ESC 2026: How Do Vienna's Chances Compare to Other Locations in Austria?

"The countdown is on," said the ORF to the APA: "In a meeting in the coming days, the principal requirements for ORF, host city, and event location will be established." For the ESC 2015, it was required that the venue be available exclusively for at least six weeks before the final and have a capacity of around 10,000 people after the installation of the gigantic ESC stage. However, the Basel St. Jakobshalle only offered space for 6,500 spectators - a sign of the general development of the ESC towards a television event.

The Requirements for Song Contest Venue

The minimum ceiling height required by ORF for 2015 was around 15 meters. Additionally, a "Green Room" for about 300 artists and delegation members had to be accommodated either in the hall or in the immediate vicinity. About 6,000 square meters of space were reserved for the backstage area, and around 4,000 square meters for the press center.

With these aspects in mind, a look at the interested event locations in Austria.

Vienna - The City with Experience

Vienna brings two main things to its application: The experience with the ESC 2015 and the Stadthalle. "In 2015, we already impressively demonstrated that we can host international major events with professionalism, hospitality, and cultural appeal. Vienna is ready to be Europe's stage again this time," said Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) to the APA, throwing his hat into the ring before Song Contest winner JJ had even returned to Austria. After all, the ESC 2015 is still remembered by most as a well-organized event.

And the Vienna Stadthalle, which can accommodate a maximum of 16,000 visitors and provided space for 13,500 people during the contest at that time, proved to be a suitable location for the world's largest music competition as the largest event hall in the country. The building, designed by Roland Rainer and opened in 1958, received a special air conditioning system for the Vienna ESC, which still provides cool air.

As early as 1967, after Udo Jürgens' victory with "Merci Cherie" the previous year, the Song Contest, then still under the title Grand Prix de la Chanson, was held in the federal capital - but not in the Stadthalle, rather in the Vienna Hofburg. At that time, however, only 17 countries participated in the competition, and the stage show was - to put it politely - expandable. Therefore, today the Hofburg, whose large festival hall has 1,100 seats, would no longer be an option.

Innsbruck - A Basel Clone

The almost ideal host city for the Song Contest 2026 would be Innsbruck - if one takes the successful ESC in Basel as a comparison. As in the Swiss city with 170,000 inhabitants, the Tivoli Stadium offers a possible location for a gigantic public viewing area right next to the projected ESC hall, in this case, the Olympiaworld. This can accommodate up to 12,000 people, almost exactly matching the capacity of the Basel St. Jakobshalle. Only the Tivoli Stadium offers space for around 17,000 ESC fans, fewer than Basel's "Joggeli," which allowed 38,000 people to experience an open-air ESC event. However, this is - at least not yet - part of the requirements profile. In terms of the number of available beds, Innsbruck and Basel are roughly on par with about 9,000 each.

The capital of Tyrol will definitely apply again as a host city, as Mayor Johannes Anzengruber (JA - Now Innsbruck) reiterated to the APA on Tuesday. He sees a "very big chance" to bring the Song Contest to Innsbruck and Tyrol. At a meeting with tourism representatives, Olympiaworld, security experts, and ORF, the renewed application - following the one from 2014 - was officially decided on Monday evening. The state was also represented by Economic and Tourism Councillor Mario Gerber (ÖVP). Anzengruber spoke of a "united front," stating they are "motivated" and will - as soon as the ORF's call for applications is available - work out a concrete offer. A detailed budget or cost breakdown is, of course, not yet available. "And the game 'at any cost' will not be played," emphasized the mayor.

Anzengruber referred to the application concept from 2014, which included a budget of around eleven million euros. Everything was included here, including the "ideal value" and the "provision of infrastructure." This concept must and will be adapted to the new circumstances, "modernized and indexed." The fact that Governor Anton Mattle (ÖVP) recently clarified that aside from providing infrastructure, "no financial resources from the state will be available" apparently did not bother the mayor. He is generally in good talks with the governor. Additionally, they plan a very strong collaboration with the tourism regions and associations. He can therefore also imagine (additional) financing through this channel. Furthermore, the state declared that they assume the ORF, as the hosting multimedia house, "will provide an appropriate budget regardless of the venue."

Graz - Can, but also want to?

In Graz, the Stadthalle at the fairgrounds, along with additional connected halls, is considered a conceivable candidate for hosting the ESC: Around 6,500 square meters of column-free event space is available here for up to 14,500 visitors. The fairgrounds cover a total of around 85,000 square meters. Traveling by public transport is easy. And the Styrian capital, with its population of just over 300,000, offers around 8,000 guest beds.

Premstätten - Ambitious South

A location for up to 18,000 standing places is offered by the Davis Cup Hall in the Schwarzl Leisure Center south of Graz in Premstätten. Operator Klaus Leutgeb has extensive experience as a concert manager with the Leutgeb Entertainment Group, which co-organized the Adele concerts in Munich. Leutgeb has already expressed his interest in hosting the ESC 2026 to the media: "The Schwarzlsee is the perfect location." He has invested five million euros in a new opaque roof that makes the hall TV-suitable. Additionally, the site also offers the Premstätten Hall for up to 2,130 guests and a large area for parking. "We have a huge open-air area right at the door with 70,000 square meters at Schwarzl. I would do a huge public viewing there with 30,000 to 40,000 people, similar to Basel," Leutgeb told ORF Styria. In parallel, he would integrate the Graz fair into the plans and, similar to the World Expo, establish a so-called "Austria Village."

