Innsbruck City Council Votes for Bid for Eurovision Song Contest 2026

For hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Innsbruck, the 22 representatives of the governing factions "JA - Jetzt Innsbruck", Greens, and SPÖ voted in favor. The 18 city councilors of the opposition from FPÖ, "das Neue Innsbruck", KPÖ, Liste Fritz, and Alternative Liste (ALI) voted against it.

Mayor Anzengruber Wants to Cover Costs for Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with Economy and Tourism

Due to a confidentiality clause agreed with ORF, the meeting took place in the afternoon behind closed doors. It likely led to a lively and controversial debate, as there had been sharp criticism from the opposition parties beforehand regarding the approach and information policy of Mayor Johannes Anzengruber ("JA - Jetzt Innsbruck") and especially the estimated costs in times of precarious budget situations. The FPÖ spoke of a "financial disaster", "das Neue Innsbruck" missed a transparent, sustainable financial concept, and the security costs were unclear. The Liste Fritz even demanded the withdrawal of the application.

In contrast, Anzengruber once again advocated for Innsbruck's application to ORF Tirol and pointed out that the city is not going it alone. "We have succeeded in setting up a great financing together with tourism and the economy," he stated. The share of the two partners is also "greater than that of the city". This was the "decisive point", Innsbruck could not afford it alone. "But this way it is achievable and feasible," the city leader was convinced. Specific figures for the budget were not mentioned due to a confidentiality agreement. However, according to the "Tiroler Tageszeitung", there was talk of a cost forecast of over 19.47 million euros or budget-effective around 17 million euros.

Eurovision Song Contest 2026: Decision Between Innsbruck and Vienna in August

Following the city council's decision, it remains to be seen who will be awarded the contract by the organizer ORF. In addition to Innsbruck, the federal capital Vienna also threw its hat into the ring. While the event in Innsbruck is to take place in the Olympiahalle, Vienna offered the Stadthalle as the venue. A decision is expected at the beginning of August.

(APA/Red)

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