New details have emerged regarding Innsbruck’s unsuccessful bid to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, after documents from the city’s proposal were made public.
Two-venue concept proposed
According to Austrian newspaper Der Standard, which accessed the documents through a Freedom of Information request, the city had outlined an extensive plan to host the contest before ultimately losing the bid to Vienna.
Innsbruck planned to stage the contest at the Olympiahalle, while the Green Room would have been located in a neighbouring hall. This setup would have allowed fans in the second venue to watch the show live on screens. Together, the two spaces could have accommodated up to 15,000 spectators during each of the live broadcasts.
The city also proposed opening Tivoli Stadium for a large public viewing event, similar to fan gatherings organised at previous contests. The concept included a central structure with large screens placed inside the stadium, allowing up to 17,000 additional fans to watch the shows.
Economic situation
The documents also revealed the estimated costs for hosting the event:
- €3.7 million for the venues
- €2 million for the press centre, production and backstage areas
- €4 million for security and technology
- €1 million each for additional public transport, the Eurovision Village and project management
All About 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. The bidding process started in June, with interested cities having until July 4 to submit their bid book. Innsbruck and Vienna were shortlisted, with the latter winning the right to host next year’s contest. 35 countries will take part in the competition, the lowest number of competing entries since 2004.
As for the organisation of the competition, the ‘core team‘ was revealed in June 2025, with further details about next year’s competition to be revealed in due course. The shows will take place on May 12th, 14th and 16th.
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News Source: Der Standard
Photo Source: Olympiaworld Innsbruck/diviz
Euan T