The Eurovision Song Contest is known for being an extravaganza, and Liverpool, the host city this year, went above and beyond with the pre-party launch.
This is the first time the U.K. has hosted in 25 years, as Ukraine, which won last year’s event, could not stage the event owing to the continued Russian invasion. With the U.K. finishing second in last year’s competition, it was left to the nation to carry the baton in their honour.
What is fantastic for the city of Liverpool is that more than 100,000 people are expected to travel from all over the world for a week-long festivities comprising a pop-up Ukrainian village, a broad range of traditional food, and installations by artists from around the country.
As I live 25 minutes away on a train journey into Liverpool, I am thrilled to see the limelight given to this incredible city. There’s so much on offer: iconic landmarks, sporting giants to watch, locations for Hollywood to film, star-studded theatre shows, exotic restaurants, and a vibrant city centre with the friendliest people imaginable – plus, its dazzling music scene.
The celebrations formally began on Friday, May 5th, with an enormous blue and yellow submarine parade, a homage to Liverpool’s most renowned musical exports – The Beatles.
Pre-Eurovision Launch
Let’s talk about the pre-show to kick off the Eurovision Song Contest. The grandest opening was the National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome, held on Sunday, May 7th – where the headline act was Liverpool’s very own Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
However, there were also many other performances around the city held as part of the celebrations for Eurovision that you could have gone to watch, and there will continue to be so throughout the week — an opportunity to see an up-and-coming star.
For instance, on Saturday, May 6th, I was thrilled to go and watch and listen to Mezzo-Soprano musician, Sophie Clarke, perform at one of the well-known hotels. Clarke has performed with Liverpool and The Beatles very own Paul McCartney in the past, and she thoroughly entertained everyone at the hotel with her exceptional singing voice. It won’t be long before she becomes a household name.
After her performance, I followed up with Clarke and asked her how taking the stage as part of the Eurovision celebrations felt.
She told me, “As a Liverpool-born singer, I am very proud to be performing as part of the Eurovision celebrations. Our great city has always had music at its heart, and I’m so pleased that we are able to show the world the wonderful musical culture we have here.”
Clarke will also perform this Saturday, May 13th, at Silvestrian Suites from 6 p.m. for a Eurovision Community Get Together, where she will sing alongside Ukrainian performer Krystyna Vorobii.
National Lottery Eurovision Welcome
For the National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome on Sunday, May 7th, an estimated 25,000 people gathered at St. George’s Plateau. It was such an entertaining night and a fantastic way to start the Eurovision phenomenon.
As mentioned, local heroes Frankie Goes to Hollywood topped the billing, and they reunited to delight the crowd and perform for the first time after 36 years. The pop group, one of the biggest sensations of the 1980s, sang “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” to exhilarate those in attendance.
Ukraine’s Jamala sang her 2016 Eurovision-winning song “1944” with the United Ukrainian Ballet in addition to the hometown heroes. Later, she partnered with British singer Birdy to perform “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles with the Liverpool Signing Choir.
Conchita Wurst, another Eurovision star, sang the 2014 winning song “Rise Like A Phoenix” in front of a breathtaking light display. Abba’s timeless Eurovision hit “Waterloo” was performed by The Vivienne, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. “I’m like the Poundland version of Abba,” she said in jest.
There were also other great performances on the night, including Atomic Kitten, The Lightening Seeds, and pop singers Zara Larsson and Alexandra Burke.
An outstanding night
I spoke to several people who attended the event after it all finished, overjoyed to have witnessed something they felt was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Claire Jones said, “Eurovision has united us all. Liverpool is the perfect stage to showcase all of the talents on a global stage.”
Tom O’Donnell also stated, “I loved the event tonight. It’s just amazing to see Liverpool thriving on the world stage, and it richly deserves it.”
This is just the beginning of the week, with the semis and the rest of the other activities to come this week.
A great boost to tourism
Liverpool hopes the competition will boost its struggling, tourism-based economy. According to estimates from the council, it may generate £25 million this year and another £250 million over the following three years of the back of the events.
Given that Liverpool is a great city, I sincerely hope this is the case.
If you are looking for other cultural destinations, visit our website’s Art and Culture page.