Mega event: Before ESC decision: Innsbruck sees great opportunities

In the race for the host role at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026, Innsbruck expects the contract. “The chance is very great. Our ambition, our commitment, our concept have arrived well,” said Mayor Johannes Anzengruber of the German Press Agency. On August 20, the public broadcaster ORF wants to decide whether the ESC will take place in Innsbruck or in Vienna. The final is planned for the 16th or May 23, 2026.

The Austrian singer JJ had won the ESC 2025 in Basel. That is why the 2026 music competition takes place in the Alpine country. The only question is in which city.

The two million metropolis of Vienna was already ESC host in 2015, for Innsbruck it would be the first time. From the perspective of Mayor Anzengruber, the fifth largest city in Austria with 130,000 inhabitants can keep up with the important question of enough hotel beds. Several ten thousand beds are available within a radius of 25 kilometers of the Tyrolean capital. The arrival of the guests by plane, train or car would also be no problem. “The real advantage is that in Innsbruck all events could be reached on foot in just 15 minutes,” continues the mayor.

ESC as an event for the whole city

“We hope for the courage of the decision -makers for something new,” says the city’s tourism director, Peter Paul Mölk.

Innsbruck has great experience with major events as the Olympic city and as a host of world and European championships. “The Olympiahalle is well-renovated,” said the city manager. Around 15,000 visitors could experience the semi -finals and the final in the hall live. In contrast to Vienna, there are enough space for organization, events and technology.

“When the ESC takes place in Innsbruck, the whole city of ESC is,” says the tourist director of the hoped -for atmosphere. Throughout the ESC week, the city also wants to include the directly adjacent alpine backdrop with its approximately 2,000 meter high mountains. “Small but fine” events should also take place in the mountains, it said.

For the regional economy, the largest music competition in the world that around 500,000 people had visited in Basel last May would be a highly conscious impulse. Therefore, after the victory of the Austrian countertenor JJ in Basel, the city did not hesitate to enter the applicant race, says Anzengruber. “It is the chance to bring the big stage into the heart of the Alps.”

Vienna Chamber of Commerce: Even better positioned

In Vienna, the Chamber of Commerce is confident that the mega event will take place in Austria’s capital. “Where, if not in Vienna, should the song contest be held in 2026?” Said Walter Ruck, President of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

The metropolis is even better positioned than in 2015 – with a quarter more hotel beds (around 80,000), even better infrastructure and professional event teams. The Prater Stadium and the Schönbrunn Palace Park offer themselves for events and productions.