BBC NARROWS EUROVISION HOST LIST

Either the birthplace of The Beatles or the home of Eurovision winner Lulu will be the host city for 2023's 67th Eurovision Song Contest. The news was announced by the BBC, which will present the competition.

Liverpool and Glasgow have been chosen from the list of seven cities vying to host the competition. The BBC, in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union, will make a final decision within weeks.

“Thanks to all seven cities across the U.K. who have demonstrated the enthusiasm and passion for Eurovision that exists right across the U.K.,” said Phil Harrold, chair of the BBC’s Host City Selection Committee. “We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of all the city bids, in what was a highly competitive field. The Eurovision Song Contest is a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer; we will continue our discussions with them to determine the eventual host city.”

So do they select Glasgow, the United Kingdom’s first UNESCO City of Music, an honor bestowed in 2008, and home to Lulu, who won the 1969 contest with “Boom Bang-a-Bang?” Or Liverpool, where the Mersey sound gave the world The Beatles, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Echo & the Bunnymen and 1993 Eurovision runner-up Sonia? Stay tuned.