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Eurovision 2024: Malmö officially submitted their bid to host Eurovision 2024!

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The submissions deadline for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest host city ended last night at 23:59. Up until then, it was clear that two cities had submitted their bid to host Eurovision Song Contest 2024, after Loreen won for a second time at this year’s contest held in Liverpool, Stockholm and Göteborg.

As we had previously reported, it was not yet clear if Malmö had submitted their bid to host next year. Not clear until now. It is confirmed that the city of Malmö has submitted their application to Swedish broadcaster SVT.

Already in the days after Loreen‘s win in the Eurovision Song Contest final, a month ago in Liverpool, voices within the city of Malmö hoped that the next final could be held in Malmö. At the same time, elected mayor of Malmö Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh warned that the financial situation could get in the way of a potential application.

Malmö city recreational director, Johan Hermansson commented:

“Malmö can host the Eurovision song contest in 2024. Malmö arena is one of Europe‘s most distinguished event arenas.”

How possible is it for Malmö to host the contest?

Malmö had hosted the Eurovision Song Contest twice already, once back in 1992 and a second time in 2013 after the first victory of Loreen in 2012 with the iconic Swedish entry “Euphoria“.

However, in our discussions with SVT, next year the broadcaster mentioned that they aim to set the hosting standards to a new high, which makes us believe that Malmö is highly unlikely to be selected, as the contest back in 2013 was considered to be a bit underwelming.

Cities confirmed to have submitted their bid to host next year

Possible city announcement date

In the two latest Swedish-hosted contests, back in 2013 with the announcement of Malmö and 2015 with the announcement of Stockholm, both took place on July 8. If SVT follows the same pattern, that means that within a month we will know which city will host next year’s contest, possibly on Friday 7th of July, 2023.

Sweden will host the 68th Eurovision Song Contest after Loreen’s iconic second win with the song “Tattoo“:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Sweden!

Source: Sydsvenskan

Eurovision 2024: Bid submission window for Eurovision Song Contest 2024 host cities ends tonight!

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The deadline for Swedish cities, that are interested in hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, to submit their bids to SVT ends tonight at 23:59. Quite a few cities have reportedly expressed their interest in hosting Eurovision Song Contest 2024, while two of them have formally announced that they are officially bidding on hosting the contest next year.

Stockholm

As already reported, Stockholm has officially submitted their bid to host the contest that Loreen brought back home with her second victory one month ago. Stockholm currently faces a few issues, mostly regarding the hosting venue of the contest. Two most probable venues, Friends Arena and Tele2 Arena are booked in May for the football matches of AIK and Hammarby Fotboll respectively. The municipality of Stockholm, which has been in early talks with all the relevant parts, is confident that all the venue issues and also some discussions with regards to funding of the contest will be resolved.

Gothenburg

Following the submission of Stockholm, Gothenburg wouldn’t miss out on submitting their own bid to host the contest next year. Gothenburg has only hosted the contest back in 1985 and it seem like they are quite eager to host next year’s contest. However, Scandinavium, which could be the venue to host the contest in case Gothenburg gets selected as the host city of 2024, has some accessibility issues that might not allow the city to be selected. For the same reasons Gothenburg bid had gotten rejected by EBU in the recent past.

Malmö

Malmö has also expressed a strong interest in hosting the contest. However it is not officially confirmed yet, so it still remains to be seen whether they have submitted their bid or not. Malmö had hosted it back in 1992 and also in 2013 after the first victory of Loreen in 2012 with the iconic Swedish entry “Euphoria“.

However, in our discussions with SVT, next year the broadcaster mentioned that they aim to set the hosting standards to a new high, which makes us believe that Malmö is highly unlikely to be selected, as the contest back in 2013 was considered to be a bit underwelming.

More cities interested in hosting the 2024 contest:

Sandviken did not proceed with the submission of their bid!

Despite their warm interest in hosting the contest, Sandviken with their proposal to investigate the possibilities of organizing the Eurovision Song Contest, in Göransson Arena, did not proceed with thesubmission of the bid eventually.

In the two latest Swedish-hosted contests, back in 2013 with the announcement of Malmö and 2015 with the announcement of Stockholm, both took place on July 8. If SVT follows the same pattern, that means that within a month we will know which city will host next year’s contest, possibly on Friday 7th of July, 2023.

Sweden will host the 68th Eurovision Song Contest after Loreen’s iconic second win with the song “Tattoo“:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Sweden!

Sweden: Gothenburg kicks off the application preparation for the hosting of Eurovision 2024!

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On Monday 12 June, the application period ends for the Swedish cities that want to organize the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Earlier this week, the city of Stockholm submitted its expression of interest to organize next year’s competition, which will be held somewhere in Sweden after Loreen’s Eurovision victory in Liverpool almost a month ago.

The Municipality of Stockholm has, however, provided its application with a couple of clear reservations. The arrangement must, for example, be economically and climate-wise sustainable.

