Thanks to JJ’s 2025 win with the song Wasted Love, Austria will host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest. This page has tips and news for visitors. Though we await a decision on the location of the host city.
- Candidates include Vienna, Graz & Innsbruck
- Host broadcaster is ORF
- Dates: unconfirmed (a date in May is usual)
- See also:
Which host?
(Whichever city gets the nod, they’ll need good airport connections)
So where will Eurovision 2026 be held?
At the time of writing, the domestic broadcaster (ORF) has yet to decide on a host city for the event.
A number of locations have expressed interest, including the likes of Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck, Linz/Wels, and the Mexikoplatz model builders club in Vienna’s 2nd district (bonus points for the latter’s tongue-in-cheek press release on the subject).
Two plausible contenders (Salzburg and Klagenfurt) have already indicated they will not be looking to host the contest.
Locations have until July 4th to submit a formal application to host along with supporting documentation.
Vienna is a promising option, of course, given its size, airport and transport connections, experience with big events (including previous Eurovision Song Contests), and hotel capacities. But other candidates can put forward a strong case, too.
Vienna and Eurovision
(The pedestrian lights put in for the 2015 event)
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.
Tips for visitors
If ORF’s decision falls on Vienna, then I’ll keep this page updated with Eurovision 2026 news and tips. 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 useful tips
- Events: overview of fairs, festivals and other main events, along with highlights by week and month