The twelve possible venues for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest have been revealed. Five of those are in the Austrian capital Vienna. Over the following few days, the Austrian broadcaster will consider each of these venues, and propose the winner to the EBU. Below is an overview of all the possible locations.
Before the end of this month, there will be a shortlist of approximately two to five locations that remain in the race. The final decision on the venue for the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest will be made public in late July.
Vienna (Wien)
A likely option in Vienna would be the Stadthalle, a large stadium with a capacity of 15,000 close to the center of the Austrian capital. Stadthalle has a lot of experience with large events, but has problems locating the press center close to the arena. Four other (temporary) venues include the Schloss Schönbrunn, one of the most important cultural monuments of the country, which, in case of being elected as the host venue, will probably resort to building a large tent to host Eurovision. That is also the case for Heldenplatz, a large square in the city center of Vienna. Krieau, which hosts concerts of Metallica and Avicii in the coming month, is a horse racing track, and St. Marx a former cattle hall. Judging from experience, only Krieau and Stadthalle seem to be logic options, but Krieau does not have a roof on its hall, which would be necessary in order to host Eurovision.
Schwechat
The airport of Schwechat is located just 18 kilometers from the city center of Vienna, and features a large hangar that could possibly serve as Eurovision venue.
Oberwart
The MEZO (Messezentrum Oberwart) is an event center in Eastern Austria, which consists of several halls, the largest being the Burgenlandhalle that holds up to 10,000 people. Question marks can be placed as to whether Oberwart has enough hotel capacity.
Graz
The Stadthalle in Graz is a large and very versatile conference hall – a part of the roof can be moved to create a partly open-air location – which has a capacity of up to 11,000 people.
Unterpremstätten
The Schwarzl-Freizeitzentrum has a capacity between 10,000 and 20,000 people, and is part of a large leisure complex situated at the bank of the Schwarzl-lake, right next to the airport of Graz.
Klagenfurt
The sports arena of Klagenfurt, the Wörthersee Stadion, is currently the home ground of Austrian football club Austria Klagenfurt, and seats up to 30,000 spectators.
Innsbruck
The Olympiahalle is an indoor sports venue built for the 1964 winter Olympics, where it hosted the figure skating and ice hockey events. The venue has a capacity of 10,000 and was recently used by P!nk in her ‘Funhouse’-tour.
Wels
The Messehalle in Wels is another event center which features multiple halls. Like in Oberwart, hotel capacity could be a problem if Wels were to become a serious candidate.
Hope for Vienna!