The London Eurovision Party was something I missed in 2023 and had been eager to attend ever since. This year, I finally got the chance, and the ticketing process was very easy with minimal waiting times, unlike the issues I often encounter with platforms like Ticketmaster. I always feel relieved when a ticket sale happens away from Ticketmaster. However, my only issue arose when the next batch of tickets was released, which included a new, higher-priced tier called Priority Queuing (or something similar). The Early Entry tickets, which I had, allowed entry before Priority Queuing, which felt off considering the higher price of the Priority Queuing tickets.
Artists were announced well after the ticket sale, which has always been a slight issue for me. If someone wanted to attend after an artist was announced, they might be disappointed to find tickets sold out. Conversely, people who bought tickets in advance hoping for a specific artist might be let down if that artist isn’t announced. Many people can’t easily resell their tickets, especially if they’ve booked a hotel or travel for the event. However, this year had a very strong lineup, with my standouts being Conchita and Keiino. I was glad that many of my favourites were able to make it.
The hotel itself wasn’t anything to write home about, though I have always preferred Premier Inn due to the comfort of the rooms and the consistently high standard of customer service. However, it was very small, with a price of around £200, which may be cheap for London, but I have experienced larger rooms for lower prices. It reminded me very much of Japanese capsule hotels that are becoming increasingly popular in Japan, so it was not a surprise to see a similar design pop up in other countries as well. The hotel seemed newly built, with the room and the hotel in general having a more modern look compared to other Premier Inns I had previously visited.
There were many pre-LEP events, such as a Keiino concert and being part of the audience for the Eurovision Podcast. The first event felt very small, but it seemed to fit well for the number of people who had arrived. My issue was that there was no barricade between the artists and the audience, potentially putting the artists at risk. The only negative incident was a drunk man spilling alcohol on the stage. Keiino’s performance was a lot of fun, and I was happy to finally see an artist I had listened to and enjoyed perform live. It was such a joyous energy, apart from the drunk individuals, which can happen at any event. The podcast was interesting to me as someone who studied media; I was fascinated to see the behind-the-scenes and technical elements that brought it all together.
Now onto the main LEP event, which started very well, with me being able to get a good view of the stage and performers. It seemed like, no matter where you were, the audience could find something to enjoy at the event. I was even able to sit down at times, which showed how spacious the venue was without making it feel empty. There was a strong sense of community, and the staff worked together to hand out water and assist people who were fainting. One issue with the venue was the need for more air conditioning, as it felt very warm. This could partly be because I was in the pit, but better air conditioning could have helped reduce the number of people who felt unwell or overheated.
Accessibility was the event’s standout feature for me. I went with a friend who required accommodations, and often, even with the necessary documents, there are time limits for when these need to be shown, and when accessibility benefits need to be arranged. However, in this case, she was able to bring the documents along, and once shown, it was a very quick process to put these accommodations in place. I commend the staff for handling this efficiently and for not separating me and my other friend. They could have easily put us into the early access queue, but separating someone who needs accessibility accommodations from their friends can sometimes cause stress, so it was good they kept this in mind.
The highlight performances for me were Nutsa, Gate, and Marcus and Martinus, as they significantly changed my initial opinions of their songs and performances. Referring back to my Melfest article about Marcus and Martinus, the song grew on me over time, especially after seeing the performance live. On the downside, I felt that Luna and Issac’s performances lacked impact, primarily due to the songs themselves. Luna definitely had charisma and the skills to pull the song together, but I felt it might not do well on the final scoreboard, which saddened me because both contestants have such talent but were given mediocre songs.
In conclusion, this event was a marvellous experience and will definitely be one that I will not forget. It was lovely to meet such amazing people and creatives. I hope to attend and see more performances like this in the future. Although there were some issues, they were very minor compared to what I have experienced in the past. I hope next year is just as amazing as this year and that I will have more time to experience this glorious event. As someone who has been to many bigger events, it’s hard for something to break into my list of favourite events, but this definitely did and brought back the true feelings of what Eurovision means to me.
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