After Eurovision 2025, the race to pick a host city has started; however, one option, Ebreichsdorf, has pulled out.
What is Ebreichsdorf?
Ebreichsdorf is a city located in the lower part of Austria with a population of approximately 10,942 as of 2018. Luke Comer had an idea to build Comer City for Eurovision, which would hold 20,000 seats, 30,000 spaces for public viewing, and a press centre for 1,500 reporters. Since 2010, the city has been governed by Mayor Wolfgang Kocevar. The city has a rich manufacturing history with being known for making book printing, wood assembly, plus having big retail and social services.
Why can’t Ebreichsdorf host?
Many pulling parts didn’t come together for this decision. Luke Comer was a major one pushing for the submission for host city however the municipality of Ebreichsdorf would have to be the one to apply for being in the running to be a host city not a private investor with private investors being excluded from applying along with a municipality being allowed to submit only one application at a time.
There was a discussion made with the municipal representatives; however, there ended up not being enough time for a decision to be made, and “The lead time for decisions in the various committees is considered too short,” said Kahlbacher. Before this ultimate decision was made, they already had plans in place; however, in good news, they have mentioned being open to collaboration with whichever host city wins.
The Journey to Eurovision 2026
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest. At present the Alpine nation has not formally addressed its plans for how it intends to host. Those are expected to come in July. Though cities across Austria have already begun discussing their thoughts on hosting or not.
The cities that have expressed wishes to host:
- Vienna
- Innsbruck
- Graz
- Oberwart
- Wels and Linz (joint bid)
- St. Pölten
The cities that have ruled out hosting:
- Ebreichsdorf
- Salzburg
- Klagenfurt
What do you think of the running host cities? Where would you like Eurovision 2026 to be held? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: OE24
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Thomas James