When Eurovision 2020 was cancelled, so was Rotterdam‘s role as the host city of the contest. But the Dutch city is looking to the future. Next week the Rotterdam city council will vote on whether they will fund the €6.7 million needed to host the next edition of Eurovision.
While Rotterdam has lost the ability to host Eurovision 2020, the Netherlands’ host broadcasters have said that they think it makes sense for Rotterdam to host the next edition of Eurovision. But hosting comes with a hefty price tag.
Last month Rotterdam’s mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb revealed that it would cost the city an extra €6.7 million to continue with hosting Eurovision. The council will meet on Thursday 23 April and take a vote on whether they will fund the shortfall to ensure that Rotterdam will be able to host Eurovision 2021.
Also up for debate is the location of the Eurovision Village. For 2020, it was scheduled to be held at the iconic Binnenrotte Market. However, a councillor has suggested that it be moved to another location to allow the market area to be used normally.
It was also suggested that free tickets be given to Dutch healthcare workers. However, councillor Said Kasmi said that would be difficult to arrange and noted that free tickets had already been given to city residents on low incomes. However, he did hint at some sort of Eurovision side event that may benefit healthcare workers.
The uncertainty of Eurovision 2021
While the next edition of Eurovision may be held in Rotterdam, it’s less certain what form the contest will take.
As part of its current measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, the Netherlands has a ban on events being held. If such a ban were still in place in 2021, it would therefore not be possible to hold Eurovision in its usual arena format.
Medical experts have said that it will be extremely unlikely that large events such as the Olympic Games will be able to go ahead next year until a Covid-19 vaccine has been found.
While fans are curious as to when Eurovision 2021 will be held, if the stage design and logo will be reused and who will host the show, at this stage it is too early for the EBU and Dutch host broadcasters to have decided these details.
What do you think? Should Rotterdam host the next edition of Eurovision? Or should Eurovision go virtual if the virus is still an issue? Tell us your thoughts below!
Forget Amsterdam. They don’t wanted to bring up a budget of more than 5 mio, so no chance.
I think EBU HAVE TO manage Eurovision 2021. I mean lookng back at how cancellation of ESC 2020 has disappointed a lot of people — TV people, our lovely Papa Sietse, NPO, fans, stage designers, lighting and set prop companies, building companies, Ahoy, Rotterdam, or basically the world, really. Plus artists have been announced to return, wanna disappoint them twice? Another cancellation would be too reputation damaging, TBH. Eurovision is more vulnerable than the Olympics at that matter. Future of COV is still uncertain, but there’s literally a year of future ahead — and a year of gap to prepare.… Read more »
If Eurovision 2021 is cancelled, I think that Eurovision as a whole will be cancelled. It just feels like it would go that way, but idk. I hope they do it either in the standard form or, if that is impossible, online somehow.
If it’s a no-go for Rotterdam next year, will Maastricht be ready? Which city was 3rd in line for the bidding, in case Maastricht bows out? And if the Netherlands bows out entirely, will Italy get rid of the virus in time to host the show?
How long would it take MECC to raise the roof? I thought I heard that the roof (which was 2 or 3 meters too low) was THE main thing that stood in the way of their selection.
Let’s hope it won’t be necessary, and Rotterdam votes to continue funding for ESC 2021.
D’OH! I missed that! But nonetheless, there were a bunch of people trying incredibly hard to push for Maastricht to be selected.
What’s the third option, if not Amsterdam? And I hope it ain’t that hangar! :-X
Well in that case it IS important if it’s Rotterdam. Rotterdam has the ideal location/accommodafion and the right budget if the spending of 7 mio extra will be approved of by Rotterdam politics this week. Maastricht would be a second option, but other cities, I don’t think they’re a realistic option. A big plus is that preparations were very far in Rotterdam already.,so they could even go on when only in january 2021 there would be more news.
