The Eurovision 2026 host broadcaster has officially moved into the Wiener Stadthalle, marking a major milestone in preparations for this year’s contest.
A symbolic handover marks the beginning
The official move-in began on 30 March, with a ceremonial cutting led by Executive Producer Michael Krön and Stadthalle Managing Director Thomas Waldner. This symbolic moment marks the official transition of the venue into Eurovision mode, as ORF takes full responsibility for transforming the arena into the contest’s main stage.
A massive production operation begins
With the keys now in ORF’s hands, work has already started inside the venue:
- Around 3,500 tonnes of equipment will be transported to the arena
- Hundreds of trucks will deliver materials over the coming weeks
- A total of 35 companies are involved in the build
- The production will include 27 cameras and 8,500 LED lights
This marks the beginning of a complex logistical operation that will run almost non-stop until showtime.
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: ORF
Photo Source: Christian Öser
Thomas James 
Rory Gannon