The 2021 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Rotterdam on 18, 20 and 22 May.

Following the cancellation of ESC 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was widely expected that Rotterdam would remain the host city for the next contest. However, the Dutch government’s current policy is that no events on the scale of ESC with its usual audience can take place until a vaccine for the virus is found. Accordingly, as nu.nl reports, the plans for 2021 will take into account various scenarios and allow for “adjustments” to be made as the circumstances require – presumably up to and including a contest entirely behind closed doors if necessary.

As previously announced, tickets for ESC 2020 will be valid for 2021 assuming the event goes ahead with the planned audience. Ticket holders who are unable or unwilling to use their tickets in 2021 have until Friday 26 June to claim a refund.

The 2021 national final season looks set to be quieter than usual, as at least 18 broadcasters have confirmed that they will be sending the artists who would have been representing them in 2020. Of course, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of some single-artist finals – but even allowing for that, the Super Saturday stream-juggling should be a bit more manageable than usual!

The visual design for the 2020 contest is also expected to be adapted and reused for 2021, and we’ll presumably be encountering the same three hosts who guided us through the Europe, Shine A Light show and who would have been in charge of the 2020 contest had it taken place – namely Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit.

While it’s strange to be thinking about major European events at a time when the virus is still prevalent and travel restrictions are only just beginning to be lifted, it’s good to look to the future with a bit of hope – not least since the message today is that, with enough planning time to provide for the necessary contingencies, there will be a Eurovision Song Contest 2021 regardless of what form that takes. Cheers to that!