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Eurovision 2026: Austria's cities are fighting for the ESC!
Austria wins the ESC 2026. About opportunities and challenges for tourism in the candidate cities.
Eurovision 2026: Austria's cities are fighting for the ESC!
Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 following JJ's remarkable victory in 2025. The event will take place in Austria, which brings opportunities for tourism and the country's image, as well as high costs. The ESC in Basel 2024 cost around 64 million euros, a sum that was split between Swiss television, the city of Basel and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Dario Silic, professor at the Swiss School of Business and Management, estimates the economic profit for Basel to be comparable.
Several cities in Austria are currently applying to host the ESC 2026. However, some cities, such as Klagenfurt and Salzburg, have already declined. Klagenfurt sees the hosting as “simply not possible”, while Salzburg’s mayor describes the situation as “de facto impossible” as the trade fair arena would have to be blocked for a period of six weeks.
Alignment requests and favorites
The EBU places high demands on the cities that want to host the ESC. These include criteria such as hall capacities, a well-developed infrastructure and sufficient overnight accommodation. Against this background, Vienna is considered the obvious option, as the city successfully hosted the ESC in 2015. Mayor Michael Ludwig has already declared his willingness to take part.
Innsbruck is also interested and could use the Olympic Hall as a possible event location. Other cities in the running are St. Pölten, Wels – which has a new exhibition hall – and Oberwart, which, however, has weaknesses in terms of infrastructure. Klaus Leutgeb, operator of the Schwarzl leisure center in Premstätten near Graz, is planning a large public viewing and sees opportunities for Graz.
A fixed date for the ESC 2026 has not yet been set, but the final could probably take place on May 16, 2026. These preparations show that the Austrian cities are ready to present themselves in the international spotlight and take on the challenges of the event.
Further information can be found on oesterreich.orf.at be read.