Countries which have hosted the Eurovision Song Contest as of 2025; G – A single hosting; P – Multiple hostings

(it) La maggior parte delle spese del concorso è coperta da sponsor e dai contributi provenienti dalle altre nazioni partecipanti. Il concorso è considerato un’opportunità unica per promuovere il paese ospitante come destinazione turistica. Nell’estate del 2005, l’Ucraina ha abolito il suo normale obbligo di visto per i visitatori provenienti dall’UE in coincidenza con l’organizzazione dell’evento.

I preparativi per l’evento iniziano poche settimane dopo la vittoria del concorso, e dopo la conferma all’EBU che il paese intende e ha la capacità di ospitare l’evento. Una città ospitante viene scelta, di solito la capitale, ma non sempre, con annessa sede adatta del concorso. Le due sedi più importanti, sinora, sono state il Parken di Copenaghen (che ha contenuto circa 38 000 persone, quando la Danimarca ha ospitato l’ESC nel 2001) e la Esprit Arena di Düsseldorf (che ha contenuto circa 36 500 persone quando la Germania ha ospitato l’ESC nel 2011). La città più piccola ad aver organizzato è stata Millstreet nella Contea di Cork, in Irlanda, nel 1993. Il paese aveva una popolazione di 1 500 abitanti, sebbene la Green Glens Arena  potesse contenere fino a 8 000 persone.

Gli hotel e le facilitazioni per la stampa, nelle vicinanze, sono sempre una discriminante quando si sceglie una città ospitante e la sede. A Kiev nel 2005, le camere degli hotel erano scarse poiché gli organizzatori del concorso avevano chiesto al governo ucraino di mettere un blocco su prenotazioni che non potevano essere controllate attraverso le delegazioni ufficiali o i pacchetti turistici: questo ha portato all’annullamento di prenotazioni da parte di molte persone.

Dopo che le prime due gare furono ospitate da Svizzera e Germania, si decise che sarebbe stato il paese vincitore ad ospitare il concorso dell’anno successivo. Il vincitore del concorso 1957 furono i Paesi Bassi, e la televisione nederlandese accettò la responsabilità di ospitare l’ESC nel 1958. A questa regola ci sono state delle eccezioni:

• 1960 – ESC ospitato dalla BBC a Londra, poiché i Paesi Bassi declinarono per motivi economici. Il Regno Unito fu scelto per ospitare perché era arrivato secondo nel 1959.
• 1963 – ESC ospitato dalla BBC a Londra, poiché la Francia declinò per motivi economici. Anche se il Regno Unito arrivò solo quarto nel 1962, Monaco e Lussemburgo (che arrivarono secondo e terzo), rifiutarono l’organizzazione.
• 1972 – ESC ospitato dalla BBC a Edimburgo, poiché Monaco non fu in grado di fornire una sede adatta. La televisione monegasca invitò la BBC grazie alla sua precedente esperienza.
• 1974 – ESC ospitato dalla BBC a Brighton poiché il Lussemburgo declinò per motivi economici. La BBC stava diventando l’organizzatore di default, nel caso in cui il paese vincitore rifiutava di organizzare il concorso.
• 1980 – ESC ospitato dalla NOS a L’Aia, poiché Israele rifiutò per motivi economici, dopo aver organizzato l’ESC nel 1979 a Gerusalemme, e a causa del fatto che la data scelta per il concorso (19 aprile) era la giornata della memoria di Israele. La TV dei Paesi Bassi si offrì di ospitare il concorso dopo che diverse altre emittenti televisive (tra cui la BBC) si dichiararono disponibili.

La riluttanza di queste emittenti nazionali a organizzare il concorso era dovuta al fatto di aver già ospitato l’evento nel corso degli ultimi due anni. Dal 1981, tutte le gare si sono tenute nel paese che ha vinto l’anno precedente.

(en) Hosting: The winning broadcaster traditionally hosts the following year’s event, with some exceptions since 1958 Hosting the contest can be seen as a unique opportunity for promoting the host country as a tourist destination and can provide benefits to the local economy and tourism sectors of the host city. However, there is a perception reflected in popular culture that some broadcasters wish to avoid the costly burden of hosting – sometimes resulting in them sending deliberately subpar entries with no chance of winning.^[d] Preparations for each year’s contest typically begin at the conclusion of the previous year’s contest, with the head of delegation of the winning country receiving a welcome package of information related to hosting the contest at the winner’s press conference. Eurovision is a non-profit event, and financing is typically achieved through a fee from each participating broadcaster, contributions from the host broadcaster and the host city, and commercial revenues from sponsorships, ticket sales, televoting, and merchandise.

