Everything costs more these days. It’s a worldwide phenomenon, and it would seem Eurovision tickets are no exemption. A fan who attended any of the nine ticketed shows at the PalaOlimpico in Turin last year will pay noticeably more for a seat at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool this May.
I went to my first Eurovision last year, and was lucky to get tickets to six of the nine shows – but it wasn’t cheap. Those tickets cost me roughly €800*. While exact prices per show are still not known the the public, for similar tickets to the same six shows this year, one might expect to pay somewhere between €1000 and €1100.
While prices are up over last year, where do Liverpool’s ticket prices stand when we look back over the last decade?
*All prices in this article are in euros, and are adjusted for inflation at time of publication. Ticket prices for accessible seats have not been included in the calculations and statistics.
Dress Rehearsals and Jury Shows
One year ago, I was hesitant to pay to attend the “Family Shows”, as they are essentially just a dress rehearsal on the afternoon of the live broadcast. Yet these turned out to be some of the most enjoyable shows as the artists aren’t as nervous, and the hosts are more relaxed. During the live broadcasts, the tension is much higher, and fans can definitely feel it in the stands.
That said, if you’re in the hunt for tickets for Liverpool, don’t ignore these non-televised shows. Not only are they entertaining, you’ll get to see the whole show AND pay a lot less, meaning it’s not all doom and gloom (if you already have somewhere to stay, but that’s another story …)!
Over the years, fans on a budget have generally been able to get tickets to get inside the hall and be part of the Eurovision experience. In the last 10 years, the cheapest tickets to Eurovision 2017 in Kiev and 2018 in Lisbon cost as little as €6. On the other end of the spectrum, anyone trying to see a show in Tel Aviv needed a whopping €96 for the cheapest seat!
Live Broadcasts – Semis and Grand Final
Simply put, expect to pay more for your chance to be seen on live TV by 160 million people! To find out your country’s fate live in a Semi Final, fans in Lisbon could have done this for just €17 back in 2018. No other Contest offered a cheaper ticket to a live show. The very next year in Tel Aviv, a ticket to a live Semi Final jumped to €347 for the best location.
But prices for the live Grand Finals are even more eye-watering. Lisbon again makes the list for the cheapest ticket to a Grand Final. A ‘nose-bleed’ seat there went for just €40. The year before in Kyiv, a ticket so close to the artists that you could almost smell them cost an astronomical €588!
So where does Liverpool 2023 rank?
- Least expensive ticket to a non-broadcast show: 2nd highest since 2014
- Most expensive ticket to a non-broadcast show: 2nd highest since 2014
- Least expensive ticket to a live Semi Final: 3rd highest since 2014
- Most expensive ticket to a live Semi Final: 2nd highest since 2014
- Least expensive ticket to a live Grand Final: 3rd highest since 2014
- Most expensive ticket to a live Grand Final: 3rd highest since 2014
There are a lot of variables at play here, so I’ll let you draw your own conclusion about the ticket prices. That said, are you planning on getting your tickets on Tuesday? Let us know in the comments below!