“In times when there is not enough money for school and care, it is fundamentally
unreasonable to think that the city of Stockholm alone can contribute to the same
financial extent to Eurovision as in 2016,” says finance councilor Karin Wanngård in a
comment.

The city of Stockholm therefore demands that the costs of the Eurovision Song Contest – the world’s largest television program alongside the Summer Olympics and the football World Cup – be financed in cooperation between SVT, the government, surrounding municipalities, the region and a number of private sponsors.

“Eurovision cannot and should not always be about making the biggest event.
However, Eurovision can and should be the best party. And it is welcome, given the right conditions, to be in Stockholm”, states the Financial Citizens Council in its press release.

A specially appointed group works for Eurovision

Thus the gauntlet is thrown. The question is how Gothenburg chooses to respond and whether it is prepared to take on the challenge from the capital?

Magnus Hallberg, the vice president and event manager at Gothenburg & Co.commented:

“The short answer is yes. We are more than ready.”

But that’s not quite right. A specially appointed team consisting of people from the municipality’s arena company Got Event, Svenska Mässan and the city’s official destination company Göteborg & Co is currently sitting under Magnus Hallberg’s leadership amplifying their arguments and boosting their application, which will not be submitted to SVT until the very last moment .

“We are glad that SVT has not set a time for Monday. We will work on our application until the very end.”

– SVT receives Gothenburg’s application on their email on Monday at 23.59?

(laughter) “Yes, no later than this.”

Gothenburg can host Eurovision

Eurovision hasn’t been held in Gothenburg since Lill Lindfors dropped her dress in Scandinavium in 1985. And there are a number of question marks to clear up: Can the city afford it?

Does our 50-year-old arena meet the requirements of the EBU? What stresses does the organisation entail for the city? In short, is Gothenburg ready for the Eurovision Song Contest?
Magnus Hallberg has already answered a short “yes” to that question, and has no problem developing his way of thinking.

“We have taken into account every aspect, from arena capacity and sustainability solutions to creating an attractive party venue for the audience, what the EBU usually calls the Eurovillage. There are many parts that have to fall into place, but we can handle that in Gothenburg.”
“Even for the most technically critical point, Scandinavium’s old roof that has difficulty supporting modern lighting rigs, there now seems to be a solution.”

“Got Event claims to be ready for the TV production that the EBU wants to do, perhaps with a few minor adjustments, so we have good conditions to host Eurovision in terms of TV technology.”

Jonas Attenius: “Great time with Eurovision”

The solution that remains to be found is purely financial. The cost is estimated at 100 to 200 million Swedish kroner, an amount that does not please the chairman of the municipal council Jonas Attenius.

“I think Eurovision is fun and I understand that hosting the competition would mean a lot to the city, but the municipality of Gothenburg will not pay 100 or maybe 200 million kroner. It is completely out of question when we are striving to save our nurses and keep the teachers in our schools.”

However, the situation can change if Göteborg & Co finds private financiers and sponsors who are prepared to contribute money. Something that Jonas Attenius more or less sees as a prerequisite in order Eurovision to be held in Gothenburg.

Source: Göteborgs-Posten

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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Sweden: Björn Ulvaeus receptive to ABBA’s participation in Eurovision!

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Björn Ulvaeus, a member of ABBA, does not dismiss the possibility of ABBA making an appearance at Eurovision in Sweden next year. In an interview on SVT’s morning show, Morgonstudion, Ulvaeus was asked about the potential for ABBA’s involvement in Eurovision 2024.

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s victory in Eurovision with their iconic song “Waterloo”, which launched their highly successful international career. Consequently, there has been much speculation about ABBA making some kind of appearance at the upcoming contest.

During the interview, Ulvaeus comments on the intriguing coincidence of the event taking place in Sweden in the same year:

 

“It almost gets a little weird, doesn’t it? That it is exactly in Sweden, exactly this year. And it just happened so we don’t really know. There are many who think “what can you come up with for something fun?”

 

When asked if he is open to the idea, Ulvaeus replies,

 

“Yes, I can only speak for myself, I can not speak for the others.”

 

Previously, it had been reported that ABBA had no plans to participate in the contest next year. However, Björn’s statement now suggests the possibility of an ABBA performance in Sweden in next May.

 

 

Source: eurovoix

 

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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Sweden: Stockholm submits their bid to host Eurovision 2024!

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The city of Stockholm submits an expression of interest to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Behind the decision is the Red-Green majority of the left and centre-left Swedish political parties, which, however, have certain reservations, says finance councilor Karin Wanngård in a press release.

In order for the city of Stockholm to be able to shoulder the hosting, the costs are required to be financed in collaborations between SVT, the government, surrounding municipalities, the region and private financiers.

Karin Wanngård also emphasizes that the state must take responsibility for the event’s security, but also that next year’s Eurovision must be characterized by “sustainability and climate awareness”.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest updates regarding next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden and all the potential host cities!

Source: Expressen

Sweden 2024: Zara Larsson would like to participate as interval act for Melodifestivalen!

