Vienna introduces ‘gay’ traffic lights for Eurovision

Vienna has introduced special traffic lights featuring gay couples to mark the Eurovision Song Contest.

Vienna’s traffic lights get a makeover ahead of the annual @Eurovision Song Contest: https://t.co/qF3Bo1tSh1 pic.twitter.com/o7jIlhoNUR

— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) May 11, 2015

The Austrian capital is set to host the camp music contest next week after the victory of drag diva Conchita Wurst in 2014.

Not wanting to miss out on the influx of gay tourists heading to the event, the city has even made alterations to its traffic lights.

Instead of featuring one man walking at pedestrian crossings, lights in the city now feature dancing gay and lesbian couples holding hands, with hearts above them.

The lights also appear to feature straight couples holding hands.

A spokesperson for the city told Reuters the move was designed to “present Vienna as an open-minded city” as well as improve traffic safety, by attracting attention of pedestrians and drivers

It comes after Graham Norton bemoaned that it would be a “quite straight” year for the contest, saying: “I think it’s going to be quite a straight contest… there are lots and lots of ballads this year. There aren’t that many upbeat songs.”

Vienna is not the first host city to use Eurovision as a gay rights platform – last year Copenhagen performed a number of mass weddings to mark the contest.

A string of brave Russian same-sex couples were among those who took the opportunity to marry in the city.