The host broadcaster will subsequently select a host city, typically a national or regional capital city, which must meet certain criteria set out in the contest’s rules. The host venue must be able to accommodate at least 10,000 spectators, a press centre for 1,500 journalists, should be within easy reach of an international airport and with hotel accommodation available for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists, and spectators. A variety of different venues have been used, from small theatres and television studios to large arenas and stadiums. The largest host venue is Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, which was attended by almost 38,000 spectators in 2001. With a population of 1,500 at the time of the 1993 contest, Millstreet, Ireland, remains the smallest hosting settlement, although its Green Glens Arena is capable of hosting up to 8,000 spectators.

Unlike the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup, whose host venues are announced several years in advance, there is usually no purpose-built infrastructure whose construction is justified with the needs of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. However, the 2012 edition, hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan, was held at Baku Crystal Hall, a venue that had not existed when Azerbaijan won the previous year. Every other editions have been held in pre-existing venues, but renovations or modifications have sometimes been undertaken in the year prior which are justified with the needs of the contest.

Eurovision logo and theme. Until 2004, each edition of the contest used its own logo and visual identity as determined by the respective host broadcaster. To create a consistent visual identity, the EBU introduced a generic logo ahead of the 2004 contest. This is typically accompanied by a unique theme artwork designed for each individual contest by the host broadcaster, with the flag of the host country placed prominently in the centre of the Eurovision heart. The original logo was designed by the London-based agency JM International, and received a revamp in 2014 by the Amsterdam-based Cityzen Agency for the contest’s 60th edition.

An individual theme is utilised by contest producers when constructing the visual identity of each edition of the contest, including the stage design, the opening and interval acts, and the “postcards”. The short video postcards are interspersed between the entries and were first introduced in 1970, initially as an attempt to “bulk up” the contest after a number of countries decided not to compete, but has since become a regular part of the show and usually highlight the host country and introduce the competing acts. A unique slogan for each edition, first introduced in 2002, was also an integral part of each contest’s visual identity, which was replaced by a permanent slogan from 2024 onwards. The permanent slogan, “United by Music”, had previously served as the slogan for the 2023 contest before being retained for all future editions as part of the contest’s global brand strategy.

Preparations. Preparations in the host venue typically begin approximately six weeks before the final, to accommodate building works and technical rehearsals before the arrival of the competing artists. Delegations will typically arrive in the host city two to three weeks before the live show, and each participating broadcaster appoints a head of delegation, responsible for coordinating the movements of their delegation and being their representative to the EBU. Members of each country’s delegation include performers, composers, lyricists, a Head of Press, and—in the years where a live orchestra was present—a conductor. Present if desired is a commentator, who provides commentary of the event for their radio and/or television feed in their own language in dedicated booths situated around the back of the arena behind the audience.

Each delegation conducts two individual rehearsals behind closed doors, the first for 30 minutes and the second for 20 minutes. Individual rehearsals for the semi-finalists commence the week before the live shows, with countries typically rehearsing in the order in which they will perform during the contest; rehearsals for the host country and the “Big Five” automatic finalists are held towards the end of the week. Following rehearsals, delegations meet with the show’s production team to review footage of the rehearsal and raise any special requirements or changes. “Meet and greet” sessions with accredited fans and press are held during these rehearsal weeks. Each live show is preceded by three dress rehearsals, where the whole show is run in the same way as it will be presented on TV. The second dress rehearsal, alternatively called the “jury show” or “evening preview show” and held the night before the broadcast, is used as a recorded back-up in case of technological failure, and performances during this show are used by the professional jury in each country to determine their votes. Until 2025, the delegations from the qualifying countries in each semi-final attended a qualifiers’ press conference after their respective semi-final. The winning delegation attends a winners’ press conference following the final.

A welcome reception is typically held at a venue in the host city on the Sunday preceding the live shows, which includes a red carpet ceremony for all the participating countries and is usually broadcast online. Accredited delegates, press and fans have access to an official nightclub, the “EuroClub”, and some delegations will hold their own parties. The “Eurovision Village” is an official fan zone open to the public free of charge, with live performances by the contest’s artists and screenings of the live shows on big screens.

Notes.

• [d] This belief is mentioned in Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) and a plot point in the Father Ted episode “A Song for Europe” (1996).