A look back at Eurovision Song Contest 2023

It took place in Liverpool on 13th May

Eurovision Song Contest hosts

Author: Georgie HollandPublished 14th May 2023

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 Grand Final took place in Liverpool on 13th May, after it was announced in 2022 that the Eurovision Song Contest would be heading to the UK.

The hosts of the show were Hannah Waddingham and Graham Norton, with Alesha Dixon, and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with the UK act Mae Muller. Here we take a look back at everything you might want to know about Eurovision 2023...

Who represented the UK at Eurovision 2023?

Mae Muller was announced as the UK Eurovision 2023 act on 9th March. Mae is a British singer, known for her songs 'Feels This Good' with Sigala, along with Caity Baser and Stefflon Don and 'Better Days' with Neiked and Polo G. She also supported Little Mix back in 2019.

Mae said of her involvement: "I'm SO excited to participate in Eurovision this year and represent the UK! I've loved watching Eurovision all my life, so to compete in such a massive music competition is simply brilliant. I’m a huge fan of so many of the artists that have found success at Eurovision, from ABBA to Måneskin!"

How many points did Mae Muller get at this year's Eurovision?

The UK entry Mae ended up with just 24 points, you can see the full list of countries and their points below.

Who performed at this year's Eurovision Song Contest?

Last year's UK contestant Sam Ryder performed, along with the Ukrainian winners Kalush Orchestra and a powerful performance titled ‘Voices of a New Generation'. Kalush Orchestra will be performing their winning song 'Stefania'.

Who hosted this year's Eurovision Song Contest?

On 22nd February the hosts were announced for the Eurovision Song Contest. Actress Hannah Waddingham, singer Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina were announced, alongside Eurovision favourite Graham Norton, and Mel Giedoryc of Bake Off fame who will commentate.

The news was shared on the competition's official social channels, saying: 'Introducing Liverpool’s new Fab Four 🥳 Your #Eurovision2023 hosts are: ⭐️ Graham Norton ⭐️ Hannah Waddingham ⭐️ Julia Sanina ⭐️ Alesha Dixon'.

Rylan and Scott Mills commentated the Semi-Finals, which took place in the week before the Grand Final.

Which countries were in the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2023?

26 countries took to the stage on 13th May at the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2023 in Liverpool. The full list of countries are below:

🇦🇱 Albania | Albina & Familja Kelmendi – ‘Duje’
🇦🇲 Armenia | Brunette – ‘Future Lover’
🇦🇺 Australia | Voyager – ‘Promise’
🇦🇹 Austria | Teya & Salena – ‘Who The Hell Is Edgar?’
🇧🇪 Belgium | Gustaph – ‘Because Of You’
🇭🇷 Croatia | Let 3 – ‘Mama ŠČ!’
🇨🇾 Cyprus | Andrew Lambrou – ‘Break A Broken Heart’
🇨🇿 Czechia | Vesna – ‘My Sister's Crown’
🇪🇪 Estonia | Alika – ‘Bridges’
🇫🇮 Finland | Käärijä – ‘Cha Cha Cha’
🇫🇷 France | La Zarra ‘ Evidemment’
🇩🇪 Germany | Lord of the Lost ‘Blood & Glitter’
🇮🇱 Israel | Noa Kirel – ‘Unicorn’
🇮🇹 Italy | Marco Mengoni ‘Due Vite’
🇱🇹 Lithuania | Monika Linkytė – ‘Stay’
🇲🇩 Moldova | Pasha Parfeni – ‘Soarele şi Luna’
🇳🇴 Norway | Alessandra – ‘Queen of Kings’
🇵🇱 Poland | Blanka – ‘Solo’
🇵🇹 Portugal | Mimicat – ‘Ai Coração’
🇷🇸 Serbia | Luke Black – ‘Samo Mi Se Spava’
🇸🇮 Slovenia | Joker Out – ‘Carpe Diem’
🇪🇸 Spain | Blanca Paloma ‘Eaea’
🇸🇪 Sweden | Loreen – ‘Tattoo’
🇨🇭 Switzerland | Remo Forrer – ‘Watergun’
🇺🇦 Ukraine | TVORCHI – ‘Heart of Steel’
🇬🇧United Kingdom | Mae Muller – ‘I Wrote A Song’

What is the theme for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest?

Unveiled by the BBC in January was this year's Eurovision theme, United By Music. The new theme and slogan demonstrates how last year's winning country, Ukraine, and the host country, UK, are working together to put on the annual competition.

This year's logo is influenced by the British and Ukrainian flags, 'designed to reflect the joy and diversity of the contest.'

Which city will host Eurovision 2023?

Confirmed on the One Show by Graham Norton, Liverpool will be the official host city for Eurovision 2023.

When was Eurovision 2023?

Semi Final 1: 9th May 2023

Semi Final 2: 11th May 2023

Grand Final: 13th May 2023

How to buy tickets for Eurovision 2023

Unfortunately tickets are no longer available for Eurovision 2023, they sold out in less than an hour!

Where was Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool?

Eurovision 2023 was held at Liverpool Arena, also known as the M&S Bank Arena. Located in central Liverpool, the venue has a capacity of 11,000.

Getting to Liverpool Arena

Direct public transport to the Arena is by bus and James Street railway station is a short walk away. The station is two stops away from Liverpool Lime Street mainline station.

Which cities were in the shortlist to host Eurovision 2023?

Host City bidding began on the week commencing 25th July 2022, with the shortlist of seven cities announced on 12th August 2022, before it was later narrowed down to Liverpool and Glasgow.

Birmingham
Glasgow
Leeds
Liverpool
Manchester
Newcastle
Sheffield

Prior to the release of the shortlist on 12th August, 16 cities in the UK were initially in the running to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, including: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wolverhampton.

Who won Eurovision 2022?

On 14th May 2022, Ukraine were crowned the winners of the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy. Despite this, the UK's entry Sam Ryder sent us all into a frenzy when he finished in second place with his hit song 'Space Man'.

Ukraine's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 came in the form a group called Kalush Orchestra, who performed the track 'Stefania'.

What have the Eurovision 2022 winners said about Liverpool hosting?

In 2022, Kalush Orchestra said in a statement: 'We are very pleased that next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Liverpool. Though we haven’t had the privilege of visiting yet, the musical heritage of the city is known all over the world. Playing in the same place that The Beatles started out will be a moment we’ll never forget!

'Although we are sad that next year’s competition cannot take place in our homeland, we know that the people of Liverpool will be warm hosts and the organisers will be able to add a real Ukrainian flavour to Eurovision 2023 in this city.'

Why isn't Ukraine hosting Eurovision 2023?

Although the country who wins the contest usually goes on to host the competition the year after, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officially confirmed on 25th July 2022 that due to Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia, the UK will host the contest instead.

Ukraine will, however, automatically qualify for the Grand Final along with ‘Big 5’ (which includes United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France and Italy).

The EBU's statement about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023:

In 2022, the EBU released a statement to confirm the BBC were in talks to host the 2023 contest in the UK. The statement explained that due to the ongoing war in 2022's winning country, Ukraine, they had to assess safety and security.

Within the statement, the EBU added: 'It is our full intention that Ukraine’s win will be reflected in next year’s shows. This will be a priority for us in our discussions with the eventual hosts.'