However, a potential Achilles' heel in Styria is likely the political will. The reports about the interest of the Leutgeb Entertainment Group are acknowledged, as Premstätten's Mayor Matthias Pokorn (ÖVP) emphasized to the APA: "Since we have not been involved in any corresponding considerations so far, we are currently refraining from further substantive comments." Graz's Mayor Elke Kahr (KPÖ), on the other hand, wants to discuss a possible application in the city senate but made it clear in advance: "The project is only feasible if everyone supports it and the costs for the city are manageable." Governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) meanwhile emphasized being "fundamentally a great supporter of major events in Styria" and, in the case of an ESC city in Graz, also involving Burgenland and Carinthia. But "to seriously consider a concrete application, reliable figures must first be put on the table to assess the financial effort for all parties involved."

Wels and Linz - United by Music

The situation is quite different in Upper Austria, where they are evidently inspired by the official ESC motto "United by Music." Here, the city of Wels and the capital Linz are applying together, supported by the state leadership. "Wels is ready to welcome Europe together with Linz - with perfect infrastructure, a strong team, and the shared passion to connect music and people," emphasized Mayor Andreas Rabl (FPÖ). He referred to the recent groundbreaking for the new exhibition hall, which is to be completed in January 2026. 34 million euros are being invested, with the location having a capacity for up to 5,700 visitors. There are 3,500 beds in the region, with Linz contributing an additional 8,500 guest beds.

"Linz stands for innovation, quality of life, and openness - exactly the values that the Eurovision Song Contest also conveys," Mayor Dietmar Prammer (SPÖ) echoed his colleague: "This application is both a cultural signal and a commitment to cooperation in the region."

Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) announced in a press release that he would support the application of Wels and Linz: "Upper Austria and the Song Contest - that fits in any case." Of course, hosting is a major effort, but one where the investments would pay off: "Not every major event has to automatically take place in Vienna. Upper Austria has everything to host a successful, peaceful, large music festival. That would be the best advertisement for all of Austria."

Oberwart - The Countryside

Georg Rosner (ÖVP) also effectively threw his hat in the ring as the mayor of Oberwart, the third largest city in Burgenland with 8,000 inhabitants. Rosner told the APA that "all prerequisites" were in place to host such an event. The only "handicap" he identified was the availability of accommodations, but there are additional options in the nearby towns of Stegersbach and Bad Tatzmannsdorf. "Basically, the interest is there. Oberwart is available," Rosner stated.

According to the city council, the exhibition grounds in Oberwart have the large Burgenland Hall, which is approved for 6,000 people. In addition, there are three other smaller halls and an intermediate hall - backstage areas could be accommodated in these. The large Burgenland Hall has already hosted "Musikantenstadl" or "Starmania" concerts, among others. And the ESC application already has a tradition in Oberwart. "This Song Contest should take place next year in our city of diversity, in Oberwart," the then Burgenland governor Hans Niessl (SPÖ) had already postulated in 2014.

Lower Austria - Ideas Taking Off

Of course, Lower Austria is also interested in hosting, the state has "really good prerequisites," said Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) on Tuesday on the sidelines of a press conference. She suggested Vienna Airport in Schwechat as a possible venue. This would need to be examined, the airport said upon request. For the 2015 Song Contest, they had unsuccessfully applied with Vienna Airport. After being eliminated, the then governor Erwin Pröll (ÖVP) stated that a temporary location in Schwechat would not have been justifiable to the taxpayer.

St. Pölten is also interested in the ESC 2026: "We will definitely put ourselves in the game and hope that we will be heard," said Mayor Matthias Stadler (SPÖ) according to ORF: "If we can officially apply, then we will do so." However, the largest event center in Lower Austria, the St. Pölten VAZ, accommodates a maximum of 3,300 people in concert seating. The VAZ said on Monday to the "Niederösterreichische Nachrichten" that hosting in the state capital is "quite feasible" - with the appropriate investments.

The Rest - Probably Not

Theoretical other interested parties, who had thrown their hat into the ESC ring in 2014, already announced a few hours after JJ's Song Contest triumph that they would withdraw from the race this year. The Klagenfurt Wörthersee Stadium is ruled out due to too costly adaptations, as is the city of Salzburg. The idea of a Salzburg ESC is theoretically appealing, as Mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ) admitted to the APA: "But we will not have the necessary infrastructure for it and also cannot afford it financially." Lower Austria's Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP), however, positioned herself and her state with the APA - but without naming a venue. The largest event center in Lower Austria, the St. Pölten VAZ, accommodates a maximum of 3,300 people in concert seating.

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(APA/Red.)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.