Eurovision Song Contest live tour 2026 postponed

The inaugural Eurovision Song Contest live tour has been "postponed", European Broadcasting Union (EBU) officials have confirmed.

Announced last month, it had been due to visit 10 countries across Europe this summer, kicking off at London's O2 Arena on 15 June.

Martin Green, director of the famous song contest - which is being held in Vienna, Austria on Saturday 16 May 2026 - said in a statement on Friday that "unforseen circumstances" had led them to take the "difficult decision" to shelve the additional new tour.

"We regret to announce that we've made the difficult decision to postpone the Eurovision Song Contest Live Tour 2026," he said.

"We have encountered unforeseen challenges that despite the best efforts of our team, the producers, and promoters we have been unable to resolve," he said.

"To the thousands of fans who bought tickets, thank you, we will ensure you will be refunded in full as soon as possible."

He went on to say that Eurovision would be "relaunching" the live tour - originally planned as part of the contest's 70th birthday celebrations - once it could "ensure the world-class experience that our fans expect".

"Our focus remains on delivering an incredible Eurovision Song Contest in May," he noted.

The new show was meant to include some of the most memorable performers from the history of the competition, the EBU said in January.

They included Johnny Logan, Katrina, Lordi and Verka Serduchka.

The EBU, which runs Eurovision, also previously confirmed that the tour would feature performances from 10 of this year's entrants.

Last December the contest was disrupted after Iceland joined Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying it would boycott the 2026 competition.

The move followed a row about Israel's participation because of the war in Gaza, as well as accusations of unfair voting practices.

The EBU announced it was tightening the competition's voting rules to limit the influence of governments on the results.

A majority of its members voted that month for a series of reforms which would also allow Israel to remain.

The BBC has not yet announced the name of the UK's entrant for this year.