Agnes Bidmon zur ESC-Debatte: Chance für Tirol?

Following JJ's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, one thing is certain: the ESC will take place in Austria in 2026. Innsbruck and Vienna are currently still in the running to host the event – the ORF will make its decision in mid-August. In Tyrol, the bid is being discussed intensively and, at times, emotionally.

Prof. (FH) PD Dr. Agnes Bidmon, Professor of Cultural Management & Cultural Studies at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol, was recently invited to a discussion event at the ORF regional studio in Tyrol. As part of the series Ein Ort am Wort (A Place to Speak), she exchanged ideas with representatives from politics, tourism, and civil society. She has now written a commentary on the topic.

COMMENT BY AGNES BIDMON

Since JJ's victory in Basel in May, there has been heated debate about whether Innsbruck would be a suitable venue for the 2026 ESC. Now that it has been confirmed that the next Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Austria, a heated debate has erupted, particularly in Tyrol, about the opportunities, challenges, and fundamental issues surrounding the bid.

Some critics point to the high costs that such an event would entail for Innsbruck and Tyrol, especially since the province of Tyrol has only promised moral support. Proponents of hosting the event counter that it would generate enormous added value for the region, and a recent study commissioned by ORF comes to a similar conclusion. Representatives of the tourism industry also argue along these lines, emphasizing not only the expected financial benefits of the event itself, but also the opportunity to showcase the Tyrol region and thus the long-term promotional value of the event, which could encourage people from around the world to visit the region even after the ESC. The international appeal of the event could therefore clearly serve as a pull factor, making Tyrol even more attractive as a vacation destination.

The fear that this could be counterproductive in a region already struggling with phenomena such as overtourism – as some skeptics have warned – can be countered by the fact that the ESC takes place in May and is therefore at a favorable interface between winter and summer tourism, when sufficient capacity is available and the hotel industry in the Innsbruck region is well equipped to cope with the expected (and in some cases already requested) number of overnight stays. Another advantage mentioned is that the Eurovision Song Contest would be the first cultural event of this size to take place in Innsbruck, putting the province, which has been known almost exclusively as a sports region, on the cultural map and opening up new opportunities in Tyrol's hitherto underrepresented cultural sector, whether for hosting large concerts or other cultural events. This would also be a long-overdue counterbalance to the previous automatic focus on Vienna as the only conceivable venue for major cultural events and would give Tyrol's cultural sector a boost and greater visibility.

However, this economic policy controversy is accompanied by a socio-political debate, which—as several comments from political figures in recent weeks have shown—is undoubtedly the most emotional and heated of all. After all, along with the question of whether Innsbruck could logistically host the ESC and whether it should do so financially, there is also the question of whether Innsbruck wants to host the ESC from an ideological standpoint. From a cultural studies perspective, this debate is particularly interesting because the diverging positions are closely linked to the respective understanding of culture that the actors claim for themselves and for the Tyrol region.

To counteract possible polarization, it may be worth taking a look at cultural history. The Eurovision Song Contest was originally launched in the 1950s, in the post-war period, as a peace project aimed at bringing a divided and hostile continent closer together through pop culture, thereby contributing to international understanding. Today, 70 years later, the original intention of the ESC is more relevant than ever. After all, at a time when authoritarian tendencies are gaining influence worldwide, freedom of expression is under pressure, and diversity is increasingly becoming a target of political rhetoric, Europe needs strong, visible signs of its shared fundamental values more than ever. The Eurovision Song Contest is much more than a music competition—it is a cultural manifesto for freedom, diversity, and peaceful coexistence. At the same time, the ESC also opens up a democratic space for debate, where people can engage constructively not only in discussions about music, but also about politically and socially controversial issues.

Innsbruck, a city in the heart of Europe, located at the crossroads between north and south, east and west, seems predestined to carry this message powerfully into the world. At the same time, hosting the ESC in Innsbruck would send a strong signal that smaller cities can also assume responsibility for the European project and contribute to the motto “unity in diversity.” For while in parts of the world, such as recently in the US, democratic institutions and practices are under pressure, minority rights are being curtailed and cultural expressions censored, Europe must provide a clear counterweight and stand up for its values. The ESC in Innsbruck would be a strong commitment by Tyrol to the non-negotiability of fundamental democratic values: freedom of expression, equality, the rule of law, and cultural self-determination.

This set of values also includes diversity, which is particularly closely linked to the ESC thanks to Conchita Wurst's success and Austria's contribution in 2014. This has contributed to the long-overdue visibility of diversity in our open, democratic society in Europe in the cultural mainstream. The ESC thrives on diversity – musical, linguistic, cultural, and gender diversity. Innsbruck could not only celebrate this diversity, but also actively promote it through inclusive events, barrier-free access, queer visibility, and the integration of marginalized groups. In a world where diversity is increasingly portrayed as a threat, the ESC in Innsbruck would be a celebration of difference – and a call to the power of togetherness.

Links:

• Sports, Culture & Event Management | pt
• New book by Agnes Bidmon | News