Sweden: Bag ban in all major events, effective last Wednesday! | How are Mello and Eurovision affected?
Based on the increased terrorist threat level, the Swedish Police Authority has decided to ban bags at major events in Sweden.
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Breaking News: Eurovision 2024 will NOT take place in Gothenburg or Örnsköldsvik! | Host city expected to be announced at 2pm CET!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Sweden/by Andreas PapayiannakisGothenburg, Stockholm, Malmö and Örnsköldsvik have applied to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, after Loreen has won this year’s contest with the song “Tattoo“.
Today, Göteborg & Company received information from SVT‘s project manager that the Eurovision Song Contest will not be held in Gothenburg next year.
Magnus Hallberg, vice president & event manager at Göteborg & Co. mentions:
“It’s very sad. We are competitive people so we would have liked to have won and also had great support from politicians, the Swedish trade fair, the hotels and Gothia. But it is what it is.”
SVT did not give any reason why Gothenburg was not awarded the host of Eurovision. Also, according to information to Aftonbladet, as Annie Månsson and Torbjörn Ek reported a few minutes ago, Örnsköldsvik is also not selected to organize the competition.
SVT is expected to announce which city will be selected to host the event today, as we have already informed you a couple of weeks ago, and according to Aftonbladet at 2pm CET.
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Sweden!
Source: Göteborgs-Posten, Aftonbladet
Eurovision 2024: Örsnköldsvik is confirmed to join the race, hoping to host Eurovision 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Sweden/by Andreas PapayiannakisThe submissions deadline for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest host city ended last night at 23:59. Today it got public that Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö have officially submitted their bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.
As we had previously reported, Örnsköldsvik had expressed interest in hosting the contest, following a successful contest in Liverpool, UK, this year. SVT now confirms that the municipality of Örnsköldsvik, or Övik as the Swedish people call it (too hard to pronounce), has applied to host Eurovision 2024.
The municipality also pointed out that in this year’s Melodifestivalen, 11 out of 28 entries had music makers with connection to Örnsköldsvik. The municipality makes it clear that they want to create a sustainable and climate-neutral Eurovision Song Contest.
How probable is it for Örnsköldsvik to host the contest?
Örnsköldsvik has never hosted the Eurovision Song Contest before. Övik is a small city up north in Sweden, in Västernorrland with a little less than 33.000 inhabitants.
Örnsköldsvik had hosted this year’s Melodifestivalen Semifinalen at Hägglunds Arena, where the arena looked a bit tiny compared to other shows of the tour. The municipality in order to tackle any accommodation issues and to be able to welcome all the event visitors, said that cruise ships in the harbor will be used as additional accommodation.
This came as a response to several reports back in the beginning of March, of rip-off prices to a rather limited and not decent enough selection of hotel rooms when the Semi-Final show of Melodifestivalen took place there, making us think that the chances of Örnsköldsvik hosting the contest are a bit tad.
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: SVT
Eurovision 2024: Malmö officially submitted their bid to host Eurovision 2024!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Sweden/by Andreas PapayiannakisThe 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!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Sweden/by Andreas PapayiannakisThe 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!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovision 2024, Sweden/by Dimitris ArgyropoulosOn 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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Tone Sekelius: “After competing with ‘My Way’ people see me more as an artist rather than an influencer” | Exclusive interview!
/0 Comments/in Eurovision, Eurovisionfun Youtube, Melodifestivalen 2023, Sweden/by Andreas PapayiannakisTone Sekelius debuted last year at Melodifestivalen 2022 by placing fifth , also earned a spot in the hearts of die-hard Melodifestivalen fans.
For a second year in a row she hopes to be selected to represent Sweden , with the song ” Rhythm of my Show ” which is one of the favorites to qualify to the final, out of all seven competing numbers of the Swedish national selection procedure.
Eurovisionfun is in Gothenburg and Tone spoke exclusively to Andreas Papagiannakis, just a few hours before competing in the first heat. She commented on her appearance this year, the impact that her participation last year has had on her life and about the Swedish representative of 2022, Cornelia Jakobs!
She started by commenting on her first rehearsal experience this year and jokes about the rehearsal being so early in the morning that she just woke up and had to immediately start singing:
“This year’s number has a lot of singing and dancing and I have to stay focused, because the moment I start overanalyzing what’s going on, that’s when I forget what I need to do next. I have to keep in mind that I know what to do, I know the choreography, I know my song and I just have to have fun on stage!”
When asked how much of an impact her participation at Melodifestivalen 2022 has had on her life, she commented:
“It was an unforgettable experience. Since then I have done much music and the people have already started to see me more as an artist rather than an influencer who just makes music! Last year I was afraid that people wouldn’t see me as an artist, but that didn’t happen and that makes me very happy!”
She also commented on her getting awarded as the LGBT person of the year at the QX Gaygala 2022 , stating:
“I am excited, I felt very honored! I have left my mark on the community and the things I do move the community forward. This was my goal from the very first moment I was on the internet, not just to exist, but to have an impact on others!”
About her song she co-wrote among others with Anderz Wrethov she said:
“This year I wanted to make an uptempo song with party vibes, with attitude but at the same time be still approachabe make people want to party with me. Textwise, it’s about confidence, loving yourself and dancing to the ‘rhythm of your show’!”
Regarding her staging, she told us that regarding the rehearsals there will be some minor changes and improvements until her televised appearance, this Saturday:
“Today at my first rehearsal, it was the first time I actually saw how my number would look like on TV. We figured out it’s maybe a bit too dark. So we’ll make some changes and improvements by adding more light to it. From the beginning we aimed to give viewers the feeling of clubbing, we are very close to what we initially had in mind with the creative team!”
She is very happy that Melodifestivalen is back on tour and that she will perform in Gothenburg :
“Last year I was supposed to be competing in Gothenburg, but as you said, all the shows had to take place in Stockholm. This year is a different experience, last year I was in my hometown, this year we are all together hanging out in a Mellobubble . I am very happy to sing for the people in Gothenburg, I have been told many good comments about them!”
Last year’s representative of Sweden Cornelia Jakobs is gonna appear as a guest in the first heat, Tone jokingly told us:
“There is no rivalry! (laughs) I love her as an artist, she’s an icon, I love her song and I’m glad she’s back. Her year was great, it was great that I got to see all of her performance backstage and then I saw it all happen on the Eurovision stage!”
Regarding this year’s contestants of the first heat, she commented:
“I haven’t listened to all of the songs. I got to see the performances of Loulou Lamotte and Rejhan which I liked a lot. But I still haven’t listened to them all and at Melodifestivalen, you know, you can’t predict who’s going to win, who’s going to qualify just by ones name!”
Watch our full exlcusive interview with Tone Sekelius below:
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