Oh, i hope so that the contest can be held in rotterdam next year. I have tickets. But i am afraid that it is not possible to do it safe at that time with a big audience.
Next year at this time we’ll have covid 19 again.. Poor dutch ??
The new Covid-20
Dear Eurovison,
I fell like there shoudent be a Online eurovision its not the same. It dosent fell right. Eurovison shoude stay the sme and the contests share one stage and to come together. Hope that eurovision 2021 will be hekd in Rotterdam so i can come. Best of luck from Serbia.
The Uk has announced it’s made a vaccine and are mass producing as they are that confident it will work, and are planning on testing to be finished and it to be released in September so don’t worry they’ll be plenty of TIME, I’m more concerned about how many countries will be participating, Latvia are still unsure as are GERMANY, a top 5, and Bulgaria are in a tight string budget that could go at any time, along with Ukraine and Poland. So if anything, I’d expect to see about 30-35 countries next year instead of 41-43. And I don’t… Read more »
If there is going to be a vaccine in September 2020 so there will be a lot of time for countries to get better economically, I’m really sure that germany will partipicate next year and also bulgaria and ukraine have already resent their 2020 participants to next year, about latvia next year they have been already in economical problems even before the pandenic has started (they thought about withdrawing from esc2020) so sadly I think they will withdraw but will return in 2022 and hopefully send samanta, about Poland I’m not sure but I hope they will partipicate next year… Read more »
In the Hague? They don’t have the right facilities. If not in Rotterdam, then it goes to Maastricht as the runner-up of 2020.
The EBU overlooked the low ceiling and approved their bid. They were also very impressed by Maastricht’s bid and Jon Ola Sand described it as one of the best host city races that he has ever seen.
Why should Germany not participate ?
Don’t worry, I think Germany would be one of the first in line to Participate. It’s got so many fans
I think it is very challenging to host Eurovision 2021. Usually the preparation for the Eurovision starts in May/June. But it is not likely that we will know when a vaccine will be available in June. And as long as we have no vaccine such big events like the ESC cannot take place as usual. In case it will be announced in January 2021 that a vaccine will be available from March 2021 or something like that, it won’t be possible to held Eurovision only two months after that. I think the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 will be a very… Read more »
I am more concerned about ESC 2021 even taking place. Not to be alarmistic but we don’t know how long the virus will last and there are no guarantes it will take place next year. That would be the end of ESC I think.
But I choose to be positive and hope for the best, we can beat this!
Vaccine might be a year away, but effective treatments are not.
I fully expect life to resume imminently and I fully expect a normal, Eurovision 2021, hopefully in Netherlands.
Let’s not get carried away and stay hopeful that things will change and improve sooner rather than later.
We should fully expect Eurovision 2021 to happen until we hear otherwise.
A normal ESC won’t be a thing until 2022. Even if we have an ESC 2021 it won’t look the same. It might be one without audience. But I do choose to stay hopeful about things..
I would feel really bad for the city of Rotterdam if they decided to spend the additional 6.7 million € and then it would be cancelled again :/
Eurovision 2021 NEEDS to be in Rotterdam. Or atleast the Netherlands. No word about it. Regarding if there will be an ESC or any large scale event held in 2021, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Relax. We will have a vaccine, even if that vaccine is 12 months away, it’s expected that we will have an effective treatment for critical cases by the end of summer, this would allow normal life to resume while work on a vaccine continues. It’s kind of scaremongering that the paragraph about the future of ESC in 2021 was put in that article at… Read more »
I’d love to see Rotterdam 2021 but we need to face the reality that if the contest does go ahead, it could be in a very different format to what we are used to. I personally would like to see a contest in a more intimate setting like a tv studio so the focus would rely more on the song rather than the staging. It would be good to see how a stripped back version would compare to the glitz and glamour we are now accustomed to.
In that case though, I feel like they should reuse the songs from 2020. Because when big events can’t go ahead, then there’s no reason to hold national finals
I think his idea might be quite realistic depending on circumstances.
