Since 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has been hosted all across Europe in a variety of venues from awe-inspiring capitals, to small towns practically in the middle of nowhere! One of the joys of Eurovision is that each new host city brings something new to the table and ensures the contest is never quite the same twice.

For 2016, we are returning to the Swedish capital Stockholm for no less than the 3^rd time in Eurovision history. This got us thinking… where would we like to see the contest be hosted in future? Of course, it all comes down to who wins on the night, but if we could choose… where would Europe’s favourite TV show be hosted from next? Eurovision Ireland regular and intrepid traveller James offers us his wish list of future Eurovision host cities:

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Impossibly romantic and stunning, the Czech capital ranks as one of the most beautiful cities on the continent. Steeped in Gothic architecture with a lively and bustling atmosphere, the city attracts thousands of visitors every year and its location at the heart of Europe would be a wonderful place to come together to celebrate! Will it ever happen though? Given the Czech Republic’s qualification record, it might be best to wait a while before we all start booking hotels in Prague… but who knows? Maybe 2016 will be their year at last!

Image Credit: James Scanlan

SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The epicentre of events that started the First World War, Sarajevo also gained notoriety for the prolonged siege it suffered during the Yugoslav Wars of the early 1990s. Emerging from this turbulent history, nowadays Sarajevo is a cosmopolitan city that offers a unique fusion of Eastern and Western cultures. Fancy sipping a coffee in a chic café while admiring minarets? Sarajevo has you covered! Also, since it looks like Turkey won’t be coming back any time soon, hosting Eurovision in one of Europe’s most Turkish-looking cities might be the closest thing we get to returning to Istanbul!

Image Credit: http://www.samed.ba/sarajevo.php

SKOPJE, MACEDONIA

Imagine a city that looks like how you’d imagine Ancient Rome must have looked – but is all completely modern! Capital city of Macedonia, Skopje was flattened by an earthquake in 1963 and its centre extensively remodelled these last few years to create a small thriving capital with a classical, imperial façade. Add to this stunning mountain scenery, awesome food and an old town that feels like it was plucked straight out of the 14^th century and you have everything you need for a fantastic Eurovision host city!

Image Credit: James Scanlan

CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

Forget Bucharest! If Romania ever hosts Eurovision, it should go to Cluj-Napoca, capital of Transylvania! A friendly city of parks and cultural monuments, Cluj is a university town with a young population and an active night life scene – they don’t call it Club-Napoca for nothing! Bucharest may be the obvious choice for a Romanian Eurovision, but Cluj feels a lot more manageable than the gargantuan capital. Though Romania have yet to choose their song, certain fans believe if a certain familiar face gets to go to Stockholm, we could see a Romanian hosting as early as 2017! Exciting, eh?

Image Credit: James Scanlan

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND

Iceland is so far the only Nordic country never to take home the Eurovision trophy and this frankly needs to change! Why? So we can all go to fabulous Reykjavik! The world’s northern-most capital city is surrounded by breath-taking nature, not least of all the magical Aurora Borealis. While the colourful Northern Lights aren’t always guaranteed, one thing that is certain is long hours of daylight during Icelandic summers – which means the party can last stay outside much longer! Can Greta Salóme take Eurovision further north than ever before? I certainly hope so!

Image Credit: http://www.taxiserviceiceland.com

But what do you think? Do you agree with these choices? Where would you like to see host Eurovision? Where do you think it will go next year?

Let us know where you want to go!

Author : James Scanlan

Source : Eurovision Ireland