The BBC has announced that tickets to the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest officially go on sale to the public today.
With the UK set to host the 2023 edition of the world’s biggest song competition on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine, fans from across the globe will descend on Liverpool on Saturday 13 May – and for those keen to watch one of the live shows in person, tickets go on sale today.
Eurovision fans who want to try their chances at securing tickets to either one of the Semi Finals or the Grand Final itself will need to be poised and ready.
Big #Eurovision2023 news! Tickets will be on sale from midday GMT on Tuesday 7th March 🎉
It’s not just the televised shows that fans can grab tickets for either, as there’s a total of nine live shows at the this year’s Contest – which is being staged at the Liverpool Arena from Monday 8 May, until the main event on Saturday 13 May.
There’ll be an Afternoon Preview Show and an Evening Preview Show for both of the two Semi Final events and the Grand Final, all before the Live TV Shows are then recorded at 8pm that evening, and studio audiences are to head on down and sing to their heart’s content at each one.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fancy having a crack at securing tickets then? Here’s everything you need to know.
Official artwork for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 / Credit: Eurovision Song Contest
What time do tickets go on sale? And how much do they cost?
Tickets to the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 go on sale at 12pm (GMT) on Tuesday 7 March.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tickets are priced from £30 to £290 for each of the Semi Final shows, and from £80 to £380 for the Grand Final shows – all depending on the seats and packages.
How many tickets can I buy?
You can only buy tickets for one show at a time.
For the three live televised shows, customers can purchase a maximum of four tickets in one order, but for the six preview shows, you can buy a maximum of six tickets.
ADVERTISEMENT
This year’s Contest is being held in the North West city of Liverpool / Credit: Eurovision Song Contest
What’s the differences between each show?
The Afternoon Preview Show – usually referred to as the ‘Family Show’ – is a full run-through of that day’s Live TV Show, and serves as one final rehearsal for the artists and crew, and as the name suggests, it’s much more convenient for those who wish to bring younger Eurovision fans.
The Evening Preview Show – often referred to as the ‘Jury Show’ – is also a full run-through of that day’s Live TV Show when it comes to the Semi Finals, but in the case of the Grand Final, it’s when the international juries cast their votes for the participants.
And then the Live TV Show is exactly what it says on the tin.
Where do I buy tickets?
Tickets will only be available to purchase from Ticketmaster, regardless of the country you’re booking from, and you can only purchase tickets for one show at a time.
You must have a Ticketmaster account to purchase tickets, and fans are encouraged to create their account in advance of Tuesday 7 March.
ADVERTISEMENT
Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine as they were crowned winners of last year’s Contest / Credit: Eurovision Song Contest
How tricky will it be to get tickets? What’s my best shot at securing them?
As it probably goes without saying, demand for tickets is expected to be high, but as fans who have travelled to a Contest before will tell you, traditionally, it can be easier to secure tickets for the Preview Shows than one of the Live TV Shows.
“Preview Shows have all of the content and performances of the broadcast shows, but leave you free to watch the Live TV Show as it was intended… on the television,” Eurovision says.
The Government has already announced earlier this year that 3,000 tickets will be made available for those Ukrainians who have been forced from their homes and are living in the UK – meaning they can attend one of the Live Shows and help mark the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra’s victory at last year’s Contest.
Featured Image – Eurovision Song Contest
Trending
Ben Foster reveals he’s being paid ‘literally peanuts’ to play for Wrexham AFC
Danny Jones
We refuse to believe any UK football fan didn’t let out a little smile upon hearing the news that Ben Foster came out of retirement to re-sign for Wrexham AFC nearly 20 years on from his first spell.
The 39-year-old goalkeeper called time on his playing days at the end of last season after slowly moving towards becoming a squad player-come-YouTuber over the past few years and having already enjoyed a long and successful career.
However, following a nudge from the coach and celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, he was convinced to lace up his boots once more and the former United, Stoke, West Brom and Watford man will now be playing between the sticks at the Racecourse Ground until the end of the season.
To make things even more wholesome, the Premier League veteran has confessed that transfer talks didn’t last long, confessing on his YouTube and Spotify show, the Fozcast: “To be honest, the negotiations took about five minutes”, adding that he’s been paid “literally peanuts”.
