Final Eurovision tickets sell out in about an hour
The final remaining tickets to the Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Liverpool have sold out in about an hour.
Thousands waited in online queues for their chance to purchase a ticket via Ticketmaster with the majority of tickets selling out.
Standing tickets for the event’s grand final cost up to £380 while seated tickets were on sale for between £160 and £380.
Suite tickets for the grand final, with space for 12 people, were also on sale for £45,000.
Announcing that most tickets were sold out, the official BBC Twitter account of the 2023 contest tweeted: “The majority of Eurovision 2023 tickets that went on sale today have now been sold.
"A small number of tickets are still available to purchase for some shows.
"For those of you with tickets, we'll see you in Liverpool.
Last week Eurovision announced a second wave of tickets for each of the nine live shows at ACC Liverpool arena.
When Eurovision tickets were released in March, passes to the grand final sold out in just over half an hour.
The event is being held in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn 2022 winner Ukraine.
Ukrainian refugees living in the UK have also been able to apply for cheaper tickets.
Outside of the arena live shows, a two-week series of mostly free events will run around the same time as the song contest in Liverpool.
The semi-finals will be broadcast on the BBC on May 9 and May 11 with the grand final on May 13 also being shown in cinemas in addition to the corporation's airing
It has been announced that The King and the Queen Consort will unveil the staging for the show later this week.
Charles and Camilla will be shown around the M&S Bank Arena and meet creative teams and celebrity presenters, ahead of the contest next month.
A series of evaluation studies have also been announced that will determine the social impact of Eurovision 2023 on wellbeing, cultural legacy and the economy.
Different organisations - such as Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the BBC, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the British Council - will look at issues such as addressing risk related night-life behaviour and sense of community separately.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: "The chance to host a global spectacle like the Eurovision Song Contest is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often - especially for a city in the UK - that's why so many cities bid for the accolade.
"As an international event that attracts guests, media and attention from around the world, we're expecting thousands upon thousands of visitors to descend on the Liverpool City Region next month for a week-long celebration of music, dance, fun and frivolity.
"The 2 million pounds that the combined authority is contributing towards the staging of Eurovision is just a fraction of the economic return we expect to see from the event, which is predicted to inject 25 million into the city region economy in May alone.
"But the intangible contribution of broadcasting our brand to an international audience could be invaluable.
"With a visitor economy that's worth nearly 5 billion pounds and which supports more than 55,000 jobs, I'm looking forward to seeing the impact that hosting Eurovision will have on our residents, our economy and our culture for years to come."
Alongside Eurovision, a two-week series of mostly free events will run around the same time as the song contest in Liverpool.
EuroFestival will see a performance by Ukrainian Eurovision Song Contest winner Jamala, collaborations between British artists and Ukrainian artists along with a parade featuring a glitterball jellyfish.
The semi-finals are broadcast on the BBC on May 9 and May 11 with the grand final on May 13.