Liverpool has revolutionised' hosting the Eurovision Song Contest for future cities, report finds

Liverpool has "revolutionised" the approach to hosting Eurovision and and inspired future host cities "to adapt and tell their own story", a new report has found.

A survey also revealed a third of Europeans are more likely to visit the UK and Liverpool because of the city's success hosting the song contest.

Liverpool were asked to take on the contest in May 2023 on behalf of Ukraine, who were unable host the competition due to the Russian invasion.

It boosted the local economy by nearly £55 million and Liverpool's reputation as a "city of music" and an expert at delivering "immersive cultural events with strong community participation".

The report released on 24 January was conducted by the British Council, Liverpool City Council and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to understand the impact on global cultural relations that the UK and Liverpool had when hosting the contest.

It has found Liverpool "laid the foundation for future hosts in how to communicate key narratives to a huge international audience."

The report praises the EuroFestival programme – a first for a host city – which saw mostly Ukrainian artists take over the city as part of the celebrations.

It noted that this approach forged new, creative partnerships with Ukraine and was a powerful way to showcase the country's culture to more diverse audiences.

The live broadcast saw an average of 9.9 million viewers and a peak of 11 million tune in to watch Swedish singer Loreen win the contest - the most watched grand final in history.

The city-wide embrace of all things Eurovision was a key factor in how Liverpool was positively received.

Local businesses and residents flying Eurovision, Ukraine and Pride flags reiterated the inclusivity and symbolised the nature of the event.

This was seen as Liverpool successfully expressing its values of being a warm, welcoming and friendly city.

When analysing where Eurovision 2023 inspired visitors, a survey carried out with more than 5,000 Europeans found a third are more likely to visit the UK and Liverpool.

Future host cities are encouraged to adopt a similar approach to Liverpool’s evaluation methodology.

The report concludes that Liverpool has set an example of what to assess and how to do it and it should be used as a blueprint for future host cities.

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Liam Robinson, said: "There will be real legacy from this event with new visitors, new investment and strengthened diplomatic ties."

He continued to say: “The key handover in Malmö continues this narrative, and it’s only right that Liverpool’s approach to Eurovision is now considered the blueprint for future host cities - for them to adopt and adapt so that they can tell their own story.”  

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