While the idea of hosting an expanded Eurovision held some appeal to some of our readers, others were clearly switched on to the date. Happy April Fools Day!
Brisbane is set to drop its bid for the Olympic Games in favour of being the inaugural host city of an expanded Eurovision Song Contest.
Eurovision, which has become more popular in the Asia-Pacific in recent years, will expand east from 2018 and be renamed the Eurasiavision Song Contest. High level talks are underway for Brisbane to host the inaugural event at a fraction of the price of an Olympic 2028 bid.
The move has been buoyed by the increased western interest in Asian pop music, brought on particularly by the growing popularity of K-pop and J-pop, with artists such as Psy now household names. Bollywood is another popular music form, with millions of fans worldwide.
It is understood all levels of government had agreed to hosting Eurasiavision, which would require just one venue, and would have a better cost-benefit ratio than an Olympic Games.
Cultural attaché Avril Tromper has been acting as a go-between between Eurasiavision organisers and Queensland tourism authorities.
"The opportunities in Asia to take advantage of the massive markets are ripe for the taking," she said.
"With Brisbane's rich musical legacy producing the likes of the Bee Gees, Keith Urban, Powderfinger, The Veronicas, Regurgitator and Tuffy, we can think of no better location."
It is understood German Chancellor Angela Merkel was an enthusiastic early supporter of the move.
The Chancellor became convinced of Brisbane's readiness to host Eurasiavision following her conversations with Brisbane locals on Caxton Street during the G20 leaders' summit.
Those conversations, it is understood, consisted almost solely talk of Eurovision, particularly the popularity of Conchita Wurst and the superiority of Lordi over Lorde.
But the move has met resistance from some European quarters, with German opposition spokeswoman Ima Narr saying Ms Merkel had overstepped her authority.
"Eurovision is a European institution – we'd be fools to share it with the rest of the world," she said.
Central to Brisbane's bid will be a new inner-city venue to replace the much maligned Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall.
The new arena would be built on the site of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.
The proposal has been met with excitement from community group Residents United for Superb Entertainment.
RUSE spokeswoman Verity Abson said a local performer was a must for Australia's representative for the inaugural Eurasiavision.
"Imagine seeing The Veronicas, or Dami Im, or a reformed Savage Garden, or Tuffy, flying the Australian flag in front of billions – all without leaving their backyard," she said.
"The exposure will be so much better than we could ever get from the Olympics."
Other cities vying for the event included Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Beijing, Chittagong and the Qatari capital, Doha.
Doha was considered a long shot, according to one insider.
"Summer is too hot in Qatar, so it would have to be a winter Eurasiavision, which goes against decades of Eurovision tradition," the insider said.
