Eurovision fans are preparing for the rush to get hold of coveted tickets for this year's song contest later.

There is expected to be high demand when tickets for the nine public shows being staged in Liverpool in May go on sale at midday GMT on Tuesday.

Fans can try for the grand final and two live semi-finals, plus six previews doubling as dress rehearsals.

Prices range from £90 to £290 for the live semi-finals on 9 and 11 May, and £160 to £380 for the final on 13 May.

An account must be registered on Ticketmaster UK - regardless of the country tickets are being purchased in.

Fans have been advised to create an account in advance, and users can only buy tickets for one show at a time.

Preview shows range from £30 to £280. A preview show is a full run-through of the TV broadcast that doubles up as a production rehearsal where the acts perform live in the arena.

There are two previews for each live televised show - one the previous evening and another on the afternoon of the broadcast itself.

Tickets run from £90 to £290 for the live semi-finals, and from £160 to £380 for the live grand final.

More than six thousand people will be able to go to each show.

The M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool has a capacity of 11,000, but the number of tickets on sale for each show is lower because of the size of the set and the requirements of such a large-scale TV broadcast.

Last month it was announced that 3,000 tickets would be reserved for Ukrainians living in the UK on three visa programmes - Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Extension Scheme and Ukraine Families Scheme - through a ticket ballot.

The cost will be subsidised by the government but there will be a £20 charge per sale.

The semi-finals and grand final will be broadcast on BBC TV and radio, with extensive coverage online.

There will also be lots going on in Liverpool beyond the arena. A two-week cultural festival will take place from 1 May, including a submarine street parade, a rave that will take place simultaneously in Kyiv, and an outdoor operatic Eurovision concert.

During the televised live shows, fans will be able to watch on big screens there, and it's also where some of the acts will perform on stage across the week.

There will also be more big screens and viewing parties at venues across the city.

Rumours are rife that the identity of the UK's entrant will be revealed in the next week.

Possible names being reported include Rina Sawayama, Birdy and Mimi Webb. All three are past Brit Award nominees, showing it's being taken seriously. As in recent years, there is no televised national selection show.

Whoever gets picked will hope to replicate the success of Sam Ryder, who achieved the UK's best Eurovision result for 25 years when he came second in 2022.

All the build-up, insights and analysis is explored each week on a new BBC podcast called Eurovisioncast.