71st Miss Universe to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana in January 2023
Miss Universe has set a date and venue for the 71st edition of the pageant: January 14, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States.
Aside from the coronation night on Jan. 14, the preliminary competition will be held on Jan. 11, with delegates coming in from Jan. 5 to 6.
The organizers earlier announced that the 2022 pageant would be postponed until next year to make way for the FIFA World Cup.
The moment you’ve been waiting for… The #71stMISSUNIVERSE Competition is heading to… NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA! 🇺🇸
MISS UNIVERSE will air around the world on January 14, 2023. Stay tuned for more information on the official Miss Universe app. pic.twitter.com/XYaoUEMKxg— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) September 19, 2022
In a Sept. 16 interview with ABS-CBN News, Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart shared her excitement about having a wider audience in attendance for the pageant.
"I feel, finally, after all of these years, we are in a venue which will have plenty of seating. We will be able to accommodate everyone and I feel that this is our first step back so I'm thrilled," she said.
Recently, the organization also announced that married, divorced, pregnant women, and mothers are now allowed to compete in the pageant.
The pageant will be held in New Orleans for the first time at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Shugart said it was chosen because of its rich cultural history, arts, entertainment, and food scene.
90 women from all over the globe will be vying for the crown in January, including Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi.
The 2021 edition of the pageant was held in Eilat, Israel, where India's Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned the winner.
