Vienna has officially been chosen as the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, marking a historic return for Austria’s capital. ORF confirmed that the 70th edition of the world’s biggest live music event will take place.
The official Austrian public broadcaster ORF has announced that Vienna is the city to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the largest live television music spectacle in the world. This was decided after Austria won the event at the contest held in Basel for the year 2025, where a Viennese artist JJ wooed Europe with his genre-mixing hit “Wasted Love”.
Vienna to Host Eurovision Song Contest 2026
The fact that the contest in 2026 will also be the 70th edition of Eurovision makes it more symbolic for Vienna. As planned, the event will take place at Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s indoor venue number one. The two semi-finals will take place on the 12th and 14th of May, while the final will happen on the 16th of May, 2026.
This will be the third time Vienna has hosted it, having done so in 1967 and again in 2015.
For What Reason Vienna Was a Host
Vienna competed with Innsbruck for the privilege of hosting the event. ORF was accompanied by an expert jury in choosing the Austrian capital as the winner due to modern infrastructure, accommodation capacity, transport links and cost-effectiveness.
Director General of ORF Roland Weibmann added that this ensures logistical and international reliability for being the “most convincing overall package”.
Celebration Not Just of Music, but of Culture
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) noted that the past reputation of Vienna as a historical site of music plus its centric location in Europe makes it the right place to host the celebration for the 70th edition of Eurovision.
Mayor Michael Ludwig of Vienna welcomed this decision, stating that the city has not only enough infrastructure to host thousands of visitors but also plans to make certain aspects of the festival free to the public, promoting a city-wide celebration.
Boosted Tourism and Economy
The contest will attract thousands of fans, media representatives and delegations from all Europe and beyond. According to Norbert Kettner, Director of Vienna Tourism: “The city is prepared for the occasion, having 80,000 hotel beds; excellent transport, connections; and having done all before hosting large-scale international events”.
They will also likely include very considerable economic consequences, with local businesses, hotels and cultural venues looking forward to the many thousands of international visitors.
What Fans Can Expect
Vienna will also be hosting the traditional Eurovision side events, such as the Eurovision Village (public viewing and performance area) and the EuroClub (for delegations and fans) along with the televised shows. The whole city will then be turned upside down for one exciting week of celebrating diversity, creativity and music.
Details on ticket sales, stage design, the countries involved, and event programming are expected to be shared over the coming months.