With 160 million viewers and thousands on site, the prowess of the live entertainment industry was thrust into the spotlight in May, as the UK hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine, welcoming 37 delegations to the biggest music competition in the world. Behind the scenes, collaboration among some of the best technical suppliers and minds the sector has to offer was key to the success and legacy of the operation.
Eurovision has become something of a ‘white whale’ for me. So, walking into Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena ahead of the first of nine live shows was a truly stupendous experience. With over 600 rigging points, 140 tonnes of steel ground support structure, and 1km of steel truss added to the arena, it is a production unlike any other. The arena alone featured eight miles of cabling, over 2,000 lighting fixtures, 200 custom staging decks with 950 sq m of staging for the main stage and 500 sq m for the green room, as well as 2,000m of secure fencing site-wide.
Words: Jacob Waite
Photos: BBC, Corinne Cumming, Sarah Louise Bennett and TPi