Description
The UK’s offer to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in place of 2022 winner Ukraine will be the first time in the Contest’s history where one country hosts on behalf of another. Mega events such as Eurovision are typically understood as opportunities for host cities and nations to narrate their local identities or national brand on the global stage, attracting tourism, investment and cultural capital or soft power in the process. The dynamic of one country hosting for another therefore offers a unique opportunity consider how potential host cities articulate both their own local identities and international solidarity. This paper explores these dynamics by examining the bids of the seven UK cities that campaigned to host Eurovision 2023, with particular focus on the ultimately successful city, Liverpool. It uses narrative analysis of bid applications and supporting public campaign materials such as tweets and videos to consider how the cities connect their local identities with support for Ukraine. In doing so, the paper brings scholarship on the politics of Eurovision, cultural diplomacy, and cities in international relations into conversation to develop our understanding of sub-state localities as international diplomatic actors.
