First Eurovision tickets on sale from noon today

The first tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam next year will go on sale at noon on Thursday. Rotterdam residents with a low income can now also sign up on the municipality's website to win free tickets.

The tickets going on sale today are tickets for the semi-finals, the final and the six general rehearsals. The organizers expect that the tickets for the semi-finals and the finals, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, will sell out the fastest, RTL Nieuws reports. Exactly how many tickets will be going on sale today, the organizers did not say.

There is space for a total of around 65 thousand people at the nine different shows in Rotterdam Ahoy. Two thirds of the tickets will be available for the public, the rest are for delegations of the participating countries, officials, and sponsors. Of the available tickets per show, the first 2 thousand will go first to people who are a member of the song festival fan club OGAE, which means they have a better chance of getting a ticket. Only fans who belonged to the club before October 1st qualify for these tickets. 

The municipality of Rotterdam is also raffling off 8,500 tickets among city residents with a low income. Rotterdam residents with low incomes can sign up on the municipality's website until January 7th. Each winner will get two tickets. The municipality will check based on income and expenditure data whether people who register really qualify. If the city receives more than 4,250 applications, the winners will be chosen at random under the supervision of a notary. 

The most expensive tickets are for the finals, costing nearly 250 euros. But tickets for a standing spot with limited view at one of the rehearsals cost 18.50 euros. The rehearsals are also real, complete shows, including presenters and opening- and interval acts, the organization stressed. 

The tickets may seem pricey, but are comparable to recent song festivals in Germany and Sweden, according to RTL. The Eurovision Song Contest in Israel this year was much more expensive, with the most expensive tickets pricing 415 euros.