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Zara Larsson is one of the biggest representatives of Swedish pop worldwide.  She may be only 25 but she has a vast career that includes an upcoming acting debut in Netflix film A part of You.

But apart her coming projects that include a tour and album, she also has time to enjoy Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest which she declares herself a big fan.

Talking about the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 which will take place in Sweden, Larsson is considering participating as one of the interval acts.  Although she does not outright reject the idea of representing Sweden one day, it seems we will not see her giving a try at least in the near future.

I’m a huge fan of Eurovision and Melfest, which is just Swedish culture. It really is. Everybody’s watching it, because it’s so fun. It’s just the show of the year. It’s so fun watching, and I would love to be part of the interval act next year. I don’t know if I would be up to compete in the competition. But I watch it every year with my whole family and my friends. It’s a huge event and I’m so happy for Loreen. I feel very proud to be a Swede. We take that s**t so seriously. It would be quite weird if we didn’t win, or at least get some of the top placements, because we love it.

Talking about this year’s winner, Zara Larsson does not only show respect for Loreen and her work but when she also said she would like to work with Loreen in the future:

She’s a very special artist and she’s always had such a clear vision of what she wants to do, and how she wants to do it. I love the fact that she’s not your typical Eurovision act, or Melfest act. She’s very artistic and a little left… experimental.

Source: Attitude

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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Greta Thunberg: Finland should have won Eurovision 2023!

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It is almost one month since the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 has taken place and we are still talking about the results.  One of the most recurrent topics is of course the final result with Finland winning the televote and Sweden winning the jury vote and overall the whole contest.

Greta Thunberg also had a say in this hot topic among the Eurovision community.  Thunberg who is known worldwide for her work as a climate activism is also the daughter of 2009 Swedish representative Malena Ernman.  However, when asked about the final results, Thunberg thinks Finland was the most fitting candidate to win Eurovision 2023:

“If Sweden sends a performance like Loreen, it is not in the spirit of Eurovision. A suitable performance for Eurovision was, for example, Finland’s performance, which should have won.”

Käärijä ended in second place with his song “Cha Cha Cha” after winning the televote.   This makes it the best result for Finland in Eurovision since Lordi’s victory in 2006.

Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with her song “Tattoo” making her the only female contestant to win the contest twice.  This also makes Sweden the country with the most number of victories tied with Ireland.

Source: Helsingin Sanomat

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest!

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Sweden: Loreen is still making history on the contest!

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This year’s winner of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, Loreen, has returned the trophy back to her home country, Sweden. Along with her victory, she managed to continue making history in the competition, setting records on all streaming platforms.

The winning song “Tattoo” is oficially the fastest song of the competition in history to reach 100 milion streams on Spotify, within 91 days. The previous record was held by last year’s participation of Italy with “Brividi“, in 153 days. 

https://twitter.com/esc_charts/status/1662749535314014208?s=20

Twenty-Four hours after the Grand Final, Loreen managed to be in the top 5 of the most streamed songs, entering the Spotify Global Charts, where to this day it remains the list for the top 50 most daily played songs in the world, leading in all European countries on the charts.

Beyond the streaming platforms, Loreen made history as she is the second contestant to win twice, tying Jonny Logan. In addition, it tied Sweden for the most wins in the contest with the Republic of Ireland (7 wins).

You can watch the moments of EurovisionFun with the winner of the contest with all the times we met her in the video bellow:

You can watch her performance after Loreen’s win was announced bellow:

https://youtu.be/Vul5zgC5Yvg

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun for all the news regarding Eurovision 2024, which will be hosted in Sweden next May!

Eurovision 2024: ABBA will not appear at the contest!

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Despite intense speculation, ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have confirmed the legendary Swedish band will not appear at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight to mark the first anniversary of ABBA Voyage, their virtual concert residency in London, the pair said “we can celebrate 50 years of Abba without us being on stage.”

Although Bjorn made a brief cameo appearance before the voting sequence at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, he and bandmate Benny also dismissed the idea of composing Sweden’s entry next year.

In 2024 we will also have the 50th anniversary of the band’s historic victory with the song “Waterloo” but it seems that the members of ABBA are negative about a joint appearance on the stage of the competition as well as a joint tour!

Watch ABBA’s legendary win with “Waterloo” from the 1974 contest:

source: BBC

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

Sweden: Sandviken considers a possible bid for hosting Eurovision 2024!

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Jonas Klang, member of the Sandviken city council, submitted a written proposal to the council, in order to consider a possible hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in the city of Sandviken.

Mr. Klang added that despite the difficulties that may come, it is worth looking into the matter. He believes that it will be an important promotion in the surrounding area and in Sandviken, in particular.

Sandviken has 39,234 permanent residents (as of 2019) and is located in the Gävleborg region.

The possible venue for the contest would be Göransson Arena, which has previously hosted the second semi-final of Melodifestivalen 2010. The stadium has a capacity of 10,000 people.

Sweden is going to host the 68th Eurovision Song Contest after Loreen’s win with the song “Tattoo”:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Sweden!