Destinations

Liverpool Prepares For Eurovision Celebration

Liverpool, England is now gearing up to host the international party that is the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, upcoming soon in mid-May.

The Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Contest will take place in the Liverpool Arena next to the River Mersey on Saturday May 13, with the semi-finals on May 9 and May 11. Given Liverpool’s lofty reputation for musical history – it is the hometown of the Beatles – the city is a natural choice as the host of Eurovision.

Even its airport carries musical significance, as it is named Liverpool John Lennon Airport. This year’s contest will also be defined by the very relevant positioning statement, “United By Music,” demonstrating a partnership between the United Kingdom, Ukraine and the host city.

With just weeks to go until the 67th Eurovision Song Contest takes over the city, the first details of the much-anticipated Eurovision Village have been announced, said Nigel Jacobson, the operations manager of Rainbow Travel in Vancouver.

“This will be the first port of call for anyone touching down in the city and hoping to soak up as much Eurovision atmosphere as possible,” said Jacobson. “Liverpool has revealed the first details of the lineup we can look forward to at the Eurovision Village, located centrally at Pier Head,” he said, referring to the nine-day schedule for the site.

Opening on Friday May 5 and running every day until the Grand Final on May 13, the Eurovision Village will offer a mix of one-off shows, live performances, DJ sets and special guest appearances. A unique area – Discover Ukraine – will be dedicated to celebrating Ukrainian creatives, with a whole range of European food and drink on offer across the site.

Liverpool has many more attractions for visitors to see and experience while in the city for Eurovision. There is, for example, the Liverpool Beatles Museum, with rare Beatles memorabilia exhibited across four floors; The Beatles Story, an experiential telling of the amazing rise to fame of the Beatles; the Magical Mystery Tour coach tour to see where John, Paul, George and Ringo grew up, met and formed the band; and the British Music Experience museum of British popular music, telling the story of British music through costumes, instruments, performance and memorabilia, to name a few key attractions.

Outside the realm of Liverpool’s music scene, visitors can also go behind the scenes of the city’s famous football clubs by booking tours of Anfield Stadium, home to Liverpool FC, and Goodison Park for Everton FC. They can also delve into the history of Liverpool at the Museum of Liverpool, discovering the sources of the city’s distinctive culture and character, and the tenacity, humour and even accent of Liverpool residents. And finally, for dedicated shoppers, there is Liverpool ONE, a retail mecca with over 170 stores, bars and restaurants, an 18-screen cinema and a five-acre park at Europe’s largest open air shopping centre.

Go to www.rainbowtravelonline.com for more.