London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Why it's about more than music for Liverpool

Eurovision Song Contest 2023: Why it's about more than music for Liverpool

Beyond the Eurovision Song Contest's carnival of outlandish costumes, variable Europop and volatile voting, there is something bigger at stake for this year's host city.

In a souvenir shop in Liverpool, some new additions are on display alongside the usual Beatles and football merchandise.

There's a blue-and-yellow woolly hat with "Liverpool" on one side, "Ukraine" on the other, and the date 2023 (yours for £19.99).

There are heart-shaped fridge magnets with the city's Liver Bird mascot against a similar blue-and-yellow background, next to magnets with the faces of the Fab Four.

There's a flag saying "Liverpool song contest" and the dates 9-13 May 2023. The word Eurovision doesn't appear - presumably for trademark reasons, as these are unofficial mementos.

Around 100,000 fans are expected for Eurovision and related events


But the products are ready for the visitors who are expected to flood here for the annual continental music competition. It was awarded to the city after organisers decided it was too dangerous to be staged by 2022's winners Ukraine, following Russia's invasion.

And while Liverpool is promising to put the country front and centre in its activities, and merchandise, it is also taking its own chance to harness the power of Eurovision.

There are hopes that around 100,000 visitors and the exposure to 160 million TV viewers will boost the local economy. It's been transformed by tourism over the past two decades but also hit by the Covid pandemic.

Eurovision could be worth £25m to Liverpool this year and a further £250m from an upturn in visitor numbers over the next three years, according to council estimates.

Meanwhile, NatWest has estimated that visitors will spend £40m in the city across Eurovision week alone.

The Eurovision 2023 heart logo incorporates the blue and yellow colours of the Ukrainian flag


"It is a tremendous shot in the arm for the economy," says Dr Michael Jones, a senior lecturer in music industries at the University of Liverpool.

"The city council is determined to maximise it, to put the flags out and say, 'We're back as a city, come to Liverpool.'

"And I don't think that's at all cynical. It's an expression of self-confidence, and the city has struggled. This is an opportunity. It's maximising it, I think, in a thoughtful and sensitive way."

Last year's contest attracted 55,000 tourists to Turin, despite some Covid measures still being in place. The Italian city said those visitors generated 23m euros (£20m), with the media exposure worth an extra 66m euros (£58m).

Liverpool is hoping Eurovision's global spotlight will allow it to build on a 15-year period in which it has reinvented its image from declining post-industrial city to popular destination.

In the decade before Covid, Liverpool saw an 87% rise in international tourists (compared with 37% overall for the UK).

Music has played a big part in the city's fortunes, and Beatles tourism was estimated to be worth £100m to the city in 2019.

Although Beatles tourism is not new, it has boomed in recent years, according to Jon Keats, a director of the company that runs the famous Cavern Club as well as an annual Beatles convention, which began in the late 1970s.

"When we started doing the Beatles convention, there were three hotels in the city, I think," he says.

Now, Liverpool's global appeal is reflected in the audience when Keats performs as a singer in the Cavern himself. "The other day I had [fans from] Honolulu on one side and Ecuador on the other side, wedged between Australia and Cleethorpes."

Tourists flock to have their photos taken with the Beatles statue on the Liverpool waterfront


Back in 2009, there weren't enough customers to open the Cavern all week. "Then it just kept on getting busier and busier, to the point where we now have live music from 11:00 every day and it doesn't stop," he says. "So there's been a massive change."

This new Beatlemania is centred on Mathew Street, where the Cavern (resurrected in 1984 a few doors down from the original) has been joined by more themed bars, pubs and a museum.

"It's a busy street," Mr Keats says. "There are many Beatle-themed [things], rightly or wrongly. This is another challenge for Liverpool - we need to make sure we don't turn Liverpool into a Disney version of the Beatles."

While The Beatles are the main attraction, Liverpool is trying to draw attention to other strands of its musical identity.

In the late 1970s and 80s, venues like Eric's - opposite the Cavern - produced bands like Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Echo and the Bunnymen, Julian Cope's The Teardrop Explodes and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.

"Eric's for me is way more important than the Cavern because of what came after it," says Frankie Goes To Hollywood guitarist Brian Nash.

Left-right: Keith Mullin and Peter Hooton of The Farm and Brian Nash of Frankie Goes To Hollywood are running the Liverpool Music Icons walking tours


Nash has recently formed a supergroup of sorts with Peter Hooton and Keith Mullin of 1990s band The Farm. Instead of making music, they are leading guided tours of the city's post-punk and alternative music scene, as well as some Beatles-related heritage.

"There's so much more to Liverpool than that," Nash says. "What we want to talk about is our time, and the changes that have happened in the city since then."

Music was a bright spot in the 80s. At the time, riots, unemployment and poverty led Chancellor Sir Geoffrey Howe to urge Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to consider abandoning the city to a fate of "managed decline".

Nash says residents of the 80s would "never have predicted" how far the city would come since then. "If you were standing here in 1984, you'd have gone, 'No chance'. We were written off."

"OK, this is a nostalgia tour," adds Hooton. "But it's also a tour of hope - to say, look, this can happen from nothing."

Eurovision and Liverpool's wider musical pedigree will now be used to brand it as a music city, not just as Beatles city.

Liverpool's arena was built for the Capital of Culture year in 2008


Another key moment in Liverpool's regeneration came when it was European Capital of Culture in 2008.

"I don't think anyone would have believed you, pre-Capital of Culture, if you said Liverpool's economy would be run by visitors," says Claire McColgan, the council's director of culture.

Today, almost half of the council's business rates come from the visitor economy sector, she says.

The song contest does have a cost for Liverpool. The council is spending £2m on the event, with another £2m coming from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Some will question whether that's the best use of public money during a cost of living crisis.

The Eurovision colours appear on signs and banners across the city


McColgan says most in the city now understand that culture can bring big returns.

Eurovision is "an investment into the city's future", she continues. "It's investment into jobs, into people wanting to invest here, people wanting to come to college here. It's part of a much bigger picture, and we see it like that here.

"And it's a small investment compared to the return that we're going to get from it. And not just Liverpool - the wider region and also the UK."

Eurovision has already brought £15m in to the city, McColgan says, while bars and hotels - and souvenir shops - will feel the benefit when the visitors arrive.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
×