Allora… the Eurovision 2022 host city race is officially open! Italy’s broadcaster RAI has announced the bidding process that will determine which city will earn the right to host next year’s contest. Italian mayors, it’s your time to shine (and to convince taxpayers it’s worth it).
The process will have the sindaci breaking a sweat, as the window is only open until Monday. While phones burn in Italy’s city halls, let us explain what it takes to host Eurovision.
Eurovision 2022 host city: Requirements for the city and venue
Italian broadcaster RAI has issued some very important parameters. In order to host Eurovision 2022, a city must have an international airport no more than 90 minutes from the city.
It should also have over 2,000 hotel rooms in the area close to the event and an infrastructure capable of hosting a large-scale live broadcast.
The venue must fulfil several requirements as well, such as being indoors and having air-conditioning and a well defined perimeter.
The arena should have an audience capacity in the main hall of at least 8,000 – 10,000 during the event and a main hall which can house the set and all other requirements needed to produce a high level broadcast production.
It’s also worth mentioning that those 8,000 – 10,000 people should correspond to 70% of maximum capacity of that venue for regular concerts, as the specific stage and production needs of Eurovision should be taken into consideration.
The venue should also have ample space within easy access of the main hall to support additional production needs, such as: a press centre capable of hosting over 1,000 journalists; delegation spaces, dressing rooms, artist facilities, staff facilities, hospitality, audience facilities.
Most importantly, the infrastructure must be available exclusively for six weeks before the event, two weeks during the show in May and a week after the end of the event for dismantling. That’s nine weeks.
Eurovision 2022: The race is on
Over the past few weeks, multiple cities in Italy have expressed their interest in hosting Eurovision. Turin and Rome have been among the most vocal, but there’s much more. You can have a look in our previous article.
Given the requirements, it’s almost a given that Sanremo will not be able to proceed in the race. The city where it all started, with its renowned Festival di Sanremo, does not meet most of the requirements. The lack of a suitable venue is the most evident, as Teatro Ariston only holds 2,000 people.
It doesn’t look good for Verona neither, as their proposal of hosting in Arena di Verona — the fantastic set for Diodato’s live performance of “Fai Rumore” — is an open air venue.
Which city would you like to see host Eurovision 2022? Should Rome or Naples have another go? Can Turin beat the capital? Any other outsiders? Let us know in the comment section below!
Turin has just submitted their candidature.
I want Turin, Milan or Rome, as I believe these are the favourites in that order.
Honestly tho I’ll be fine with any city, I mostly care about the dates lmao
I don’t care where it’s hosted… i’m just delighted Eurovision is FINALLY in Italy!
Frankly, I’d love to see it in Bologna. It’s a lesser known town abroad, a hidden gem that isn’t run over by tourists and deserves to be visited and discovered by more people. As far as I know, it has all the requirements needed. Turin would be a good choice too. Finally I can live with whatever host city, as long as the shows are well organized.
it’ll most likely be turin imo, the city is big enough, it’s clean, elegant, well-managed and never crowded due to excellent urban planning, and it needs and deserves more tourists. plus rai wanted to host in turin in case francesco gabbani won
I don’t understand why people are obsessed with capacity, we have seen so many times Eurovison can be great in arenas with 6.000-7.000 people.
well, in modern years (at least since the new century began in 2000), 6000 is considered too small. I think EBU’s standard of at least 10,000 is a good number, it is neither too small nor too large. and we don’t need too many in-venue people as well (I think over 30,000 is already too much).
just like big international artists only tour arenas with 10k+ capacity, a big international event like the eurovision should only take place in 10k+ capacity venues imo (unless the winner is a country like malta or iceland where you have no other choice)
With concerts, you need to be there in person to see it. The audience for the contest is at home, most people are not even aware you can buy tickets to see it.
Eurovison is a tv show, not a concert. If the show is good, viewers in front of TVs will have no idea if arena hosts 5.000 or 25.000 people… It’s all about production and creativity so I don’t really think going for big arenas is a must to have a good Eurovison . However, Torino has this in the bag.
a small venue (see 2019 Tel Aviv) means extremely expensive tickets for fans which could lead to empty seats and a desperate attempt to fill in those seats (see again Israel 2019). So no thanks.
The TV production is much better if they keep it quiet in front of the stage without crazy fans holding banners, kangaroos, chicken dolls and other stuff. It was excellent this year.
I thought so to. This year had an excellent atmosphere considering reduced numbers
I take your point. This requirement deprives potential smaller winning countries to host ESC. It’s fascinating to think of any country which has never hosted Eurovision doing it for their first time.
yes it is a tv show, but it is also a LIVE show, and (supposedly) the biggest annual music show in the world. Fans around Europe and beyond want to watch Eurovision LIVE in the venue at least once in their lifetime. It is even bigger than just another stop of a big international artist’s concert, so a big venue is of course necessary.
Yes. It should be big. Tickets are super tricky to get your hands on as it is. We don’t need smaller venues to add to the equation
Eurovision is the biggest music show on earth, of course the demand is high and the capacity should be in line with the demand, especially when the show is hosted in a big country like Italy with many big venues and a big population likely to apply for tickets. If the show was held in Cyprus or Malta, then it would be fine to have 5k audience.
