Innsbruck Municipal Council has voted in favour of funding for Eurovision 2026, should Innsbruck be chosen as the host city.
Following the city senate voting in favour Innsbruck’s application to host Eurovision 2026, Innsbruck Municipal Council met to vote on approving funding for the contest. Hosting the contest is estimated to cost just under €20 million, about a third of which is expected to be paid by the city of Innsbruck itself.
The motion was passed by a vote of 22-18 the ruling coalition of JA – Jetzt Innsbruck, the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party voting in favour. Johannes Anzengruber, mayor of Innsbruck, commented:
“We have succeeded in setting up great financing agreement together with tourism and business sectors. The share of the two partners is greater than that of the city. This was the crucial point because Innsbruck could not afford this alone. This way it is manageable and feasible.”
The opposition parties, the Freedom Party of Austria, das Neue Innsbruck, the Communist Party of Austria, Liste Fritz and Alternative Liste, voted against the motion. The Freedom Party described the Eurovision 2026 application as a “financial disaster” and das Neue Innsbruck stated that it lacked a transparent, sustainable financial concept, and the security costs were also unclear. Liste Fritz even demanded that the application be withdrawn.
Innsbruck is hoping to be the first city outside of the capital in Austria to host a Eurovision contest. Innsbruck, with its slogan “Together on Top”, wants to bring the contest to Tyrol. The bid is focused on the Olympiahalle as the venue for the contest, with the Eurovision Village to be located at the Landestheaterplatz in the heart of the old town.
Eurovision 2026
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is set to be held in Austria following the victory of JJ with “Wasted Love”. Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest for a third time, having won the 1966 and 2014 editions of the contest.
Image source: Wikimedia / Zairon | Source: vol.at
