Eurovision 2023 to be beamed live to 500 UK cinemas
Fancy dress and singalongs are to be encouraged at the screenings
By Joe Goggins
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast live in cinemas across the UK.
The May 13 grand final, which is being held in Liverpool at the M&S Bank Arena, will be beamed to more than 500 cinemas across Britain, with organisers saying that singalongs and fancy dress will be encouraged.
“We want audiences to enjoy themselves, come along in groups, get your fancy dress on, and come together to enjoy this historic occasion on the big screen,” said John Travers of CinemaLive, who are handling the event’s distribution. In-person tickets for the final in Liverpool sold out in under 40 minutes when they went on general sale earlier this month.
It represents the first time in the event’s history that it has been broadcast in British cinemas. The UK won the right to host this year’s grand final when Sam Ryder placed second at last year’s contest with his track ‘Space Man’; ordinarily, the winners host the following year, but the ongoing Russian invasion of last year’s Eurovision champions Ukraine meant that the baton passed to Britain.
This year, the UK will be represented by Mae Muller, who will perform a self-penned track, aptly titled ‘I Wrote a Song’. “To compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant,” the 25-year-old Londoner told the BBC when her selection was announced earlier this month. “This is the most surreal thing, I’ve been listening to this song in my head, like top secret, for so long.”
Last month, meanwhile, the event’s hosts were announced; Graham Norton, who has commentated on Eurovision for the BBC since 2009, will serve as master of ceremonies, joined by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham. Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina will also appear in presenting roles.
The contest’s two semi-finals take place in the week leading up to the grand final, on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 May. A crowd of 25,000 is expected at a special fan zone on the night of the final at Pier Head in Liverpool. Tickets for the cinema screenings of Eurovision 2023 go on sale at 10am on Monday (March 27).