School of Social & Political Sciences

Our own Dr Michael Howcroft from Urban Studies collaborated on a research project exploring Liverpool’s approach to hosting the competition on behalf of Ukraine.

Commissioned by the British Council in partnership with Liverpool City Council and the UK’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the research project concluded that Liverpool has revolutionised the hosting of Eurovision. It recognises that what Liverpool staged was much more than an arena show and has laid the foundation for future hosts in how to communicate key narratives to a huge international audience.

Dr Howcroft said: “Contributing to this research was a fascinating insight into the inner workings of the Eurovision Song Contest at a time when the organisers increasingly must walk political tightropes in terms of global cultural relations and projecting narratives of unity. That’s going to be doubly hard for Malmö and the European Broadcasting Union in 2024. One of our key findings was of the important role played by Liverpool’s local communities and their surprising, thoughtful and creative ways to celebrate Liverpudlian and Ukrainian cultures.”

The report praises the EuroFestival programme - a first for a host city.  It is noted that this approach forged new, creative partnerships with Ukraine and was a powerful way to showcase Ukrainian culture to diverse audiences. The City Council’s partnership with the Ukrainian Institute and the British Council in the planning and delivery of this programme resulted in meaningful and tangible cultural relations.

In considering Liverpool’s approach to hosting the competition on behalf of Ukraine, the report says: “Liverpool’s vision for achieving positive impact from the opportunity, has redefined the event’s politics of place in ways that can inspire future hosts.”

Future host cities are encouraged to adopt a similar approach to Liverpool’s evaluation methodology.  The process was a first and highlighted that Eurovision 2023 generated £54 million for the Liverpool City Region and welcomed 473,000 visitors.  

Eurovision 2023 boosted Liverpool’s reputation as a city of music, a place with expertise of delivering immersive cultural events with strong community participation, and a leader in event evaluation. The report highlights that the city is no longer solely recognised for its association with The Beatles, but as a leader in hosting large-scale events.

Images courtesy of Liverpool City Council.

Read more on the University news webpage.

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First published: 29 January 2024