No, music first. Acts/show should support the music, not the other way round.
In 2021 Eurovision should be scheduled in late summer or Autumn then is there more time to get over Covid-19. And If The Netherlands can’t host I think Germany or France will be there to help.
Good Luck Neighbour’s <3
The French economy is even worse .The Netherlands is one of the richest countries in the world. It will be in The Netherland. But the question is will it be Rotterdam? They invest and lost already a lot money
I think a «normal» ESC can’t be held in 2021 either. With it’s decision to cancel ESC in 2020 the EBU has already shown what to do when contest in the normal formate can’t be held, – cancelling. I’m afraid this is the end of ESC.
Why would it be the end? Even if it can’t take place until a vaccine is found, there’s no reason for it to not take place afterwards.
EBU has already shown that without the big festival there is no ESC (like this year). If there will be no contest in 2020 and 2021 I fear the public will lose interest and countries with low interest already start backing out. If this happens, I’m afraid it’s the end of ESC. I’m not thinking this will happen the next years but that this is the beginning to the end. I see my earlier message is heavily down-voted. I would be just as sorry as you to see the end of ESC but I fear the EBU has already started… Read more »
‘iM aFrAiD tHiS iS tHe eNd oF eSC” so the flu happened 100 years ago and with literally zero technology, a vaccine was made and eurovision became a thing. Your logic is very weird. They cancelled eurovision this year because it is too dangerous. It will get better over the years. And not having a contest in 2020 and 2021 will only make fans more excited for 2022.
I rest my case. Time will tell.
Omg, the thought of Eurovision possibly again not happening in 2021 is unbearable.. this stupid virus!!! Stop ruining our lives!!!
I don’t think we need to (or even can) make any decisions at this point. We just don’t know what the future holds for this virus. I would suggest a wait and see approach – let’s see where we are next March and make the decision then.
Surely it’s better to fund the extra €6.7m than for another city to start all over when the costs will be much higher?
If you read the proposal by city officials the 6.7m is more about saving money because not hosting eurovision will cost more than 8m euro without having the economic spin-off from hosting eurovision.
I’m more concerned as to what will happen next if Eurovision 2021 *can’t* be held in Rotterdam. Might NPO give Maastricht the first refusal to host [as it came a close second in the bidding phase last Summer (and was even rumoured to be the EBU’s first pick)], or might they plan on scaling down to AFAS Live in Amsterdam (which can still capacitate 3-5,000 people for events like Eurovision) or even Hilversum Studio 21? Or could we find ourselves going to Germany or Sweden next year instead?
Or Maybe one of the countries That have won one of the sidecontests like Iceland Who won Der Kleiine Song Contest in Austria?????
Given Sweden’s current approach to the virus they’ll still probably jump at the chance!
Or they could “uncancel” ESC 2020 and host it in a studio format with live performances done from their own countries, after all you’ve got to host ESC somewhere.
The most probable reason for the Netherlands not being able to host it, would still be Covid 19. So, if the NL can’t, I don’t see why other countries would be able to do that.
If the EBU do a bidding phase to determine next year’s host country, I expect it to go to Germany, Sweden, Poland, Russia or Azerbaijan. I’ve also been wondering if Poland would get the first refusal to host Eurovision 2021 in Krakow or Gliwice if Junior Eurovision were also cancelled and The Netherlands declined (just an idea).
Also, were the EBU in talks with the BBC to host it in either London or Birmingham this year if Australia won last year? We might find ourselves going to either of those cities next year if NPO can’t commit to another year.
Well I think ‘we’ should aim for Eurovision held in the usual way in Rotterdam.. Only fair.. I hope a vaccine will be available by then, we will be needing a Eurovision that gives us a party instead of an online event.. Besides Rotterdam wants to host and the Netherlands won the right.. Rotterdam 2021 it is