After months of speculation, it has finally been announced that Tel Aviv will be the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. This is a brand new city to the Eurovision Song Contest and it is the third time that Israel will host the show. The venue that has been chosen is the Tel Aviv Convention Center which is known locally as Gnei Hataarucha (Exhibition Grounds in English) and the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds.
Not only has it been announced that Tel Aviv is the host city, but the dates of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 has also been revealed. Semi-Final One will take place on Tuesday 14 May 2019, while Semi-Final Two will take place on Thursday 16 May 2019, and the Grand Final will take place on Saturday 18 May 2019.
Check Out The Promotional Video Released On The Official Eurovision YouTube Page Here:
This is the first time since 2013 when a capital city has not been chosen as the host city. Back in 2013, the Swedish city of Malmö was chosen. This year, Tel Aviv was chosen to the surprise of many.
From the very moment that Netta won the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Jerusalem was named as the 2019 host city by Netta herself and politicians in Israel however that city brought up many conflicts, from potential boycotts to the organisation of Eurovision due to the Shabbat.
Just last week, Jon Ola Sand announced that the host city must allow rehearsals during Shabbat, which certainly made Tel Aviv the more appealing candidate. This city is a frequent and popular holiday destination and is considered to be the cultural capital of Israel. There’s even an Israeli phrase that compares the capital to Tel Aviv: “Jeruselum is for praying. Tel Aviv is for celebrating!”
What’s more, Israeli 2015 Eurovision representative, Nadav Guedj has been waiting for this very opportunity since he presented his song, “Golden Boy”, on stage; he sang these lyrics: “Before I leave let me show you Tel Aviv.” Many fans are requesting that he gets the chance to sing this song at the Tel Aviv-hosted show – the song even appears at the end of the announcement video above.