Liverpool Eurovision Village nine day programme revealed

Details have been released of nine days of events planned for the Eurovision Village which will take over Liverpool’s Pier Head this May.

The ‘village’ - which is believed to be able to hold between 10,000 and 15,000 people - will officially open on Friday, May 5 with events running until Eurovision Final day itself on Saturday, May 13.

Last year’s Eurovision winners and current champions, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, will play on the opening evening.

They will then be followed by Welcome to Eurotopia – an extraordinary musical odyssey created in collaboration between a supergroup of Liverpool and Ukrainian artists: Natalie McCool, Stealing Sheep, Helleroid, Krapka;KOMA and Iryna Muha.

On Saturday, May 6 the Village will be open in the morning to show the BBC’s live coverage of the King’s Coronation, before a range of Eurovision acts are welcomed to the stage.

The Royalty Ball, hosted by Liverpool’s House of Suarez, will be an unmissable invitation for all audiences as thousands of fans convene to celebrate the run-up to Eurovision.

Bank Holiday Sunday, May 7, sees an all-day kids’ festival with favourites from CBeebies and CBBC, while there will also be performances from emerging artists from LIMF Academy and others.

May 8 features ‘This is Ukraine’ with a celebration of the best of Ukrainian music, while on May 9 the English National Opera Does Eurovision in a spectacular one-off performance from ENO singers and orchestra.

The National Lottery presents United by Music on May 10 with The National Lottery and Music Venues Trust programming an evening of break out stars and music icons.

Before screening the second semi-final live on May 11, former Eurovision winner Jamala will wow audiences with the world premiere of her new album QIRIM, inspired by the folk songs of her native Crimea and performed alongside the BBC Philharmonic.

And Friday May 12 brings EuroEve with an all-female line-up taking to the stage including Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

All events are free apart from the Grand Final Party on May 13 which will see a line-up of pop acts and special performances build up to the main event and the biggest and best viewing party in Liverpool. It includes Katrina of Katrina and the Waves, and The Vengaboys and tickets cost £15.

Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool, says: “From talking to previous host cities we know the official Eurovision Village is a key part of the Eurovision experience and, as with our whole host city offer, we wanted Liverpool’s programme to go above and beyond what you would normally expect in a fan zone.

“Across nine days, there will a true celebration of music and unity, with household names, international acts and up-and-coming talent taking to the stage and performing - all against the stunning backdrop of our waterfront.

“Ukraine is of course the thread which runs through everything, and as well as acts on the stage it is really important for us to dedicate areas that are focused on all aspects of Ukrainian culture.”

A first tranche of tickets for the Grand Final Party go on sale at noon this Friday, April 14 via TicketQuarter.