City’s across the North are set to host official Eurovision parties on the weekend of May 13, when the live Grand Final will be taking place in Liverpool and airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield will all be holding official screenings to make sure as many of us can get in on the action as possible, with more expected to be confirmed over the coming weeks.
Martin Green CBE, BBC managing director of Eurovision Song Contest, said: “We’re thrilled to roll out Eurovision across the UK. So many people here are huge Eurovision fans and for those new to the Contest they will get to experience the joy of watching the Grand Final surrounded by thousands of others right there in their local city.”
Each city taking part will schedule their own programme of events with each releasing more details over the coming weeks. They’ll also have access to some mobile aspects of the Liverpool culture programme, including BBC Storyville Live films.
The UK-wide live events build on the previously announced partnership with CinemaLive, which takes the Grand Final into more than 500 cinemas across the UK.
The live events are also being supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who are providing over £1m in funding for screens for people to come together to watch the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort, and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Eurovision Minister, Stuart Andrew, added: “This competition is not just about Liverpool, but making sure we celebrate what unites us and showcasing our steadfast support for Ukraine. We are bringing the Eurovision Song Contest to people’s doorsteps, so we can all take part in this historic moment and enjoy the magic of Eurovision as one.”
Sheffield was among the first out of the blocks with details of plans for its event, which will see the city teaming up with the Sheffield Ukrainian Community to bring on a show like the city has never seen before.
Featuring a big screen on Devonshire Green, Sheffield’s free official Eurovision Party will be jam-packed with all of the Euro glitz including street performers, dance acts, traditional Ukrainian musicians and a very special guest, Marina Krutь.
Krutь came second in the competition to be this year’s Ukrainian entry with 33,000 votes, and will be travelling over from Ukraine to join the party.