10k should be the minimum but i guess they want to keep in mind any restrictions in 2022.
I agree but I wonder if it is down to money?, if you can sell an extra 4,000 tickets for each of the 3 nights that’s a lot of extra money, though I’ve seen a few ESC’s in the last few years that had a noticeable amount of empty seats.
I can think of two possibilities:
There’s also the stadium where AS Roma plays, but since Stadio Olimpico is an open-air stadium, they may as well built a retractable roof for Eurovision 2022 if it is held in Rome in compliance to Eurovision rules.
the issue with PalaLottomatica is its structure, it is circular (not U-shaped like most of the indoor arenas) and the roof is not suitable enough for the equipment Eurovision needs, most notably the light(n)ing (eurofestivalnews has already explained that).
The Globe is also circular (ESC 2016) but you’re right about the roof issue, it’s almost certain Rome will drop out.
the Globe Arena is still U-shaped if you look more closely inside of it, only the exterior design looks circular (which, as the name says, represents the Globe).
IIRC PalaLottomatica is already booked for musical “Notre Dame” for four days in a row (12th-15th May), so I’m not sure if they will make a bid in the end.
they can also reschedule, they’ve done it many times before (see Dusseldorf stadium)
Is it just me or is 8-10k audience small or just the norm now? Like dusseldorf in 2011 had over 30k at the show, ever since malmo it’s been around 10k
(obviously nowadays there’s distancing and stuff but still)
If its Rome, Turin or Milan can we please not have a Ukraine situation where we are forced to call them Roma, Torino or Milano ?
What we call “Roma”, “Torino”, and “Milano” are the same thing as Rome, Turin, and Milan. The cities’ residents are happy if we call it either way.
When in Rome do as the Romans do. Roma it is. Not that hard to say really?
Are you referring to the Kyiv/Kiev transliteration issue?
Ukraine had already made it official that the Ukrainian names of their major cities will be used as international English names, discouraging Soviet-era nomenclature which is still in use in some English-language publications, particularly in the case of Kyiv where they continue to use “Kiev”.
I think it really should be hosted in a countries capital or biggest city, or the city nearest where the winning act comes from.
Rome meets all 3 criteria.
Eurovision doesn’t necessarily have to be held in the capital city. But yes, Rome is the center of culture and commerce as the capital of Italy, so I think it’s best Eurovision 2022 be held in Rome if not Turin. Since Rome also enjoys a Mediterranean climate, it would make a perfect summer getaway to enjoy amenities…
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…with health and safety protocols of course.
milan is the trade and finance capital sis. rome is poorly managed these days, plus it’s always overwhelmed with tourism, so i totally support choosing another city in the way the dutch chose rotterdam over amsterdam.
i agree with you (except the bit with where the winning acts come from).
Milan and Torino meet the criteria but i personally would love to visit Rome because i’ve never been to and it’s an interesting city.
so far, only four cities are eligible to host the contest next year (Roma, Milano, Torino and Bologna), but considering the availability of the venue, I think it will be shortlisted to Milano and Torino. Milano has two venue options: Mediolanum Forum and the less-known Palazzo delle Scintille (which is currently a vaccination centre in Italy; it can be an alternative in case Mediolanum Forum is already occupied within the time range). on the other hand, Torino can “only” rely on the Pala Alpitour (which schedule-wise is the most available out of the existing rumoured venues), and the fact that… Read more »
Thanks to Dua Lipa and Eric Clapton, it seems Milano and Bologna are out of the race.
i think it’s dead certain that Torino will get it. Surprisingly that there are no events planned in May though….
Verona would have made a great experience even though it has an open air venue. Went to so many concerts there and the atmosphere is magical.
but it’s a TV show, not a concert…
Concert TV. 🙂
The only option is Turin, if RAI wants to use an existing venue. The other existing venues are busy with events or concerts from middle of april to end of may. There won’t be 9 weeks for building the stage, technical rehersals, live rehersals, show, dismantling. Other option is to build the arena in another venue such has a large warehouse in an exhibition center. But it will be more expensive and RAI is struggling financially (there is a big debt due to reduced incomes in the pandemic period from the taxes paid by pubs, restaurants, etc. which were closed… Read more »
they are not Azerbaijan to build a new arena. They have options and Torino ticks all the boxes.
They can take a location, such as a pavillon in an exhibition center or an hangar (like Denmark did in 2014) and build structures inside to accommodate people.
Milan would usually be the prime contender but given how Lombardy was the worst affected region of Italy when it came to Covid (and so the local government may want to prioritise recovery) and the 2026 Winter Olympics I think the city won’t be so enthusiastic to host. Rome would make sense given how long it’s been since the last ESC hosted there, but RAI and the government may want to showcase a different city. Turin is probably the dark horse. The fact that it’s not a tourist hub on the same level of Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan means… Read more »
turin is not a dark horse, it’s the frontrunner
Coletta said he wants Rome to host ESC 2022, but it will probably be Turin anyway, since PalaLottomatica is booked in mid May for five consecutive days.
