Tickets went on sale today for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest which will be held in May in the UK. The city of Liverpool is hosting the event on behalf of last year's winner Ukraine and their performance by the Kalush Orchestra.
After a year of build-up and hosting speculation the wait is finally over and tickets go went sale on Ticketmaster at 12pm (March 7). Shortly after 1.30pm Eurovision confirmed that tickets for all nine shows have sold out following huge demand.
Ticketmaster was the only sale platform fans could buy tickets from, and demand was incredibly high as fans from all over the world queued to buy tickets.
The event will overtake Liverpool from May 1 to May 13 and include six preview shows and three live shows as well as a host of events in the nearby 'EuroVillage', on Pier Head in Liverpool. Tickets to the annual song contest have the reputation of being notoriously hard to get, especially for the main final event, purely down to the demand.
The M&S Bank Arena, on Liverpool Waterfront Pier Head Promenade, only has the capacity to hold 11,000 fans but the number of fans trying to get tickets will no doubt be a lot more.
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Millions of viewers, thought to be 160 million, are expected to tune in, so not only will the venue itself be packed but it will be broadcasted across the world. All eyes will be on the city as it integrates into honorary Ukrainian hosts for the fortnight.
Some fans have already taken to social media to share their frustrations over the first pricing release, as tickets are set between £30 and £290 for the semi-final shows, and between £80 to £380 for the grand final shows.
We'll be bringing the latest ticket updates throughout our live blog today. If you have any questions or want to share your excitement the 2023 Eurovision please get in touch in the comments. You can also message harriet.morphymorris@reachplc.com or @HarrietNews on Twitter if you have some important info you'd like to share with fellow fans.
The Ticketmaster site crashed ('nul point' from us), tickets sold out within minutes and some fans may be able to buy resale seats in the next few days. The 2023 Eurovision ticket sale has been a whirlwind.
(PA)That's all from us now as there are currently no tickets left to buy on the site.
For the latest travel information, hotel prices and how to get into the free fan zone fans can find all updates, posted on our 2023 Eurovision Song Contest page.
Hundreds of fans who've booked accessible tickets are being urged to wait for Ticketmaster to contact then regarding extra companion and carer tickets.
(LightRocket via Getty Images)These are for fans who need either wheelchair access, extra leg room, a companion for support during the show.
This is the response Ticketmaster is giving to fans asking for access help on Twitter:
Our Access team will be in contact with you regarding companion tickets. Thanks!
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As we know tickets for all shows have now sold-out, but there are ways fans can still get tickets.
Fans can buy resale tickets through Ticketmaster's fan-to-fan marketplace, these pop up online with the purple shuffle sign next to it.
Tickets for #Eurovision2023 have now sold out. Fans still wanting to purchase tickets should keep an eye on Ticketmaster's fan-to-fan resale if tickets become available.
— ticketmasteruk (@TicketmasterUK) March 7, 2023
Eurovision have confirmed that all shows are now sold out.
They said:
All #Eurovision2023 shows including previews are now SOLD OUT.
Demand was super high but don’t forget we have three amazing TV shows planned for this year's contest & lots of Eurovision activities and parties around Liverpool during the event!"
The rumoured artist for the UK's entry are flying across social media with Mimi Webb, Birdy and Frey Ridings just some of those mentioned.
We've been taking a little sneak peak and although not confirmed (at all) this could be the UK's 2023 Eurovision entry. Could Birdy's new 'Raincatcher's' give us a full 12 points?
After the rush of getting Eurovision tickets you want to make sure you don't get turned away at the arena door on the night.
Security is expected to be high, which means there are restrictions on what fans can and can't being into the M&S Bank Arena with them.
Some items are obviouse but others may catch some over excited fans out and include certain types of flags.
Fans will be turned away if carrying these items:
The full list of restricted items can be seen, here.
If our urge for fans to head to the EuroVillage isn't enough then here's a prompt from Eurovision presenter Rylan Clark himself.
The fan zone area is free and it may be a welcomed space for fans who have missed out on tickets today.
Congrats if you got tickets! If not donât worry, the Euro Village is gonna be amazing. #Eurovision is gonna take over the whole city. See you soon Liverpoolâ¦. All aboard.. (2018 ref for you die hards). pic.twitter.com/IzLZKEFc5y
— R Y L A N (@Rylan) March 7, 2023
Whether your site crashed or the tickets you wanted are now sold-out, don't worry as there is a dedication fan zone.... and it's free to get to.
The EuroVillage will be on Liverpool's Pier Head, near the M&S Bank Arena for days leading up to the event and during all of the shows. If you want to soak up the atmosphere on the night of a live show this is where we'd reccommend going.
We love to see it!
Screaming, crying, throwing up #Eurovision2023 pic.twitter.com/TgIln8fAL6
— Liv Clarke (@liv_clarke_) March 7, 2023
Tickets are selling quickly, and the Grand Final live show has sold-out.
