Those leading Bristol’s Eurovision bid confident the city is ‘ideal host’

Marvin Rees has said “Ukrainians will be at the heart of Bristol’s Eurovision” as efforts get underway to bring the event to the city.

After it was officially announced that the UK would play host to the international singing competition on Monday, the bidding contest is set to begin to determine the host city.

The news Bristol is throwing its hat into the ring was made as a surprise announcement before the headliner took to the stage at Pride Day on the Downs.

The ambition to host the event at the historic Brabazon Hangars – site of the yet-to-be-built YTL Arena – has gained the backing of politicians and representatives from the city’s business and culture sectors.

Bristol has stiff competition on its hands, with several other cities having currently announced their intention to bid, including neighbouring Cardiff.

At this stage in the game, Glasgow seems favourite to host, followed by Manchester, London and Birmingham. Bristol is so far billed as an outsider in the bidding.

But those leading the bid to bring Eurovision 2023 to Bristol are confident it is the right city to host the contest in place of this year’s winner Ukraine. Despite protocol dictating the winner should host the event, organisers decided it is too dangerous in light of the ongoing war and turned to the unlikely runners-up, Great Britain.

Andrew Billingham, CEO of YTL Arena Bristol, says the Brabazon Hangar venue “provides the capacity to custom build the ultimate Eurovision experience – ensuring that we, as a country, honour the values, culture and wishes of Ukraine”.

He told Bristol24/7: “If Bristol wins, we will work around our construction programme to deliver this incredible event for this incredible city.

“We firmly believe Bristol is the ideal host for the competition. This is an inclusive city, which celebrates its diversity. There are at least 45 religions, 187 different countries of birth and 91 main languages spoken by people living in Bristol. Bristol has an international airport connecting us to 31 different countries and we are just over one hour from London by train.

“We hope everybody from Bristol and the wider region gets behind this exciting city bid.”

Speaking to the BBC this week, mayor Marvin Rees said: “Even if Eurovision is not in Ukraine, Ukrainians will be at the heart of Bristol’s Eurovision.

“So we are really doing this with the city to make sure that the values of Eurovision are central to all that we do, that Ukrainians are at the heart of it and to make sure there’s true legacy from what comes.”

Bristol’s nighttime economy advisor Carly Heath has been quick to get behind the bid to bring the 2023 contest to the city, as have others across the business sector.

Raphael Herzog, chair of the Bristol Hoteliers Association, said clinching the deal would put “Bristol on the map and be a huge boost for tourism”.

“The event itself will see a huge demand for accommodation, as well as bringing visitors and supporters from all over Europe, and beyond, who may well want to make a return visit in the future as tourists once they get a glimpse of all that Bristol and the surrounding area has to offer,” said Herzog.

“This is a remarkable opportunity for the city and would be a huge boost to hoteliers and other hospitality businesses as we continue on the slow, and challenging, road to recovery after the pandemic.”

The YTL Arena is not due to open until 2024 but music events have been hosted on the former Filton Airfield site, including a Massive Attack homecoming gig in 2019 and, most recently, a secret Queen concert inside the historic Brabazon Hangars.

Main image: YTL

Read more: Bristol’s bid to host Eurovision 2023

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