ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, have revealed two sets of provisional dates, for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.

ORF have started the host city application process, sending out the requirements to all Austrian cities and municipalities. Included in the requirements are two sets of provisional dates – 12th, 14th & 16th May or 19th, 21st & 23rd May 2026.

The following requirements are needed for a host city application in 2026:

• A fully equipped event hall with appropriate capacity and infrastructure
• Good international connections
• Sufficient accommodation in the region
• Host City’s organisational, security, and sustainable implementation capabilities
• The venue must be available at least for 8 weeks (7 weeks prior to the contest and 1 week after) 
• The venue should have a capacity of circa 10,000 spectators

Potential Host Cities can submit their detailed application documents and bids to ORF up until Friday 4th July. ORF will not disclose which cities are applying and had the following to say:

“With Austria’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, it was also confirmed that the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest would take place in Austria. The key question is which city will host the mega-event. The application process for the host city of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest has now begun. Austrian cities and municipalities can submit their application documents to ORF until July 4th.

The experiences of past host cities impressively demonstrate that the respective host city benefits significantly economically – for example, through tourism, international visibility, local value creation, and long-term image gains. The example of Liverpool 2023, where the Eurovision Song Contest was accompanied by extensive studies, demonstrates the positive effects a host city can achieve by hosting the Eurovision Song Contest: The 2023 Song Contest and the associated events attracted a total of 473,000 visitors. The Eurovision Song Contest generated around £55 million in additional revenue in the Liverpool region during this period.

Basel also saw initial positive results immediately after the final: More than 500,000 people attended the St. Jakobshalle, the Opening Ceremony, and event locations such as the Eurovision Village and Eurovision Square. Hotel occupancy around the final was 95 percent, with a total of around 50,000 overnight stays.

To participate in the selection process, interested Austrian cities and municipalities must meet the criteria specified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which include a fully equipped event hall with appropriate capacity and infrastructure, good international connections, sufficient accommodation in the region, and the host city’s organizational, security, and sustainable implementation capabilities. In the first application phase (expression of interest), the minimum requirement is that the venue be exclusively available for a period of at least eight weeks – seven weeks before the final and one week after – and that the audience capacity in the show hall (performance area) is approximately 10,000 people.

The required expression of interest form is available at der.ORF.at/ESC2026 . Suitable applicants will receive further information once they have submitted their expression of interest.

Expressions of interest that do not meet the minimum requirements cannot be considered in the further procedure.

Applications to become Host City for ESC 2026 must be submitted electronically by Friday 4th July 2025, at 12:00 noon (CEST).”

Let us know what you think about Austria and the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

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Author: Richard Taylor

Source: ESCToday