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Eurovision 2024: The Malmö Arena stage just got revealed!

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Andreas Papayiannakis and EurovisionFun are reporting live from Malmö, got invited at the Stage Reveal event that took place earlier today at 14:00 CET and got the chance to have a first glimpse of the stage in full operation.

Today, the stage for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is unveiled, and it is a well-qualified gang that is behind this year’s sparkling stage experience in Eurovision this year. It’s about the stage, lighting design and specially written music that will lift the competition and the entire TV show into a feast for eyes and ears – both for the audience on site and for TV viewers around the world.

 

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Florian Wieder – Production Designer
Florian Wieder is based in Los Angeles and Munich. Over the past 30 years, he has developed the creative and visual concepts for several large-scale shows, concerts, tours, ceremonies, music and television productions worldwide. Florian has worked with artists such as Beyonce, Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Robbie Williams, U2, Lady Gaga, Rammstein. He was a designer and creative producer for seven MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), 12 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) and has developed the Eurovision Song Contest seven times since 2011. In 2022, he designed the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. For the MTV VMAs, he was awarded a Primetime Emmy/Best Production Design.

Fredrik Stormby – Light and Screen Content Designer
With almost 25 years of experience, Fredrik Stormby has worked with concerts, theatre, corporate events and television productions. His latest engagements span several roles in projects such as ABBA Voyage, Melodifestivalen, Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour and Eurovision Song Contest 2013, 2016 and with Loreen 2023. Fredrik is one of the founders of Green Wall Designs, a creative studio specializing in lighting, stage and screen content, based in Stockholm. He takes a holistic approach to production design, seamlessly integrating light, video, and scenographic elements.

Eirik Røland and Johan Nilsson – composers for this year’s musical identity
As a duo, Eirik Røland and Johan Nilsson have collaborated since 2016 to produce music for games, television and other media. Previous notable work includes RAGE 2 (gerAAA games) and American Song Contest (NBC). When asked what their specialties are, they answer that it is about exploring and finding the soul and identity in something and touching and conveying a message to the listener. They specialize in composing adaptive music with the technology that this entails. The adaptive music leads to seamless transitions and in the Eurovision Song Contest it provides opportunities to create a soundscape that contributes to a more exciting voting. The duo expresses:

“The music for Eurovision is a mix of energetic dance music, modern film music with big EDM sounds and a touch of Nordic melodies and timbres. Extra fun is that parts of the music will be adaptive, which is the first time ever for Eurovision.

Special thanks to Madeleine Sinding-Larsen, Head of Communications of Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and SVT for the invite!

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to be held this May in Malmö, Sweden!

Source: media.melodifestivalen.se/SVT
Photo: Andreas Papayiannakis/Eurovisionfun

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Eurovision 2024: Demonstrations against Israel’s participation authorized!

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Eden Golan will perform in the Second Semifinal next May 9, in Malmö Arena.  At the same time, a demonstration against Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö.

The organization Stop Israel is planning this demonstration.  They have obtained permission from the police to organize two different protest demonstrations.  The first one will take place at Stortorget on May 9 at 3 p.m.   A second protest will take place on the day of the Grand Final on May 11 regardless of whether Israel makes it to the final or not.  The program includes a speech, followed by music before the march departs to Slottsparken.  According to organizer Pia Jacobsen, they are expecting at least between 10,000 and 20,000 people to show up to protest.

The demonstration ends with artists such as Mikael Wiehe, General Knas, Kofia, and others performing on a stage in Slottsparken.

“It is absurd and outrageous that Israel is singing while the bombs are falling. Russia was excluded from participating in the ESC following the
invasion of Ukraine. Excluding Israel is now self-evident” Stop Israel

Sweden Strengthens Security Measures Amid Eurovision 2024

Swedish police are strengthening security measures for Eurovision.  The measures will include establishing a no-fly zone during the event and technology to take down drones from the air.

Swedish police will get support from police officers from Denmark and Norway who will guard everything from the arena to surrounding events, hotels and demonstrations.  Furthermore, the Swedish Armed Forces are also involved and could assist with logistic issues if necessary.

