Eurovision 2023: Tickets for song contest shows in Liverpool go on saleon March 7, 2023 at 1:22 pm

Eurovision fans are rushing to get hold of coveted tickets for this year’s song contest, after they went on sale at 12:00 GMT on Tuesday.

There is high demand to be inside the arena when the contest’s nine public shows are staged in Liverpool in May.

Grand final tickets sold out inside 36 minutes, but there are also two live semi-finals plus six dress rehearsals.

Prices range from £90 to £290 for the live semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and £160 to £380 for the final on 13 May.

Many people reported waiting in long queues on the Ticketmaster website.

Some tickets have already appeared on secondary ticketing sites, such as Viagogo, for around £9,000.

However, fans have been warned to be cautious about buying from unofficial resellers, as the tickets may not be genuine.

An account must be registered on Ticketmaster UK – regardless of the country tickets are being purchased in. They are only available on the Ticketmaster UK website.

Users can only buy tickets for one show at a time.

Preview shows range from £30 to £280. A preview show is a full run-through of the TV broadcast that doubles up as a production rehearsal where the acts perform live in the arena.

There are two previews for each live televised show – one the previous evening and another on the afternoon of the broadcast itself.

Tickets run from £90 to £290 for the live semi-finals, and from £160 to £380 for the live grand final.

Last month it was announced that 3,000 tickets would be reserved for Ukrainians living in the UK on three visa programmes – Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Extension Scheme and Ukraine Families Scheme – through a ticket ballot.

The cost will be subsidised by the government but there will be a £20 charge per sale.

There may be 160 million people around the world who will watch the song contest at home, but seats in the M&S Bank Arena are much more limited.

Roughly 6,000 will be at each show – fewer than most would predict for the biggest entertainment show in the world.

Eurovision organisers said last year that its venue normally needs to have space for 10,000 spectators – which Liverpool’s arena usually does. But because of the stage set-up, as well as other production elements, that will be reduced.

It is inevitable that many fans will be disappointed not to get tickets because it isn’t just those in the UK grappling with Ticketmaster’s website – people travel from all over the world for Eurovision each year.

Last year’s event in Turin had 7,500 for each show, and at times that felt quite intimate inside.

It means those who do have tickets will get a close view of everything going on, from camera operators running around to artists getting points (or not).

Talk now will move to what next for those who were unsuccessful, and also who the UK act is.

The semi-finals and grand final will be broadcast on BBC TV and radio, with extensive coverage online.

There will also be lots going on in Liverpool beyond the arena. A two-week cultural festival will take place from 1 May, including a submarine street parade, a rave that will take place simultaneously in Kyiv, and an outdoor operatic Eurovision concert.

Close to the arena will be the Eurovision village, the official fan zone, for 25,000 people.

During the televised live shows, fans will be able to watch on big screens there, and it’s also where some of the acts will perform on stage across the week.

There will also be more big screens and viewing parties at venues across the city.

There’s a Eurovision deadline next week, when all 37 competing broadcasters have to confirm the song and artists they’re sending.

Possible names being reported for the UK include Rina Sawayama, Birdy and Mimi Webb. All three are past Brit Award nominees, showing it’s being taken seriously. As in recent years, there is no televised national selection show.

Whoever gets picked will hope to replicate the success of Sam Ryder, who achieved the UK’s best Eurovision result for 25 years when he came second in 2022.

Most of the other 36 participating countries have now revealed their artists and songs.

Fans rush to buy tickets for Eurovision 2023

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