Tel Aviv to host Eurovision 2019

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) has just announced that Tel Aviv will host Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The arena will be Expo Tel Aviv (Also known as Tel Aviv Convention Center or Tel Aviv Fairgrounds). Jerusalem was also in the race for host city 2019.

The confirmed dates for Eurovision Song Contest 2019 are:

• Semi-final 1: 14 May 2019
• Semi-final 2: 16 May 2019
• Grand Final: 18 May 2019

The decision has been approved by the Eurovision Reference Group (governing body for the Eurovision Song Contest)

Expo Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Convention Center / Tel Aviv Fairgrounds

Expo Tel Aviv (also known as Tel Aviv Convention Center or Tel Aviv Fairgrounds) is located in northern Tel Aviv, close to the railway station (Tel Aviv University).

The Expo Tel Aviv includes the new Pavilion 2, which will be the arena for Eurovision 2019. The Pavilion 2 was opened in 2015 and has a capacity of up to 10,000 people at most (depending on configuration), compared to Lisbon's Altice Arena, which had the capacity of 18,000 people.

Tel Aviv – The city that never sleeps

...and before I leave, let me show you Tel Aviv!

Tel Aviv is the second largest city in Israel with a population of 445,000, and is a major center of culture and entertainment and the Gay capital of Israel.

Every year around 2.5 million international tourists visit Tel Aviv, ranked the fifth-most-visited city in the Middle East & Africa. The beaches of Tel Aviv are often ranked as some of the best beaches in the world.

Tel Aviv is called "The city that never sleeps", because of its active nightlife, with a huge variety of nightclubs and bars, many of them LGBT friendly. Tel Aviv is often ranked as one of the top LGBT destinations in the world.

Safety for visitors, security and freedom of movement

Frank-Dieter Freiling, Chairman of the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group says about the Tel Aviv as host city:

– We look forward to working with KAN to bring the Contest to Tel Aviv for the first time. We are expecting to receive guarantees from the Prime Minister this week in regards to the security and freedom of movement of anyone coming to the event. These guarantees are imperative in order for us to move forward with the planning of the event to ensure the safety of visitors and upholding the Eurovision Song Contest values of diversity and inclusivity.

Bidding Race

Four cities submitted a bid to host Eurovision Song Contest 2019:

• Jerusalem
• Tel Aviv
• Eilat
• Haifa

Israel's third largest city, Haifa, dropped out of the race on 24 July 2018, and Israel's southernmost city, Eilat, was declined by European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on 30 August 2018 because the venue they proposed didn't meet EBU's requirements.

In the final bidding phase only two cities were left in the race: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Eurovision Village

The Eurovision Village will be located in Tel Aviv's Charles Clore Park, which is a public beachfront park, that usually hosts Tel Aviv's Pride Parade main event. The park located on Prof. Yehezkel Kaufmann street, on the Southwest part of the city, away from Tel Aviv's main square (Rabin Square) and the Tel Aviv Convention Center.

It might take 45 minutes to reach Tel Aviv Convention Center from Charles Clore Park by public transportation. Getting there using a taxi should take 20-25 minutes, depending on traffic. It estimated that this location was chosen as it is isolated from the main roads of the city and easier to secure.