Sheffield
Sheffield was one of seven cities in the United Kingdom shortlisted to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023. On Tuesday 27 September it was revealed that only Glasgow and Liverpool would remain in the race. The EBU thanked Sheffield and the other potential Host Cities for their enthusiastic, creative and high quality bids.
The successful Host City will be revealed in the Autumn by the BBC and the EBU.
Birmingham | Glasgow | Leeds | Liverpool | Manchester | Newcastle | Sheffield
Nah then. Sheffield is one of England’s greenest cities, being located on the doorstep of the Peak District National Park and having more trees per person than any other city in Europe.
The city powers two world-leading universities, a thriving music scene, and has some of the most enviable outdoor activities in the United Kingdom; from unparalleled downhill mountain biking, to being the spiritual home of climbing.
There are more craft breweries per person in this city than in any other city in the United Kingdom, making Sheffield one of the brewing capitals of the world, which perfectly accompanies the casual but critically acclaimed foodie scene.
The ‘Steel City’ recently enjoyed hosting their European neighbours, as the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland played their UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 matches at Bramall Lane, home to Sheffield United and the oldest professional stadium still in use today.
Sheffield boasts half a century of producing distinctive, influential and iconic music. Famous figures range from Dave Berry and Joe Cocker in the ‘60s through to Paul Carrack, Cabaret Voltaire, Human League, Heaven 17, ABC, Def Leppard, Pulp, Richard Hawley, Roisin Murphy and Moloko, Warp Records, Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and the Makers, Self Esteem, 65daysofstatic, Bring Me the Horizon and Drenge …to mention only a few!
And, of course, Sheffield’s Lindsay Dracass was still at school when she finished 15th for the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001 with No Dream Impossible.
The city has an enviable wealth of live performance venues, known for its much-loved live destinations such as the iconic Backroom in the Greystones pub (which gets national attention for its quality programming). In fact, Sheffield has recently launched a new initiative to repurpose redundant retail space for music and other cultural production, particularly in the Castlegate Quarter.
South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard had this to say:
‘Crack open the Bucks Fizz, Eurovision are making their minds up – and the only correct choice is Sheffield and South Yorkshire! I’ve previously said that Sheffield seemed the obvious choice to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, you’d have to be a spaceman not to. But I will say it again - we have the venues, the heritage, the track record and the passion that Eurovision deserves in such an important year for the contest, that would be held in solidarity with our friends and partners in Ukraine.’
You can find out more about Sheffield and their bid on the Welcome To Sheffield Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and website.
And don’t forget to sign up to the official Eurovision Song Contest newsletter and subscribe to our social media channels (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook) to be the first to find out how to secure tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.