come to the UK".

Eurovision Minister Stuart Andrew said: "Liverpool and the BBC put on a spectacular celebration of UK and Ukrainian culture at last year's Eurovision and this research proves the huge impact it had.

"The UK is a global leader in hosting major events."

Mr Andrew said the UK's music and creative industries delivered "huge economic value" and helped the country to "build relationships across the globe".

He added: "The legacy of the 2023 Eurovision will be felt for generations to come."

Phil Harrold, Chair of the BBC Eurovision Steering Group, said showcasing the event to audiences across the world has been "an incredibly proud moment for the BBC".

The report was commissioned by the British Council in partnership with Liverpool City Council and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to look at the impact of the event on tourism and new business opportunities as well as the impact on both Liverpool and the UK.

Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said the event's success had shown Liverpool was a great place to host such big global events with more than 300,000 people attending Eurovision-related events in Liverpool in May, giving the local economy a £54m boost.

"Liverpool is a great place to come and visit but actually it's a great place to come and live and work and bring jobs and investment," he said.

The event had been "something much greater than just a music contest", according to Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.

"It was an incredible display of unity and creativity that showcased the very best of our area's values," he said.

"From the hundreds of thousands of visitors who flocked to our region for a fortnight of fun and frivolity, to the tens of millions around the world who tuned in, we showed them all the real Liverpool."

He said the legacy of Liverpool hosting Eurovision "will live long in people's hearts and minds", adding: "Eurovision didn't just change Liverpool, Liverpool changed Eurovision".

The city will officially hand over the Eurovision key to Sweden in Malmö on Tuesday.

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