Sweden’s Malmö is hosting the Eurovision pop festival 2024
STOCKHOLM –
The southern Swedish city of Malmö is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 at the same location where the colorful and eclectic music competition took place in 2012, the Swedish organizers said on Friday.
The 68th edition will be held at the Malmo Arena and the live televised final is scheduled for May 11, with semi-finals on May 7 and 9.
Sweden’s third-largest city, which also hosted the event in 1992 and 2012, was chosen in what organizers called a “strong bidding process,” which examined venues, visitor accommodations, infrastructure and other factors.
“In the end, Malmö was chosen because it met all the criteria,” said executive producer Ebba Adielsson of Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
In May, Sweden won this year’s contest in Liverpool, England, with the power ballad “Tattoo” by Swedish singer Loreen, who also won the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. The host country is usually the winner of last year’s event, but Great Britain, runner-up in 2022, hosted this year on behalf of the winner, Ukraine.
Loreen was only the second person to win the pop crown twice. Johnny Logan from Ireland was the first double winner, in the 1980s.
Loreen’s win in 2023 was Sweden’s seventh win and tied Ireland’s record. The Scandinavian country has won seven times and has hosted the competition three times in Stockholm – in 1975, 2000 and 2016, twice in Malmö and once in Gothenburg in 1985.
The Swedish super group ABBA became famous by winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with ‘Waterloo’.
Launched in 1956 to promote unity after World War II, Eurovision evolved over the years from a boring ballad-fest to a campy, feel-good extravaganza. It has grown from seven countries to as many as 40, including non-European countries such as Israel and faraway Australia.
Participating countries send acts selected through national competitions or by broadcasters. Six countries qualify automatically: last year’s winner and the “Big Five” who pay the most for the competition: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain.
Malmö is located 615 kilometers (about 380 miles) south of Stockholm and opposite the Danish capital Copenhagen, to which it is connected by a tunnel and a bridge.
