Eurovision 2023
EuroFestival

2023

Culture Liverpool for Eurovision 2023

Producer | Cultural Commissions Programme (EuroFestival)

Executive responsibility for production of:

- With Fire and Rage (Artists on the Frontline, Parade-Fest)

- Storyville Live (BBC Storyville)

- EuroCamp presents (Black Gold Arts, Homotopia, Hackney Showroom, RubyLemon)

- Queerovision (First Take)

- Alevtina Kakhidze and Ellie Hoskins: Dialogues (Bluecoat Liverpool - Curators
Adam Lewis -Smyth and Olena Kasperovych)

- Katya Buchatska: Izyum to Liverpool (Liverpool Cathedral - Curator Elisa Nocente)

- Late at TATE: The Spirit of Eurovision (Tate Liverpool - Curator Adrian Shaw)

- A Place of Hope, including world-premiere of Maria by Yurii Radionov (Unity Theatre, Dir. Yurii Radionov)

- You’re A Vision! (Everyman Theatre and Sheep Soup)

Media

’Eurovision 2023 is Magic’ - Rolling Stone Magazine

‘At Eurovision, Ukrainians Find Community Far From Home’ - New York Times

“We should just move here and do this every year” - Martin Österdahl, Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor, speaking to Liverpool Echo.

‘Never seen anything like it - footfall like Christmas’ - BBC

Eurovision 2023 has become the most watched grand final in Eurovision history, breaking modern records - BBC statement

Image: Katya Buchatska: Izyum to Liverpool, Curator Elisa Nocentre, at Liverpool Cathedral - photo credit Rob Battersby

In May 2023, Liverpool hosted the Eurovision Song Contest.

The event should have taken place in Ukraine, but the ongoing illegal invasion of the country by Russia meant the UK instead hosted the competition on Ukraine’s behalf.

The Grand Final of Eurovision was delivered by the BBC and broadcast live on 13 May 2023 to 162 million viewers across the world; more than the Apollo moon landing in 1969 (150 million).

To support this, Culture Liverpool as host city created EuroFestival, a free cultural programme on a scale unseen at any previous Eurovision host city, with a series of new commissions, events and installations, acting as a platform for modern Ukraine and telling a story of an ambitious, progressive country, as well as the unbridled joy, diversity and expression which Eurovision represents.

The list of collaborators taking part in EuroFestival were:

Soloveiko Songbird: Amigo & Amigo, Svitlana Reinish, Anton Dehtiarov, M3 Industries, Black_Box
With Fire and Rage: Artists on the Frontline and Parade-Fest
Storyville Live: BBC Storyville
EuroCamp presents: Black Gold Arts, Homotopia, Hackney Showroom and RubyLemon
Queerovision: First Take
Dialogues: Bluecoat and The Jam Factory, Lviv
English National Opera Does Eurovision: English National Opera
Land and Sky, Home and Dreams: Go Fly Your Kite and the Junior Academy of Science Kyiv
The Blue and Yellow Submarine Parade: Invisible Wind Factory
QIRIM: Jamala
Rave Ukraine: Jez Collins, UAME I Music Saves UA and Open Culture
Izyum to Liverpool: Liverpool Cathedral and Katya Buchatska
You’re A Vision! Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Sheep Soup
Sound of Freedom: Port and Katya Taylor
Welcome to Eurotopia: Natalie McCool, Stealing Sheep, Krapka;KOMA and Helleroid
National Museums Liverpool x Eurovision: National Museums Liverpool
The People’s Flag: Northern Town and Jeanefer Jean-Charles & Associates
Home: Open Eye Gallery
The Big Eurovision Read: The Reading Agency and BBC Arts
Xpresia Festival: Slukh.Media, Sonia Chapman and Perfectionist.London
Late at Tate - The Spirit of Eurovision: Tate Liverpool
A Place of Hope: Unity Theatre and Yurii Radionov
Protect the Beats: Whispered Tales and Denys Kashchei

The chosen commissions were selected through a process which included the BBC, British Council, Ukrainian Institute and Culture Liverpool.

An estimated influx of 500,000 visitors attended the city over the two-week period (the city centre population is 50,000, a 10-fold increase), exceeding expectations and marking a new evolution for Eurovision by expanding celebrations in the form of a free, city-wide festival.

EuroFestival was possible thanks to support from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Full programme details at this link.

Visit Liverpool