When visiting the host city for Eurovision week, one of the highlights is the nightlife. Of course, each city has their own nightlife scene that fans can enjoy, but each year there is some sort of venue for fans, artists and delegations to celebrate during the week and enjoy live performances from Eurovision artists. In previous years, there has been a ‘EuroClub’ specifically for artists and delegations, and then a fan-organised ‘Eurocafe’ specifically for fans. However, this year it appears that there will just be the EuroClub, organised by OGAE that will act as the official party venue for Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool.
In previous years, the venue for the EuroClub has been announced within weeks of the contest; however, this year the EuroClub venue for Liverpool 2023 has already been confirmed as Camp and Furnace, a popular warehouse space that can host large-scale events. For anyone planning on coming over to Merseyside in May, here’s some more details on what we can expect from this year’s EuroClub venue.
Where is it?
EuroClub is in the Baltic Triangle area of Liverpool. An alternative hub that could be described as the ‘edgy’ region of Liverpool, home to a range of bars, food venues, markets, music venues and much more. It could be compared to Manchester’s Northern Quarter, of the Shoreditch area of London. As a local, it’s my favourite area of the city, a hidden gem sitting just outside the main city centre that offers so much.
Camp and Furnace sits at the heart of the Baltic Triangle. It is walkable from the main city centre, approximately a 15–20 minute walk from the city centre. Most importantly, it is within easy reach of the M&S Bank Arena, so fans can walk from the live shows to EuroClub in about 10–15 minutes (this route happens to pass by a McDonalds and KFC, in case anyone is feeling hungry after the live shows!).
Alternatively, fans can get the number 500 bus from Liverpool One Bus Station to the Baltic Triangle up until midnight each day. Otherwise, Camp and Furnace is only a quick taxi ride away from the city centre and arena if you’re in a rush.
What is Camp and Furnace?
Camp and Furnace opened in 2012 and has been a staple of the Baltic Triangle; this large indoor warehouse space has been known to host live music, club nights, festivals, exhibitions, food and drink markets, and much more. The venue has a rustic and industrial feel, encapsulating aspects of large-scale festivals while all being under one roof.
In Liverpool, Camp and Furnace is most notable for being the original home of ‘Bongo’s Bingo’, which is now notoriously fun night out that takes place across the country, involving a traditional game of bingo with music, dancing and wacky prizes.
Camp and Furnace has a capacity of approximately 1,250 for live music events, so there is plenty of space for fans to enjoy the post-Eurovision celebrations.
What do we know about EuroClub so far?
Liverpool’s Euroclub will comprise two main spaces, one with a stage for live acts, the other being a dancefloor where fans can enjoy some classic Eurovision bangers.
Usually, EuroClub runs from the Monday of Eurovision week until the night of the Grand Final on Saturday. However, this year EuroClub will be open for nine nights, from Friday 5th to Saturday 13th May. It’s worth noting that Monday 8th May is a bank holiday, due to King Charles III’s coronation on the Saturday, so this bank holiday weekend will be a great opportunity for many fans to enjoy EuroClub, particularly those who need to work during the rest of Eurovision week.
In terms of tickets, there is no date specified yet on when these will be released, but we expect more details to be released in the upcoming weeks. In previous EuroClub tickets have been made available after tickets for the live shows have been released. Various types of tickets will be made available, ranging from weekly passes to day tickets, depending on what is suitable for your Eurovision Week schedule. A pre-sale allocation will be made available for OGAE members; more details should be expected from OGAE soon.
Outside of EuroClub, what other nightlife is available in Liverpool during Eurovision week?
But of course, nightlife during Eurovision week is not just limited to EuroClub. In the surrounding Baltic Triangle, there are plenty of cool and interesting venues that fans can enjoy. Across the road from Camp and Furnace is Cains Brewery, a renovated brewery that boasts plenty of fun venues for a drink or bite to eat. Cains Brewery also includes CONTENT, an events space that is now the new home of Bongo’s Bingo. In fact, on the Friday of Eurovision week there will be a Eurovision-themed Bongo’s Bingo featuring two UK winners, which is bound to be one of the nightlife highlights of the week.
Liverpool is notorious for having some of the best nightlife in the UK, so there is bound to be something for everyone. Concert Square is the epicentre of Liverpool nightlife, with a large outdoor space surrounded by bars and clubs. Pride Quarter (locally known as ‘Gay Town’) on and around Stanley Street is Liverpool’s LGBT hub, with plenty of safe spaces and fun nightlife for the LGBT community.
Camp and Furnace is the ideal venue for Liverpool 2023’s EuroClub
Back in October, before the host city was even announced, myself and many other scousers suggested that Camp and Furnace would be the ideal venue for EuroClub should Eurovision come to Liverpool. Only a couple of months later and I’m incredibly happy and excited that this has come to fruition.
Camp and Furnace has the potential to be an excellent venue for EuroClub. For all those planning on coming over to Liverpool during Eurovision week, rest assured that Liverpudlians know how to have a great night out!
