Austria organizes the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026 - where is the celebration?

Austria organizes the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026 - where is the celebration?

Basel, Schweiz - Austria has the honor of aligning the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in 2026. This was recently announced after various cities came into discussion as possible venues. However, a precise decision about the location is still pending. In addition to Vienna, the potential venues also include Graz, Unterpremstätten, Schwechat Airport, Wels, Innsbruck as well as the Wörthersee Stadium and the Oberwart trade fair center. The award of the ESC to Austria is already looking forward to great anticipation and numerous speculation about the preferred location, such as OE24 reports .

In Switzerland, the current ESC is a large financial undertaking with total costs of around CHF 60 million (64 million euros). These costs are composed of various sources: The Swiss Radio and Television Society (SRG) contributes CHF 20 million (CHF 21.3 million), while the city of Basel contributes CHF 35 million (EUR 37.3 million) and the European Radio Union (EBU) CHF 5 million (CHF 5.3 million).

economic effects

The economic benefit of the ESC for Basel is estimated at around CHF 60 million. After deducting all costs, the city is likely to record an increase of around CHF 25 million (CHF 26.7 million). In contrast to the increased hotel prices during the ESC week, which climbed from 220 euros to 457 euros per night, these positive figures. Experience from the ESC 2015 in Vienna, which was also economically successful, fed the optimism regarding the ESC 2023 in Basel. The city marketing editions in Vienna stayed at 1 million euros (today around 1.3 million euros), while ORF invested around 15 million euros (just under 20 million euros today) in 2015.

The implementation of the ESC in Basel is in the upper area of ​​costs that have vary between CHF 10 million and CHF 70 million in recent years. Despite the high expenses, economic value creation is often considered difficult to quantify. A study on the financial impact of the ESC 2023 in Liverpool serves as a reference for Basel planning. It is also hoped that the event will bring sustainable added value and increased awareness of the city. The hospitality, retail as well as event and logistics companies.

opportunities for artists

The ESC offers a platform for the artists that gives them the opportunity to reach an audience of around 150 million people. Remo Forrer, who represented Switzerland at the ESC 2023, was able to live from his music after working between 60 and 100 percent in another profession. Anna Rossinelli, who competed for Switzerland in 2011, was also able to lay the cornerstone of her music career through the ESC. These successes underline the importance of the competition for aspiring artists and show the opportunity to establish themselves in the music scene, while srf Various opportunities indicate that open up from networking and presence on social media.