The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) organisers have today announced a Europe-wide tour, which will take place after this year’s competition wraps in Vienna. In a time where the contest has been mired in controversy, is this a bold step forwards, or is it looking like “nul points”?
The tour has been announced to celebrate the ESC’s 70th anniversary, with the first competition being held in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1956. The contest has broken broadcasting records for its longevity, running every year since then, with the only exception being 2020’s edition’s cancellation at the hands of the global COVID pandemic.
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Each contest involves a national entrant selection process before the finals take place in a host city, traditionally but not always in the home country of the previous year’s winner. The UK has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest nine times, four of them in London alone. On the last occasion, it was held in Liverpool in 2023 on the behalf of winner Ukraine, who were unable to viably accommodate it due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Following Russia’s illegal military interventions, they were barred from the competition in 2022. However, Eurovision, which was founded to foster non-political relations and peace between nations, is now contending with another conflict in 2026. Following on from Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023, the ensuing war and humanitarian disaster in Gaza has led to Israel’s presence in the contest receiving significant scrutiny. Israel, although not in Europe, has participated in the event since 1973, winning it in 1978, 1979, 1998, and 2018.
With tensions mounting due to Israel’s continued breaches of international law, their inclusion has led to several major members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) withdrawing from this year’s contest. The Republic of Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and Iceland have all removed their entry and their national broadcasters have boycotted the televised showing. Continued protests across the continent still threaten to jeopardise the contest, even in those countries still engaged in it.
Despite the drama surrounding it, the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest final is still scheduled for the 16th of May, to be held in Vienna. Austria’s capital last held the event in 2015, and the Wiener Stadthalle will host it again following singer JJ’s 2025 victory with track ‘Wasted Love’. The newly revealed tour will begin a month later in June this year, stopping at 10 cities across Europe.
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The first date of the tour is on the 15th of June in London’s O2 Arena, a 20,000 capacity indoor venue inside the city’s O2 centre. The tour then passes through most of Western Europe, much to the chagrin of Eastern European fans, before finishing in Stockholm’s Aviici Arena on the 2nd of July.
So far no acts have been confirmed, but the organisers promise 10 of the grand finalists from this year’s contest will be there, performing a mix of their entries from this year and covers of songs from Eurovision’s illustrious past. The EBU aim to allow fans who couldn’t make it to Vienna, where the Grand Final has already sold out of tickets, to share in the experience of Eurovision. The promoters claim they will be posting information on performers and ticket sales soon on their website.
