The team in charge of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool has received a UNESCO City of Music award – the first of its kind.

In a ceremony at Liverpool Town Hall, host broadcaster the BBC and event organisers the EBU were presented with the award. Created in recognition of local people’s outstanding contributions to the city during its Eurovision celebrations, it is an acknowledgement of the overwhelmingly positive impact that the contest has had on Liverpool’s music sector.

Liverpool City Council said that this year’s final was the most-watched in UK history, and that early indications suggest an extra 500,000 people visited the city during the first two weeks of May to engage in Eurovision activities. Although a full evaluation of the impacts of this tourism boom is yet to take place, it is likely that millions of pounds will have been poured into the local economy as a result.

Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotherham, states:

Home to more number one hits than anywhere else, it’s safe to say that Liverpool wouldn’t be Liverpool without music – and music wouldn’t be music without Liverpool.

While few places can claim to have made such an impact on world music as we have, I think the real reason we came out on top in the race to host Eurovision was because, quite simply, nowhere else can throw a party quite like us!

In the coming weeks, the host city for the 2024 edition of the Contest will be announced. While we know that Sweden can throw a party, the question now becomes: will they be able to throw a party as grand and impressive as Liverpool’s? Let us know what you think!