The long-awaited tickets for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv will finally go on sale in the coming days, with the prices for the grand final ranging from NIS 1,500 (approx. $415) to NIS 2,000 ($550) per ticket. In contrast, tickets for the grand final in 2018, when the competition was held in Portugal, ranged from €35 ($40) to €299 ($330).

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Israel won the right to host the event after Netta Barzilai’s song “Toy” emerged victorious during last year’s competition.

Netta performs the song 'Toy' after winning the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest (Photo: AP)

A source with ties to the contest said that the tickets for 2019 were so pricey because the cost of living in Israel is much higher than in Europe, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) revealed on Tuesday that only 4,000 tickets will be available for purchase for each show, which include three live concerts and six dress rehearsals, with another 3,000 being reserved for foreign delegations and European Broadcasting Union officials.

The shows will be held at the Expo Tel Aviv’s main hall, which despite being able to hold around 8,500 people, will only admit around 7,000 due to security concerns.

Eurovision 2019 tickets (Photo: KAN)

For the grand finale, some 1,500 tickets, worth around NIS 2,000, have also been allocated for those wanting a VIP experience in the so-called “Green Rooms” outside the concert hall, where the contestants wait before going on stage and watch performances of other participants on giant screens.

Kan will also reserve some 500 tickets for Israeli military personnel at one of the dress rehearsals.

Furthermore, the cheapest tickets that can be purchased are for a dress rehearsal and will range between NIS 350 ($100) and NIS 1,250 ($350). For the semi-finals, which are set to take place on May 14 and 16, the tickets will range from NIS 750 and NIS 1,150. The tickets for the Green Room experience during the semi-finals will cost around NIS 1,000.

The grand finale of the Eurovision will take place on May 18, 2019. This year will be the third time that Israel has hosted the competition. In 1979, Israel both hosted and won the Eurovision with the Gali Atari and Milk & Honey song "Hallelujah."

While Israel opted out of hosting the contest again in 1980, the Eurovision returned to Jerusalem in 1999, after a win by Dana International, when the band Eden competed with the song “Happy Birthday.”