Eurovision 2023 Will Officially Be Held in the U.K.

When Ukraine swept the popular vote at Eurovision 2022, making it one of the all-time top vote-getters and soundly beating first runner-up U.K., it was a cathartic win and vote of support from the Eurovision voters across the globe. It was also a major logistical problem. Winning Eurovision isn't just about the band in question becoming super famous overnight, record contracts, and hit songs. The country that wins also has the privilege of hosting the following year's contest, and their musical act is given a free pass to the Grand Final.

That sounds lovely, as was the sentiment voiced by Ukraine's extraordinarily media-savvy president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "Next Year, Mariupol!" But though the dream of hosting Eurovision in the newly restored free capital of Ukraine was one everyone would have liked, reality was not so kind. Less than a week later, the city was declared to have fallen to Russia, and though the fight was not over, it would not be a city that could host the most watched non-sporting event in the world.

Despite Brexit, Boris Johnson, and everything else, the U.K. remains one of Eurovision's "Big Five," the countries that donate the lion's share of funds to put on the contest year after year. And, magically, they were first runner-up (a feat that shocked just about everybody, seeing that the U.K. is, at this point, famous for how badly they do in the contest most years). The most practical solution then is for the U.K. to take over hosting duties and produce the 2023 contest in partnership with Ukraine.