These are the best two shows to join to try and buy tickets for:
The biggest event of the whole contest, the Grand Final has sold out just 40 minutes after the sale started.
The queue still has thousands of fans in it despite there being no tickets left. If you're desperate to be at a live show join the May 11, Semi Final 2 Live Show, here.
It's always possible that prices can change as the demand for tickets rise.
Below are the prices for the May 8 Semi Final 1 Evening Preview
The prices for the Evening Preview on May 12 rose up to £490 each for a hospitality package tickets, standing tickets at £280 and seated tickets between £100 and £280 each.
All three of the live shows; The Semi Final 1, Semi Final 2 and Grand Final are appearing as 'low availability' on Ticketmaster.
Despite this there are still more than 2000 fans in the Semi Final 1 Evening Preview show, and it's showing no sign of getting any quicker.
Multiple fans are sharing their frsutrations on Twitter as they are being kicked out of the queue after reaching the front.
It happened to us too after going from 1100 down to number 20.
One fan on Twitter said:
"I was just in the queue for tickets, got to the end and it said I was getting transferred to the page to buy tickets and then got sent right back to the end of the queue???"
Another said:
"Husband got to the front of the queue and then was kicked out and put back in the lobby. What is this? And now it’s crashed. How can this be?!"
A number of sale queue's are now showing as low availability on Ticketmaster and the dreaded yellow warning sign is now up.
The dates with low tickets are the Live Grand Final on May 13, Live Semi Final on May 11 and the Live Semi Final 1 on May, 9. We'd urge fans not to join these queues or enter another one if you are waiting.
Buy Eurovision tickets here
We managed to get to the front of the Evening Preview show on May 8, but this is what happened:
The only #Eurovision2023 queue I've managed to get to the front of so far is Evening Preview on May 8, went to number 20 in queue to an instat refresh to 'join queue' again @TicketmasterUK - WHY?
— Harriet Morphy-Morris (@HarrietNews) March 7, 2023
The live shows including the Grand Final on May 13 have 2000+ people in ...... and are not moving.
However, the preview shows in the lead up to the event have a smaller number of people and it may be easier to buy tickets here.
We've joined the queue for the May 8 Evening Preview and these are the numbers:
Some fans are getting to the front of queue's and not finding any tickets available to buy - an idication that thye could already be SOLD OUT!
Joined bang on 12⦠#Eurovision pic.twitter.com/Eaugpmv4kI
— Becky Walker (@RebeccaVilliga) March 7, 2023
There's more than 2000 people in the queue for the grand final live show
Had to be in it to win itâ¦looks like I was in it but no golden ticket #Eurovision2023 #ticketmaster #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/qD7opk3QvF
— Stephen Glover (@Stafford_SteveG) March 7, 2023
A lot of fans cannot join the queue due to servor errors and the site either crashing or freezing.
Now's your chance to shine!
Tickets are now on sale, and can be bought on Ticketmaster.
Ooops! Looks like the Eurovision ticket site has crashed already...not looking good @Ticketmaster
— Adam Tudor (@tudoradam) March 7, 2023
The LIVE final ticket queue on Ticketmaster has crashed, but others are still working.
All the afternoon preview shows are working and the seven minute countdown is on! We'd suggest joining all the afternoon preview and evening preview shows to at least try and get some tickets.
Some fans have recieved an 'internal error' on the Ticketmaster site.
All we can suggest is quickly refresh your browser, or close the window and re-open. Don't panic as there's till 10 minutes to go.
Now's your time to get ready, join the waiting room and open the queue for your desired dates.
Buy tickets, here.
Tickets go on sale in just 20 minutes time so we'd urge all fans to log on NOW!
The ticketmaster waiting room should open at 11:45 where fans can join to get put straight into the ticket queue.
Join the 12pm Eurovision ticket sale
The M&S Bank Arena on Liverpool's Albert Dock is hosting all of the nine shows.
Below is the seating plan, which may be good to have a look at before tickets go on sale.
Seating plan for the 2023 Eurovision song contest at M&S Bank Arena The prices for all shows are different and depend on if they are live, jury or afternoon previews. It goes without saying that the grand final show will likely be the most expensive, but it does depend what you buy.
Tickets for the semi-final shows are expected to range between £30 and £290 and the grand final shows between £80 and £380.
Fans should be aware that prices will likely rise as more people flock to the ticketmaster site, this means the cheapest tickets at 12pm could be around £30 but by 12:30 that same ticket could be going for £50 (for example).
Ticketmaster has now updated it's official 2023 Eurovision page with details for all nine shows. This is where fans will buy tickets from when the sale starts at 12pm.
Fans with disabilities or who need help getting access can get free tickets for personal access. The details are stated on the Eurovision website:
Customers with access requirements can follow instructions on Ticketmaster UK’s website to request a Personal Assistant ticket for free. Customers who have provided evidence to Ticketmaster UK to support a PA ticket application can use this to make their application easier.
