The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) have today revealed that the city chosen to host the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest in 2018 will be the country’s capital and largest city, Lisbon!

Portugal is hosting the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest following Salvador Sobral’s victory in Kyiv this year, scoring a record high 758 points performing Amar Pelos Dois, a song written by his sister Luísa.

Lisbon will host the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 8, 10 and 12 May 2018. © EBU

Dates for 2018 confirmed

The Semi-Finals of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on the 8th and 10th May with the Grand Final due to be held on Saturday 12th May.

Jon Ola Sand, the EBU’s Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said: "We are very pleased to announce that RTP will be hosting the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon. The City has presented an exemplary proposal, and we look forward to working together to make Portugal’s first ever Eurovision the most exciting one yet. We would like to congratulate RTP on their professional and detailed assessments of all the bids."

"A great opportunity for Portugal"

Gonçalo Reis, the CEO of RTP, said: "Hosting Eurovision 2018 is a great opportunity for Portugal, Lisbon, the entertainment industry, and RTP. We look forward to organising an event that will show our creative capabilities."

Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in Europe, located on Portugal’s Atlantic Coast with a population of over 2.7 million people. The city fought off strong competition from 4 others to host the world’s most exciting musical event, which reaches over 180 million viewers. Braga, Gondomar, Guimarães and Santa Maria da Feira were in contention, before the decision was made to bring Eurovision to Lisbon.

Welcome to Lisbon!

During the press conference representatives from RTP welcomed press and fans to Lisbon with the following statement:

Europe has always been plural, yet it’s legacy represents the wish for a brighter future, with one another. Portugal is a country in one of the far reaches of Europe, and strongly connected to it, but always wide opened to the sea. And the oceans can give us a hint into this idea of being intertwined. All things flow. And through them we too are connected. That has been the main key in Portugal’s history, bridging not only with the rest of Europe, but also with Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. By sea. Five hundred years ago Lisbon was the place where these sea routes departed from and arrived. And today, the city of diversity, respect and tolerance, with a society of all colours and creeds that shares the values Eurovision stands for, invites everyone to celebrate this willingness to come closer and stand united.

This is the first time ever that competition will be held in Portugal, as Salvador’s win was the country’s first in their 53 years of competing. 2018 will also be Portugal’s 50th appearance in the Contest.