‘Open Up’ is the slogan organisers have come up with for next year’s Eurovision song contest in Rotterdam.

The festival, which comprises three live shows and the contest itself, will be hosted by the Netherlands for the first time in 40 years.

‘We looked for a theme that explains what the Netherlands stands for,’ executive producer Sietse Bakker said. ‘This slogan invites people to open up to others, to other opinions, other people’s stories and, of course, other people’s music.’

The slogan is the result of workshops involving dozens of people from the creative sector and street interviews with random passers-by, Bakker said. ‘Open Up to each other, Open Up to music, Open Up to Rotterdam. Everyone is free to Open Up to whatever they want.’

Former slogans include Dare to Dream (Tel Aviv), All Aboard (Lissabon) and Celebrate Diversity (Kiev).

The semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest will be held on May 12 and 14. The final will take place on May 16. The event is among the most-watched programmes in the Netherlands and next year’s contest is expected to attract some 200 million viewers.