With the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest being right on our doorstep, Manchester is set to celebrate this year’s event in true style.
Coming just a week after the King’s Coronation, it’s hoped the party spirit will remain strong as 37 Eurovision countries bring their A game to Liverpool Arena for two semi-finals on May 9 and 11 and the grand finale on May 13.
Tickets for the events all sold out within minutes, but there’s plenty still going on in Liverpool and Manchester if you're not one of the lucky few able to experience the likes of Finland's Käärijä, Sweden's Loreen and our very own Mae Muller live and in person.
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Plenty of clubs, bars and venues up and down the country will be celebrating Eurovision with themed nights and screenings, with Manchester truly stepping up the game this year. As one party organiser says, it's important for Manchester to get on board the celebrations this year as it's 'right on our doorstep' - and that seems like a valid reason to us.
As hotels in Liverpool have been snapped up pretty quickly, many attendees may be looking to Manchester for hotels and a good night out after the grand event. We’ve rounded up some of the travel options when it comes to travelling to and from Liverpool on the night of the final, alongside which hotels still have room and some of the many events taking place in Manchester.
Hotels
Right now, the cheapest hotel to book in the city centre on Booking.com is the Britannia Hotel, which is currently offering a double-bed room on Saturday night (May 13) for £129 for two adults.
Sachas Hotel (£145) and The Gardens Hotel (£150) also have double rooms available on the same night. Ibis Styles on Portland Street (£150) and the Marriott Hotel in Piccadilly both have limited rooms left (£153) if you’re looking to book at either of those.
Of course, prices are expected to vary and it’s always better to book sooner rather than later. Some hotel rooms booked through Booking.com also have free cancellation too.
If you’re looking to stay in Liverpool, you’ll have to pay a bit more. The Adelphi Hotel in the city centre is one of the cheapest still available, with double room for two adults going for £299 on Saturday night. A similar style room at the easyHotel will cost £311 and a room at the ibis near Albert Dock and Liverpool One is £339.
Getting to and from Liverpool on the night
Getting to Liverpool from Manchester and vice versa is fairly straightforward and is generally only about an hour’s journey, with tickets starting at £3.30. On Saturday afternoon, there will be trains leaving Manchester Piccadilly or Victoria pretty much every 15 minutes.
Trains are expected to be busy and people are being advised to book in advance, allow extra time and travel light keeping luggage and bags to a minimum.
Kyla Thomas, Liverpool Lime Street station manager, said: “Eurovision coming to Liverpool is huge and we can't wait to welcome people from all over the world to our fantastic city – with Lime Street station their gateway to the contest.
“What we ask of people planning to travel by rail is to think in threes – plan ahead, allow extra time, and travel light. We hope these top tips get everyone off to a winning start during what will be an amazing week.”
Liverpool's Pier One will be hosting the Eurovision Village, which will feature plenty of fan zones, screenings and performances. From 2pm on Saturday, the village will feature a big party with performances from the likes of Katrina, formerly of Katrina and the Waves, and The Vengaboys.
The last train going from Manchester to Liverpool on Saturday night will be at 11.28pm, arriving in Liverpool at 12.26am, whilst the last train from Liverpool to Manchester will be at 11.36pm.
The first train back from Liverpool to Manchester on Sunday morning will be at Lime Street at 8.12am, with a good number of trains leaving throughout the day.
If you don’t mind a coach, National Express are offering a number of trips to Liverpool from just £3, with most coaches leaving roughly every hour and a half on Saturday. One journey leaves Manchester’s Coach station on Chorlton Street at 3.20pm arriving at Liverpool One bus station for 4.30pm, leaving anyone attending the grand final enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before heading to the Arena.
On the way back, the first coach leaving Liverpool One bus station on Sunday morning is at 2.45am, arriving here at 4.15am. There will be other coaches leaving at 5.30am, 6.40am and 8.10am, which surely will all feature plenty of interesting anecdotes to tell friends later on. Later in the day, there will be trips leaving at least hourly until the evening.
Getting around Manchester on the night
Of course, Metrolink tram services will be running, as will buses and trains throughout the city-region. Generally, the Metrolink runs from 6am to 12am Monday to Saturday and Sunday from 7am to midnight.
Manchester United will be playing against Wolves at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, which may have an impact on travel.
'Party For Everybody'
Here in Manchester, there will be plenty of events going on. Around 1,000 people are expected to gather at Piccadilly Gardens to enjoy screenings of the two semi-finals, while 5,000 people are estimated to be attending its Grand Final screening.
Entry to all the Eurovision screenings at Piccadilly Gardens is free, with no tickets required but they will operate on a first come, first serve basis. All events will include food and drink stalls. There will also be an accessible viewing area in Cathedral Gardens.
Notorious club night Pop Curious will be hosting their annual Eurovision event, this year taking place at AREA in Tribeca. “We’re going to have the biggest screens to watch Eurovision in Canal Street,” organiser Christopher Styles tells the M.E.N.
Their event, featuring two huge screens, is expected to sell out in days having already sold most of its tickets already. Big Eurovision fan Chris promises it’s going to be a night to remember.
“I feel like this year’s Eurovision is really going to be a little more magical with it taking place in the UK,” Chris says. “It’s right on our doorstep so, of course, we’re going to be having a huge great big party here in Manchester.
“We’ve been running Eurovision nights for a few years now, and it’s always a very fun night out. We’ve got scorecards for people during the event and then we’ll be having a huge Eurovision and Euro pop party right after. There’s going to be a great vibe here.”
Indie venue GRUB will also be partaking in the Eurovision fun with not one but two planned events for the Grand Finale. Their first night sold out within minutes, and a second date at Arch 12 on Dantzic Street, the former home of Runaway Brewery, has now also sold out.
Just like Pop Curious, they’re following up previous successes and going even bigger this year. Emma Dixon-Phillip at GRUB said: “There was a great response when we did it last year, it was a really fun evening and people really got behind it.
“We’ve tried to get as many European traders involved as possible to really add to the feel of the night, and we’ve got people from Spain, Poland and Italy all taking part this year.”
Emma said GRUB have been surprised by how well in-demand their events, and others like it, have been in Manchester and says they are now looking at potentially hosting more on the night of the final.
“This year feels really special,” she adds. “People really seem to be embracing Eurovision in Manchester right now and it’s great to see.
“The response to our two nights has just been fantastic. We’re looking at potentially running a third night now because of how well received the first two have been. We’re basically hoping to fill Manchester with as many Eurovision parties as possible!”
The Refuge will also be holding a Eurovision screening party, with DJs, surprise performances and, maybe most importantly, Eurovision-themed pizza from Crazy Pedros. In addition, the Family Gorgeous, including drag icons Anna Phylactic and Liquorice Black, will be hosting a fab afterparty right after the show but, sadly, the event has also sold out. You can sign up to the waiting list in the chance that tickets come available, they're also holding screenings of the semi-finals at The Vault here.
The Venue, on Jackson’s Row, will be hosting a Eurovision party with two big screens from 8pm before, bizarrely, turning into a Sam Fender disco after the event has finished. There are also a small number of tickets left for the Eurovision party at Billingtons in Oldham.
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