News - Cyprus: CyBC's plans for JESC 2008 | Eurovision Song Contest News - Germany 2011 

CyBC, the Cypriot broadcaster who will be hosting the 2008 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, have released the promo video clip they submitted to the EBU for the country's candidacy. Information on the Arena, the staging and the activities planned for the participating artists has been made public by CyBC who state they are already prepared to face the greatest challenge in the channel's history.

The 2008 JESC will be held in Lemessos, Cyprus's largest resort very popular with international travelers, at the Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Center just outside town. The stadium is already complete with a Press Center and Press Conference rooms, several large halls, a restaurant with views of the Arena and more than 20 dressing rooms. The commentary booths are already in place and the vast underground garage will be used for technical equipment storage. The arena itself will seat 7.500 spectators.

George Papadopoulos, the CyBC production designer, promised a 15 metre in diameter, sealed glass pool-stage from where goddess Aphrodite will rise. There are going to be large screens at the back of the stage, the largest being 12 metres high by 30 metres long. There are going to be projections on all the screens, and this year's innovation from Cyprus will be that some of the screens will offer the children the opportunity to interact, something that has never been done before.

The postcards have been already designed. The children will also shoot their own messages during JESC week. A lot of fun activities have been planned for the young artists and their escorts to make their stay an educational and unforgettable one. They will sail the seas like pirates on a specially designed pirate ship and take part in a Treasure Hunt.

CyBC have invested heavily on new technical equipment and training to meet with the JESC challenge. Cypriot key production staff will work together with experts from the UK to deliver an imaginative and high quality show.

You can watch the entire promo video here (in English), where you can see computer generated images of the stage. 

A special thank you to Arvydas Makselis for his contribution to the article.