Thanks to JJ’s 2025 win with the song Wasted Love, Austria will host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest. The event takes place in the Stadthalle venue in Vienna. This page has tips and news for those joining us for the fun…
- Vienna hosts for the third time
- Host broadcaster is ORF
- Final is on May 16th, 2026
- Semi-finals on May 12th & 14th
- First round of ticket sales has closed
- More tickets expected in spring
- Book a classical concert* for your trip
- See also:
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Where is Eurovision 2026?
(The pedestrian lights put in the last time Vienna hosted Eurovision)
The domestic broadcaster (ORF) announced on August 20th, 2025 that Vienna will serve as host city for the 2026 Eurovision event.
Vienna is a top choice, of course, given its hotel capacities, airport and transport connections, experience with big events (including previous Eurovision Song Contests), size, and tourist attractions.
The song contest venue is the Stadthalle, which is already decked out with a suitable giant roof display.
When does it take place?
Watch the final on Saturday, May 16th, 2026. The semi-finals take place on Tuesday, May 12th and Thursday, May 14th. Each of those events also has preview shows earlier in the day and the evening before, making nine shows in total.
How do I get tickets?
You needed to register online for a chance of tickets to any of the nine shows. The registration period began on November 24th, 2025 and ended at 11.59pm on December 18th, 2025.
The first wave of ticket sales took place on January 13th, 2026 and sold out for all nine shows within 20 minutes. More tickets are expected to become available in spring.
Tips for visitors
(The United by Queerness exhibition covers seven decades of the song contest; press photo © Stadt Wien/Martin Votava)
I’ll keep this page updated with Eurovision 2026 news. For example, we have:
- A Eurovision Village with free entry on the large square in front of the neogothic Rathaus city hall: open from May 10th to 17th from 11am to midnight (or whenever the show ends). Includes live screening of the semi-finals and final, live music, DJs, streetfood, and more
- An opening ceremony in the Rathaus with a large stage outside and a turquoise carpet for the entry and presentation of the country delegations. The actual indoor ceremony will be shown on large LED screens outside, too
- A United by Queerness exhibition (February 19th to May 24th) at QWien which addresses Eurovision in the context of culture, queerness and contemporary history. Includes numerous costumes and other objects, photos, audiovisual stations and more
- The Praterdome hosts the EuroClub “party hotspot” across Eurovision week
Expect more announcements as May 16th nears. In the meantime, here some useful articles for those planning a visit to Austria’s capital:
- An introduction to Vienna: with an overview of what it offers and key information on such things as public transport
- Where to stay: a collection of articles with accommodation suggestions and related tips
- Events in May: overview of fairs, festivals and other significant events of interest to visitors
- What to do in the evening: ideas beyond simply enjoying dinner or a drink
- Tourist Board: the Eurovision page at Vienna’s official tourism agency
(Vienna has excellent airport connections for those arriving from abroad)
Vienna and Eurovision
JJ’s win was the third victory for Austria in the song contest. On both previous occasions, Vienna hosted the event the following year.
Merci, Chérie
The song Merci, Chérie brought Udo Jürgens victory in the 1966 contest held in Luxembourg. The 1967 event took place in the rather glorious imperial surrounds of the Hofburg palace with the UK winning (Sandy Shaw’s legendary Puppet on a String).
You can wander around the Hofburg and look inside via the Sisi Museum & imperial apartments. But the Festsaal location used for the song contest is not normally accessible to the public outside of special events and some concerts*.
Jürgens had a hugely successful singing and writing career in Austria. He passed away in 2014 and is buried in a lovely grave in Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof cemetery.
Rise like a Phoenix
Conchita Wurst won Eurovision with Rise Like A Phoenix in the 2014 event held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The dress they wore for the final is on display in Vienna’s House of Austrian History.
The 2015 song contest (the 60th edition) then took place in the Stadthalle with Sweden winning (Måns Zermelöw’s Heroes).
That event left a rather nice mark on the city.
To celebrate the occasion, the authorities installed temporary couples pedestrian lights in both same sex and mixed sex constellations at numerous junctions. However, they proved so popular that they’ve stayed.
And a good thing, too, given Eurovision’s return in 2026…see you in Vienna!