The Austrian capital has unveiled a first glimpse of what those attending the 70th Eurovision Song Contest can look forward to.

Preparations are already in full swing for the city of Vienna just days after it was announced as the Host City of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, but already some elements of the next year’s experience are quickly taking shape.

From nightlife destinations and nocturnal screenings to daytime entertainment and Turquoise Carpet glamour, the capital of Austria envisions a packed schedule of events that will help make Vienna 2026 an occasion to remember.

The Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest will be held on Saturday 16 May at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s largest indoor arena, with Semi-Finals taking place earlier the same week on Tuesday 12 May and Thursday 14 May. Not far from there, the Eurovision Village on Rathausplatz (City Hall Square) is set to become the heart of Vienna 2026, open to everyone, for the week leading up to the Grand Final.

The beating heart of Vienna 2026

The Eurovision Village will kick off Eurovision week with the Opening Ceremony and the Turquoise Carpet event, taking place on Vienna's Rathausplatz on Sunday 10 May.

As part of the Turquoise Carpet, it’s foreseen that each country’s delegation will be presented one after the other on a large stage set up directly in front of the City Hall. Each delegation will walk from the main stage across the Turquoise Carpet, which winds its way in a semicircle around the City Hall Square, where crowds of Eurovision Song Contest fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favourite artists. Following the Turquoise Carpet, the Opening Ceremony will be broadcast live from the historic halls of the first floor of City Hall via LED screens located in the City Hall Square. DJs will provide crowd-pleasing music, contributing to the celebratory atmosphere.

Broadcasts of the Live Shows

More DJs and live performances will form part of an enticing musical programme that will be on offer all week. The Eurovision Village will be open daily from Sunday 10 May to Sunday 17 May, from 11:00 CEST until midnight, or until the end of the Live Shows. Highlights include the broadcast of the two Semi-Finals on Tuesday 12 May and Thursday 14 May, as well as the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May. Admission is free for all.

The final day of the Eurovision Village’s Rathausplatz residency will conclude with a programme entitled Thank You Vienna, which will offer locals and visitors the opportunity to reflect on the previous evening's Grand Final together. An additional highlight will be the lighting installation at Vienna City Hall, which will showcase diverse colour schemes, moods, and light shows. The City Hall itself will be the location of EuroClub; the traditional nightlife spot of any Host City, where delegations, fans and party-goers can find DJs playing Eurovision music all night long, all week long.

An experience for everyone

Rathausplatz, right next to Vienna City Hall and the home of Eurovision Village, is located in the centre of the city and boasts excellent public transport connections, via the subway and tram lines. It is ideally located to serve as the beating heart of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.

A total of 10 food and beverage stalls are planned, with a balanced culinary offering in mind. Here, emphasis will be placed on ensuring the greatest possible sustainability. Attention will also be paid to on-site security, to ensure everyone can experience a relaxed Eurovision Song Contest.

Speaking on the success of Vienna’s bid to host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, Mayor Michael Ludwig said:

"In addition to its enormous accommodation capacity, excellent infrastructure, and extensive experience in hosting international events, Vienna scored points via its plans to offer a wide range of Eurovision Song Contest events in public spaces, which can be attended free of charge and without any obligation to purchase. In 2015, we were already able to offer over 80 side events. Our goal is clear: The world's largest live music event should be an experience for everyone in our city – regardless of their financial means. This is particularly important to me as Mayor of Vienna."

The Eurovision Song Contest as an economic engine for Vienna and all of Austria

On 21 August, State Secretary for Energy, Startups and Tourism, Elisabeth Zehetner, together with the economic research institute EcoAustria, presented a study that estimated the economic impact of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in advance of the event.

The conclusion was clear: the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will provide a significant economic boost for Vienna and Austria as a whole, with a predicted value-added effect of over 50 million euros. It will strengthen important sectors, secure thousands of jobs in the tourism and leisure industries, and directly create hundreds of additional jobs, too. At the same time, the event will offer considerable advertising value, sustainably increasing the country's tourism and economic attractiveness.

According to EcoAustria, the additional visitors expected in Vienna for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest will spend an estimated €21 million during their stay. This will generate a total demand stimulus of €57 million. The value-added effect is estimated at around €52 million – the value-added effect for the last Contest held in Austria in 2025 was estimated at around €38 million.

EcoAustria predicts the Eurovision Song Contest itself will create additional employment equivalent to 550 full-time roles. In short: every euro invested in the Vienna 2026 generates €1.70 in value added. The advertising value of the event from global media coverage is estimated at around €730 million.

Recent Host Cities have all reported huge gains from welcoming the Eurovision Song Contest. Liverpool (2023), Malmö (2024) and Basel (2025) received global promotion, hundreds of thousands of extra visitors, both during and following the event, and reported significant economic benefits.