Austria will once again take centre stage at Eurovision, as ORF confirmed this morning that the 2026 contest will be held in Vienna.
This year’s competition carries special significance as the 70th edition of Eurovision, coming to Austria after JJ’s victory in Basel earlier this year, which gave his country its third Eurovision Song Contest win.
The Grand Final will be held on Saturday May 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s largest indoor arena, with Semi-Finals earlier the same week on Tuesday May 12 and Thursday May 14.
A whole week of activities will take place around the Contest in Vienna with more details of the location of the Eurovision Village, Euroclub and much more to be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
It will also mark the third time the country has hosted the event: first in 1967, when Udo Jürgens’ Merci Chérie brought the show to Vienna, and again in 2015, when Conchita Wurst’s unforgettable Rise Like a Phoenix victory led to another spectacular contest in the capital.
The decision came down to two finalists, Vienna and Innsbruck, both of which submitted bids earlier this summer.
The European Broadcasting Union and ORF assessed each proposal on strict criteria, including venue size, availability for up to eight weeks of preparations, hotel capacity for thousands of fans and delegates, and press facilities able to accommodate 1,500 journalists.
In the end, Vienna was selected as the city best equipped to host Eurovision 2026.
Innsbruck had campaigned with Olympia Halle under the banner ‘Together On Top,’ while Vienna promoted its bid with Wiener Stadthalle and the line ‘Europe, Shall We Dance?’
As for the timing, ORF and the EBU confirmed that Eurovision week will fall on either 12, 14, and 16 of May or 19, 21, and 23 of May.
The final choice of dates will be made with major sporting clashes in mind, including the Champions League and Europa League finals, Germany’s domestic cup final and the Canadian Grand Prix.
As always, the week will consist of two semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, followed by the Grand Final on Saturday at 21:00 CET.
With the host city now confirmed, preparations for the 70th edition of Eurovision will accelerate, from stage design and ticketing to the programme of side events that will transform Vienna into Europe’s music capital next spring.
ORF’s General Director Roland Weißmann has promised an ‘extraordinary’ and ‘iconic’ contest to mark the anniversary year.
The countdown has officially begun: in May 2026, the eyes of Europe will be on Vienna.
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