Eurovision 2018 to be held in Lisbon – Final on 12 May

Several cities in Portugal were bidding on the job to host the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest, but the choice fell on the capital. This has just been revealed at a press conference held by the Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP).

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 will take place in Altice Arena, Lisbon:

• Semi-final 1: 8 May 2018
• Semi-final 2: 10 May 2018
• Grand Final: 12 May 2018

Jon Ola Sand, the Executive Supervisor of Eurovision Song Contest, says:

– We are very pleased to announce that RTP will be hosting the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon. Both the City and the venue have presented exemplary proposals, and we look forward to working together to make Portugal's first ever Eurovision the most exciting one yet. We would like to congratulate RTP on their professional and detailed assessments of all the bids.

Gonçalo Reis, the CEO of RTP, says:

– Hosting Eurovision 2018 is a great opportunity for Portugal, Lisbon, the entertainment industry, and RTP. We look forward to organising an event that will show our creative capabilities.

Altice Arena

Former name: MEO Arena

The arena for Eurovision 2018 will be Altice Arena (former called MEO Arena, originally Pavilhão Atlântico), at the waterfront of Lisbon.

The Altice Arena is perfect for a huge event like Eurovision Song Contest. With a capacity of 20,000 it is one of the largest indoor arenas in the EU. The arena is placed very central in Lisbon with well branched infrastructure.

The Altice Arena has hosted several big events, including:

• 1999: World Youth Championship in basketball (under 19)
• 2005: MTV Europe Music Awards
• Concerts: Justin Bieber, Adele, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had earlier suggested the Portuguese broadcaster RTP to chose Altice Arena as the venue for Eurovision 2018, and the Director General of RTP, Nuno Artur Silva, did also expres the Altice Arena as a likely venue to host Eurovision 2018.

Bidding race

The Portuguese public broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) announced on 15 May 2017 that Eurovision Song Contest 2018 will be held in Lisbon, but later RTP said that they will look at the entire map of Portugal before they make a decision. Besides Lisbon, other cities have shown interest for hosting Eurovision 2018: Braga, Gondomar and Santa Maria da Feira.

Braga

• Parque de Exposições de Braga
• Capacity: 3,000

Bid takes into account the reconstruction of the venue which would upgrade the capacity of the venue to 15,000. The town lacks the required hotel capacity to host the contest

Gondomar

• Multiusos Gondomar Coração de Ouro
• Capacity: 8,000

The town lacks the required hotel capacity to host the contest

Santa Maria da Feira

• Europarque
• Capacity: 11,000

The town lacks the required hotel capacity to host the contest

The Portuguese selection for Eurovision 2018, Festival da Canção, will be held in Guimarães.