I remember the Ahoy being booked for May 2020, it didn’t matter. Dates were changed.
Torino is not the dark horse, it’s the big favourite. RAI never said that they want to give it to Rome, in 2017 they were thinking of Torino if they had won the show.
I can’t wait for the Eurovision 2022 host city to be revealed! I would also like the visual identity to “talk” Italy. Eurovision has had a string of dark-backgrounded logos (with the exception of Baku 2021 and Lisbon 2018), maybe the Italian host city gives us a colorful and inspiring surprise.
I want to have Turin or Milan
Well, because we haven’t had a capital city host since Lisbon 2018, and because the capital city of Italy is so damn iconic and also the hometown of Måneskin, my first choice is most definitely ROME
But in saying that, I think Milan Bologna or Turin would be awesome host cities too.
Let’s be real though, it’s not going to be Sanremo or Verona or open air venues, or tents or arenas that only hold 2,000 people. I think the only viable options are Rome, Milan, Turin and Bologna. The host will be one of those.
Will we know the dates of ESC 2022 before host city is selected?
I don’t think so, they’ll probably choose the dates based on the venue’s schedule
yes the rai chef say that, in summer we know the city and the date too.
Roma, Rome!!!
Fan momentum appears to be with Turin and I think it would be the right choice. Here’s to Turin 2022!
Hmm fans want Rome but they acknowledge that Torino is a great choice as well. Fans always prefer capital cities. However, due to logistics, the broadcaster tends to choose 2nd biggest cities or even 4th (see Dusseldorf
I am very sure that it will be Turin!
It‘s perhaps going to be the Mediolanum Forum near Milan.. I’ve been there a couple of times it’s great! We just need to hope that the schedules add up!!
Unfortunately, Mediolanum Forum is already booked in April and May, so it is not a possiblity. At this point, I think Turin and Rome has more chances to be selected than Milan.
It’s starting. I can’t wait to see who will be the host city for eurovision 2022. If it turns out Turin or Milan end up as host cities, it will be the fourth Eurovision in a row where we have a new city hosting Eurovision for the first time (Lisbon, Tel Aviv, and Rotterdam).
The Verona Arena would’ve been a great venue for the contest (with its Roman amphitheatre feel). However, open-roofed contests aren’t allowed 🙁
Nonetheless, I do think the 2 most likely are Milan and Turin!
I would like to see Bari as the host venue, it does need a roof, mind you, but given the fact that Italy is submitting a bid to host the 2028 Euro Championships (football) adding the roof to the Stadio San Nicola would be seen as more of a investment for future gains rather than just to host Eurovision 2022. I’ll list why Bari is a excellent host city option. 1. The stadium has a capacity of nearly 59,000. 2. Has a very high level of expertise, knowledge and experience in hosting large-scale events and concerts. 3. It has the… Read more »
59,000 is too many. Probably impossible to fill three times.
Once you take some of capacity out for green room and the stage, it would be around 25,000 – 28,000 similar overall capacity to Dusselldorf 2011
Adding a roof to a football stadium in southern Italy would be regarded as a waste of money, not an investment for the future. It is not justified based on climate conditions there (it’s sunny most of the time) plus it’s not even a requirement for hosting Euro 2028 (it would actually be useless).
Additionally a “roof” built for a stadium doesn’t mean it will be a completely closed roof, but a partial one. If you build a closed roof on top of a grass field do you know what happens, especially in southern Italy were temperatures go up to 45°C? Another requirement is to have an air conditioning system which is not suitable at all for a large stadium. So let’s stop making very fututistic and science fictional proposals and let’s stick to reality. We have a wonderful location available from 12 of april to end of June, and it is Pala Alpitour… Read more »
Only Torino has the stadium to host.
Which country will do the contest in a 10.000 seat stadium? It is way too small these days.
Its weird that Italy doesnt have big indoor Arenas. I mean in Greece there are at least 4 with capacity more than 10.000
It’s not too small. I hope there will be enough Italians to help fill it, especially for the two semi-finals.
It’s not exactly uncontroversial that Greece spent so much money on grand infrastructure projects like large stadiums and indoor arenas.
Actually Italy has 6 indoor arenas with a capacity of at least 10,000 people, I don’t see what the problem is
Chris, also in Italy we have 4 arenas having more than 10000 seats each. Turin Pala Alpitour (16k), Milan Forum (13k), Bologna Unipol Arena (18k) and Rome Pala Lottomatica (13k). These seats are reduced by the big stage required by ESC and the green room (if located inside the arena). The requirements are much more complex so many of the existing arenas in Europe (and also in Greece) are not suitable. Read the PDF issued by RAI and you will understand why the requirements restrict so much the possible locations. Height of the ceiling and its loading capacity. Availability of… Read more »
I also think that it will be either Milan or Turin.
I mean, if it’s not Turin at this point I’ll be shocked.
so it’s either Milan or Turin, most likely Turin since they considered them in 2017 and they had a new arena.
What a pity for Rome though 🙁 i think their arena does not meet the minimum requirements (ceiling/perimeter/extra space for dressing rooms/press centre)
Milano (Palazzo delle Scintille)