Ben Foster: “I don’t need much [money] – to be honest, the negotiations took about five minutes… Wages wise, it’s literally peanuts… the part for me is getting the team over the line and getting them promoted.” #WxmAFCpic.twitter.com/Ke5vPdT1UK
— RobRyanRed – Wrexham AFC Podcast (@RobRyanRed) March 23, 2023
Nevertheless, Foster admitted that he doesn’t need much money after such a great career up and down the football pyramid and while “things changed a lot since [he] was last here”, he said, “it’s nice to be back” and labelled manager Phil Parkinson “top class”.
Parkinson, an EFL journeyman himself, had similarly complimentary words for the seasoned keeper, stating: “We’re delighted to welcome Ben to the club. With Rob Lainton getting injured at the weekend, it was important we had all bases covered going into the last part of the season, which this signing ensures.”
The ex-England international first played for Wrexham back in 2005 when he was loaned out by Stoke City and went on to win the EFL Trophy — his first-ever piece of silverware. Now he’s back to help them finally get out of the National League (currently three points clear at the top with a game in hand).
As for his expectations for the season, he said the goal is simple: “getting the team over the line and getting them promoted”, adding “I’m a very low-maintenance player. Just wheel me out, I’ll do a job.” Now that’s the kind of attitude we can get behind.
Speaking to talkSPORT after the sudden move, he revealed that the whole deal felt just as out of the blue for him too, detailing how he got a call from the manager after a bike ride one day and, before he knew it, he’d given them the thumbs up.
Shedding some light on his discussions with the Hollywood owners, he said that Reynolds “actually slid into [his] DMs” once the agreement had been confirmed, joking: “I’m buzzing I’ve got Ryan Reynolds in there, I ain’t even replied to him! I’ll leave him hanging for a bit!”
He went on to admit that he actually approached him first, messaging, “I used to play for Wrexham and if you’re ever available for a podcast I’d love you to come.” Thankfully, he finally responded, saying: “Mate, sorry I didn’t reply. I’ll definitely do the podcast with you, thank you for signing.”
That Deadpool episode is going to be a great watch… You can see him talking about the surprise transfer in full on his YouTube channel down below:
The GIANT £375 chocolate Easter egg that’s ‘too beautiful to eat’
Daisy Jackson
One of the north’s most legendary hospitality businesses has created an Imperial Easter Egg, and the effort that goes into crafting it is wild.
Coming in at 10kg, 22 inches tall, and £375, Bettys enormous chocolate treat shows off a whole lot of artistry.
The iconic tearoom, which has sites across Yorkshire, has shared the behind-the-scenes video to its TikTok page, drumming up almost half a million views.
The mouth-watering video shows first milk chocolate being hand-painted onto a chocolate egg-shaped mould to create the Easter egg’s beautiful textured appearance, The Hoot reports.
Then layer after layer of melted chocolate is poured in from a chocolate tap, before being trimmed and tidied.
Bettys, which has tearooms across Harrogate, York, and Leeds, uses the finest Swiss Grand Cru chocolate for its imperial Easter egg, and every bit that’s trimmed away is melted down to reuse elsewhere.
Then a pastry chef at the tearoom will spend up to an hour PER EGG piping on the ornate decorations, carefully piping on coloured white chocolate stems and ferns.
Then colourful royal icing flowers are placed on its surface, each one again hand-piped by their cake decorators.
The end result is a whopping Spring-time masterpiece covered in shades of green, yellow and purple.
Bettys Imperial Easter Egg weighs in at a massive 10kg and stands at 22 inches tall.
Bettys says: “Celebrating the creativity and craft that makes Bettys unique, our handmade Imperial Easter eggs continue a tradition stretching back more than a century, when our founder Frederick Belmont designed eggs which were ornately embellished with hand-piped icing designs.
“Containing over five kilos of Grand Cru Swiss chocolate made from prized Venezuelan criollo cocoa beans, the Imperial Egg is a true work of art, showcasing the highest skills of our chocolatiers and cake decorators.
“Each Imperial Egg carries an array of delicate, individually crafted spring blooms and foliage including primroses, narcissi and pansies, with hand-piped stems as a final perfect touch.
“Our Imperial Easter Egg is made to order and is only available for collection from one of our Yorkshire shops.”
Emily Sergeant -
7th March 2023 
