Huntingdon First and The Commemoration Hall Charity salute a resounding ‘Douze Points’ for the FREE Community Screening of the Eurovision Final.
Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, 13/05/2023
The Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Dr Nik Johnson at the Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon for the start of their screening of the Eurovison Song Concert.
Picture: Mark Bullimore Photography 2023
Huntingdon First were extremely proud to host this weekend’s Eurovision Final Screening in partnership with The Commemoration Hall Charity.
The landmark screening, the first of its kind in Huntingdon Town Centre, took place in the Commemoration Hall; the venue being the heart of Arts and Entertainment in Huntingdon town centre. Renowned for being a community-based facility, BID were delighted to work in partnership for the screening to take place there. Mayor Dr Nik Johnson (Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority) was on site to open the event alongside drag host Mary Christmas and the newly appointed mayor of Huntingdon Town Councillor Phillip Pearce and his Lady Mayoress.
Throughout the evening we saw audiences of around 200 people come through the doors to view parts of the Eurovision Extravaganza and taste some amazing Eurovision flavoured cocktails! A dedicated set of over 100 stayed until the very end at 00:30am to see Loreen be crowned not only as the 2023 winner for Sweden with ‘Tattoo’ but the first female artist to win the contest twice!
Plans are already in place for 2024 which will again see the live streamed screening held at The Commemoration Hall, coming live from Sweden in the year that marks Abba’s 50th anniversary of their 1974 win with ‘Waterloo’.
We can’t wait!
Paul Sweeney, Huntingdon First Town Manager said:
“What a night! The euphoria in the room was intoxicating, to see so many people gather to support the UK and our friends in Ukraine celebrate this years Eurovision Final. The room was bursting with pride as the UK hosted the event on behalf of the Ukraine. Seeing the interval performance from past entrants with a mix of classic UK songs brought a huge cheer from the crowd, it felt like we were all present in Liverpool! We’re so incredibly proud of all the work that has gone into these screenings. Following the Coronation screenings last weekend, we’re so happy to have been a part of these landmark events in Huntingdon, once again showing the incredible community support in Huntingdon”
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson said:
“It was a real joy to open the Eurovision screening event at the Commemoration Hall in Huntingdon. Eurovision is such an iconic cultural event, made even more special by it being hosted in the UK on behalf of Ukraine, and it was entirely fitting that the Commemoration Hall, known for supporting the arts throughout its 180 year history, was screening the event for the local community. The organisers put in such a lot of hard work in hosting the event, and it was wonderful to see the community come together at this culturally important venue to enjoy an evening of international music. The Combined Authority was thrilled to be able to help fund this event via a grant from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)”
BID Huntingdon First would like to thank the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and UK Government in supporting and contributing to funding of these screenings and to the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) in securing the funding.