Rotterdam will host the Eurovision Song Contest on 12, 14 and 16 May 2020. It was chosen from five cities in The Netherlands with a serious bid.

The ESC will be held in the Rotterdam Ahoy multifunctional convention centre. An obvious choice. Tickets should be available later this year.

Although Rotterdam’s history dates back to 1270, it is a thoroughly modern city with high rise buildings and modern city planning. The city ws almost completely destroyed during World War II. Instead of restoring old buildings, the city became a very 20th and now 21st century metropolis.

It feels very Atlantic, American even. Being the home of the largest port in Europe, the cityscape is also dominated by water.

In the winter of 2016 I went with Frank. Here are impressions of wat to expect.