AJ Odudu to host National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome celebrations

AJ Odudu will kick off celebrations for the Eurovision Song Contest hosting the National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome with special guests from the world of music, sport and entertainment, organisers have announced.

The TV star, 35, will present the 90-minute outdoor show on the evening of Sunday May 7, with thousands of tickets to be made available to the public free on Wednesday April 5 at 10am.

Despite being a “closely guarded secret”, organisers said the show will feature musical performances from “iconic Liverpudlians and Eurovision superstars” alongside dancers and aerial performers.

There will also be a “never seen before state-of-the-art digital mapping” on to the front of St George’s Hall in Liverpool as well as many other surprises on the night, organisers said.

The show promises appearances from well-known faces from the world of music, sport and entertainment as well as local cultural and arts organisations and will “celebrate the unique partnership between Liverpool, Ukraine and Eurovision”.

Organisers said the audience will be “treated to a high-energy show” which is expected to top the European Capital of Culture opening ceremony in 2008.

TV presenter Odudu said: “I’m so excited to be hosting The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome. It is going to be an incredible show with some amazing performances and all of the wonder that Eurovision has to offer.

“I can’t wait to get the Eurovision party started in one of my favourite cities – come along and celebrate with us.”

Tickets will be offered on a first-come first-served basis and are free for National Lottery players, aside from a £2 fee, as a “thank you for the £330m they have contributed to over 3,600 music and cultural projects in Liverpool alone”, a statement said.

A proportion of the tickets will also be made available to National Lottery players with a Liverpool City Region postcode in a pre-sale on April 4 at 10am.

Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool said: “This is set to be an incredible show and we’re delighted that Liverpool City Region residents are being given an opportunity to bag themselves a ticket for this unique event.

“It is promising all of the energy and magic of Eurovision, combined with Liverpool’s unparalleled musical heritage, blending the best that the Unesco World City of Music has to offer with inspiration from Ukraine – it really will be an unmissable moment in our Eurovision journey.”

General tickets for The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome will be released on April 5 at 10am.