Eurovision Song Contest 2026: Wiener Stadthalle vs. Olympiahalle Innsbruck
The Wiener Stadthalle, designed by Roland Rainer, was opened in 1958 and is one of the oldest multi-purpose halls in Europe. Since its opening, over 75 million people have attended more than 13,000 events, including concerts, musicals, and sports events. Since 2015, the Wiener Stadthalle also has experience with the Eurovision Song Contest.
Hall D as the Heart of the Wiener Stadthalle
The construction in the Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus district took over three years and symbolizes the economic and political change of the post-war period. Renowned artists like Herbert Boeckl and Maria Bilger contributed to the design of the building. The opening was celebrated with a performance by the State Opera, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. With nearly 29,000 square meters of usable space, the Wiener Stadthalle is one of the largest event centers in the country. The heart of it - Hall D - alone can accommodate up to 16,000 spectators. Compared to its original state, the complex has undergone numerous expansions and "face lifts" over the past decades. Rainer himself planned the fifth Hall E, which in 1994 expanded the seating capacity by 1,300 seats.
In 2006, Music Hall F was built. It accommodates around 2,000 people and is directly adjacent to the Stadthalle. Halls A, B, and C, with a total capacity of 4,500 people, are primarily reserved for sporting events. According to Wien Holding, there have also been extensive modernizations and renovations in recent years. From the beginning, the Stadthalle positioned itself as broadly as possible in terms of content. In 1959, for example, Louis Armstrong played seven sold-out concerts, and three years later, star cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin reported on his space mission. The premiere of the film "Poppies Are Also Flowers" (1966) with guests like Sophia Loren, Sean Connery, and Rita Hayworth temporarily transformed the building into the largest cinema hall in Europe. That concert dates were not necessarily scheduled in the evening is shown by a live gig of the Rolling Stones in 1967. It began at 3:30 PM.
Wiener Stadthalle with a Wide Range
Over the decades, the range has become increasingly broad. Hans Orsolic became the youngest European boxing champion in the Stadthalle premises (1967), and the musical "Hair" celebrated its German-language premiere here (1970). In 1979, 141 delegates from 141 countries even met for a UN conference. A fixture is "Holiday On Ice," which usually hosts its latest production there in winter. Sporting traditions are also upheld: The ATP tennis tournament has been held there since 1974. The logistical effort for this is probably a bit less than for an event in 2004. At that time, a 25-meter pool was even built in Hall D for the Short Course Swimming European Championships. In 2015, after Conchita Wurst's triumph in Copenhagen in 2014, the Stadthalle hosted the Song Contest. Next year, ESC fans will once again flock to Vienna's largest indoor arena if Vienna is awarded the contract. A bit of Song Contest has already wafted through the Stadthalle in the past. Former winners of the European singing competition, such as ABBA, Celine Dion, or Udo Jürgens, have repeatedly given concerts in the Stadthalle.
Use of the Wiener Stadthalle as a COVID Testing Station
What was not foreseeable in 2015: In 2020, the Stadthalle was repurposed as a large COVID testing station. It did not conflict with the regular program, as events were known to be prohibited at that time. Some of them - such as the bike spectacle "Masters of Dirt" - were indeed postponed and made up for with several years' delay after the pandemic ended. In 2024, more than 300 events with over a million visitors took place in the Stadthalle. The year 2025 is even better - and could thus become one of the strongest years in history, as Wien Holding informed the APA. Revenue last year was around 22 million euros. Currently, it is expected to be higher this year. Among the biggest events this year were concerts by Billie Eilish, Green Day, or Bilderbuch.
New Arena in Vienna Planned
Regarding the future of the largely listed building, there are indeed question marks. The city plans to build a new, significantly larger event arena in St. Marx. This would likely mean that numerous events, which are currently booked at the Stadthalle, would take place there. The upcoming Song Contest is not affected by this: the opening of the new hall is planned for 2030. However, there have recently been significant delays due to objections in the awarding process. The original plan would have sufficed for ESC honors, as it envisaged completion by 2024.
Olympiahalle Innsbruck: Multifunctional Workhorse Aims to Impress with Space
It is somewhat younger than the "big sister" in the federal capital, but it also has quite a few years under its belt: The Innsbruck Olympiahalle, opened in 1964, which would host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 as a multifunctional location if necessary. It can accommodate 12,000 visitors. The hall measures a maximum of 2,000 square meters of usable space with direct access to the Innsbruck-Mitte motorway exit, which is only about a 15-minute walk from the city center. The ancillary rooms include spacious VIP lounges on four levels with a total of 1,300 square meters, as well as a multipurpose hall with a total of 490 square meters, which can be divided into five rooms. However, the Innsbruck officials also highlight another figure, namely 45,000 square meters of freely available or usable space concerning the entire area, as Olympiaworld Managing Director Matthias Schipflinger explained to the APA. On this very space, the entire infrastructure necessary for the major event would have room, according to Schipflinger. This represents an advantage over Vienna: "We have a lot of space." It would also be a Song Contest "of short distances": "We wouldn't have to distribute anything across the city."
Olympiahalle Innsbruck Already Plays All the Pieces
Because the Olympiahalle, where the ESC live broadcast is to take place, does not stand alone but is part of the Olympiaworld, of which the city of Innsbruck and the state of Tyrol are equal owners. This means: It also includes two other venues located directly at the Olympiahalle: The well-known Tivoli football stadium and the ice rink, also called Tiwag-Arena. These would also be integrated into the mega-project Song Contest. And one thing is also clear: The Olympiahalle already plays all the pieces. "We actually don't need to do anything," said Schipflinger when asked if anything of a structural nature was still missing to host the Song Contest. There would only be "event-specific things to consider," as with any other event. However, it is also clear that the ESC would be the biggest show and also the biggest challenge they have faced so far. They would be prepared, the Olympiaworld Managing Director assured.
Long, Varied History of the Olympiahalle Innsbruck with Big Names
The Olympiahalle was built for the 1964 Winter Olympics in the Tyrolean capital according to the plans of architect Hans Buchrainer. And it was again the venue for competitions twelve years later, at the second Winter Games in Innsbruck in 1976. In 2005, it underwent a renovation or general refurbishment. The location has certainly seen a lot of high-profile events in its varied history. Starting with numerous concerts by national and international top acts. Such as: Rolling Stones, Bryan Adams, Status Quo, Roxette, Simply Red, Bob Dylan, Black Sabbath, Tina Turner, Deep Purple, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Cocker, Marilyn Manson, James Blunt, Cher, Herbert Grönemeyer, Die Toten Hosen, Udo Jürgens, EAV, Rainhard Fendrich, Andreas Gabalier.
The colorful array also extended over numerous congresses, trade fairs, and sports events to highlights such as the Pope's visit in 1988 or events during the 2008 European Football Championship. The festive service including the episcopal ordination of Innsbruck's new diocesan bishop Hermann Glettler in 2017 also took place there. And above all, TV classics and major productions with a wide reach far beyond Austria's borders like "Wetten, dass..?" and "Musikantenstadl," which visited Innsbruck several times. "In terms of technical effort," "Wetten, dass..?" and "Musikantenstadl" would be quite comparable to the Song Contest, explained Schipflinger.
The occupancy of the hall is excellent, especially when considering the past year. "In 2024, we had a total of 252 occupancy days, of which 121 were event days, 70 for setup, and 61 for dismantling," reported the Olympiaworld Managing Director. In terms of the upcoming May, they are also at an advantage over Vienna in another respect: Only two events would need to be rescheduled for the Song Contest, whereas in the federal capital, it would be significantly more.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.