Eurovision 2020: Candidate host cities seek and receive regional support

As the host city bidding race for Eurovision 2020 is underway, the 8 candidate cities/regions are under full steam in preparing their files supporting their applications to host the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in The Netherlands. In order to form the most adequate proposals the cities are teaming up with local entities and organizations. Within this framework Rotterdam ,The Hague and Arnhem have received regional support on their attempt to bring the competition in their neighborhood.

The candidate city of Arnhem

Arhem is the capital of the region of Gelderland,  and is located in the eastern part of the country. The stadium  Gelredome is the place where the city aims to host the competition. The city is nearby the German border and has good transport connection with Frankfurt and Dusseldorf. Gelredome is one of the biggest and most modern arenas within the country. It opened its doors in 1998 and has a capacity of 25.ooo spectators. It’s rooftop is movable as it opens and closes and has hosted in the past several music events and concerts of great international stars such as :  Madonna, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Shakira, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson κα.

Regional support is growing for Arnhem’s bid to host Eurovision 2020, as the city is under full steam preparing its book.

Arnhem’s councilor Mr. Jan Van Dellen has outlined  that support is growing across the region, as the city hopes to bring the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 to the Gelredome. Within this framework the city has been approaching and motivating local municipalities, local businesses and institutions who can contribute in the project of hosting the contest next May. Mr Van Dellen stated:

We do not demand money from these organisations. But creativity and commitment. ROC Rijn IJssel, for example, has a security department. Then we must ensure that the people in this training also participate in this event. At HAN they want to use their specialization in international events.

Although the city itself is aware of not being one of the top favorites, however it expresses strong belief in bringing the competition to the region. Van Dellen goes on saying: 

The race is very tight, but the Gelredome has the largest capacity in the Netherlands. Nobody can match that. The link to freedom makes Arnhem’s candidacy unique. 

The song festival is also about diversity and expressing your opinion. That fits in so nicely with the commemoration of 75 years of the Battle of Arnhem that we are celebrating this year.

Next week the city’s candidacy is expecting another wave of supports as the 18 regional municipalities are expected to sign a document supporting Arnhem’s bid.

The candidate cities of Rotterdam and The Hague 

The Province of South Holland has expressed it support to  Rotterdam and The Hague as two of the cities that are either suitable for hosting Eurovision 2020. 

South Holland will support Rotterdam or The Hague, as the host city for Eurovision 2020. Just a couple of days before the local authorities stated that they will provide all the support as long as the whole region has something to make out of the whole event. 

The province is seeking official and political contact with these cities to see if the province can play a role in increasing the chances of bringing the Eurovision Song Contest to South Holland in 2020

As far as we are concerned, there is explicit room for cooperation between different cities in South Holland, so that the region as a whole can put itself on the map and can take maximum advantage of the potential economic long-term effects.

Rotterdam

The city and port of Rotterdam is one of the hot favorites to host Eurovision 2020 at the Rotterdam Ahoy. The Dutch port has hosted in the past another Eurovision event, that of  Junior Eurovision 2007. Rotterdam Ahoy is in the heart of the city and exists since 1971. It can welcome 15.000 spectators during a concert. The space there has seen major stars holding their concerts among which : Lady Gaga, Queen, Shakira, Kylie Minogue, Gloria Estefan, U2, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears etc

The Hague

The city of The Hague has hosted Eurovision twice in the past , back in 1976 and 1980 while the city is aiming to host the competition once again. The city’s ambition is to host the contest at the ADO Stadium (Cars Jeans Stadium), but the specific venue doesn’t have a roof which is an important EBU requirement.The stadium was completed in  2007 and has a capacity of  15.000 spectators and is located on the southeast side of the city, 6 km away but easy to access by train or bus.

Eurovision 2020 and the host city bid process

The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest will be co-produced by three Dutch public broadcasters AVROTROS, NOS and NPO in collaboration with the EBU. Up to date eight cities remain in the race to host the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest. At the present the cities have 4 weeks to prepare their proposals and built their candidacy files that will support their application. Once ready they will submit their files to the organizers which in collaboration with EBU will determine the host city of Eurovision 2020. The final decision is not expected earlier than August. 

The dates of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest are yet to be confirmed and unveiled. The Netherlands will host the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest after  Duncan Laurence‘s  victory in Tel Aviv last May.