Newcastle exploring Eurovision host bid - council

The Utilia Arena could be one possible venue

Newcastle has offered to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

It is one of a number of cities putting their names forward after organisers revealed last month they were in talks with the BBC to potentially bring the event to the UK.

The city council has now confirmed it is "exploring options" for the staging of the musical extravaganza.

One possible venue could be the 11,000-capacity Utilita Arena.

Cities are required to meet certain criteria to host the contest, including being within easy reach of an international airport and having enough hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators.

It must also have a venue which can accommodate about 10,000 spectators.

'Proven track record'

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council is working with Invest Newcastle on the project, with talks having already been held with the BBC and organisers in a previous host city.

Councillor Alex Hay, cabinet member for tourism, said: “Newcastle is a welcoming, well-connected and ambitious city with a proven track record of staging world class events. 

“Obviously it would be wonderful to host Eurovision and we believe [it] would be a perfect host city.

"We are looking forward to hearing more about the bidding process and are already working with partners to explore the opportunity.”

Other cities to have also expressed interest include Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Leeds, London, Birmingham and Liverpool.