Source: Sydsvenskan / SVT 

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Sweden: Tina Mehrafzoon and Edward af Sillén are the Swedish commentators for Eurovision 2024!

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Today, Friday April the 19th, SVT, the Swedish national broadcaster, has announced who will be involved in the Swedish commentary of the three shows of the contest, on a press release.

When the Eurovision Song Contest is held for the 68th time, viewers in Sweden will be guided by Tina Mehrafzoon and Edward af Sillén.

This is the thirteenth year that the experienced and knowledgeable Edward af Sillén takes place in Eurovision’s commentary booth. For the music journalist and media profile Tina Mehrafzoon, who during the spring had a commentating expert role during the Melodifestivalen, it is the premiere.

Tina Mehrafzoon expresses:

“To be able to do this together with Edward is an honour and a dream come true. The fact that Sweden is the host country makes it all the more special. I know which professionals make the show so my job will be very pleasurable and easy!”

This host year, Edward af Sillén is also involved as a director and screenwriter. The whole spring is filled with intense work, but Edward is very much looking forward to the assignment as a commentator.

“It feels both honorable and very fun. The viewers will be in safe and warm hands with Tina in the driver’s seat, while I will split my time between being backstage and working with the presenters and being by Tina’s side as much as possible during the shows. It’s going to be really exciting,”

says Edward af Sillén.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to be held this May in Malmö, Sweden and any updates regarding its planning!

Source: media.melodifestivalen.se/SVT
Photo: SVT/Dan Danielsson

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Eurovision 2024: Extremists Allegedly Plan to Target Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden ?

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Recent reports suggest that Islamic extremists are allegedly plotting to bomb the Eurovision Song Contest venue in Sweden next month as a protest against Israel‘s participation. Israeli reporters, who conducted an undercover visit to a mosque in Malmö, claim to have been warned by guards about the planned attack.

Posing as Muslim British tourists, the reporters engaged with guards at the largest mosque in Malmö, the host city of the event. According to their accounts, the guards cautioned them against attending the contest, citing the possibility of an explosion at the venue.

The Israeli TV channel, Keshet 12, has reported the conversation to event organizers and Swedish authorities, who have initiated an investigation into the matter.

Despite these threats, a Eurovision spokesperson confirmed that the contest will proceed as planned at the 15,000-seat Malmö Arena, featuring artists from at least 37 countries. The event is expected to draw fans from around the globe.

This alleged plot comes amid heightened tensions surrounding Israel‘s participation in the contest. Pro-Palestinian activists have called for a boycott of Israel over its actions in Gaza, which they claim have resulted in significant civilian casualties.

Israel‘s representative in this year’s Eurovision, 20-year-old Eden Golan, has also faced controversy. Her entry song, initially titled “October Rain,” was criticized for its references to the Hamas attack. Eurovision organizers demanded that the lyrics be rewritten to adhere to the competition’s political neutrality policy.

In addition to the security concerns raised by the alleged plot, journalists investigating the matter faced hostility while in Malmö. Muslim individuals reportedly verbally abused and physically assaulted the reporters upon learning of their Israeli identity.

The documented visit to Al-Wakf mosque revealed further alarming sentiments, with security guards purportedly expressing anti-Israel sentiments and warning against attending the Eurovision event.

Despite these challenges, Eurovision organizers remain committed to ensuring the safety of attendees and staff. Any threats brought to their attention are promptly reported to the relevant authorities.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest developments regarding the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: Daily Mail

Eurovision 2024: Massive Nordic police operation ensures security for Eurovision in Malmö!

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The final week in early May will, if not the biggest, be one of the biggest police operations in Malmö‘s history. For a whole week, Eurovision enthusiasts from around 80 countries gather to party, rejoice, and follow the competition live at Malmö Arena.

At the same time, protests against Israel‘s participation in the competition are becoming increasingly loud. Many demand that the country be prevented from participating. For the police, this situation means that security around the event must be strengthened. Nils Norling, press spokesperson for the Malmö Police says:

“For the police, Eurovision is a very big operation. Large parts of the personnel of the Malmö police are involved in this command. We also have a lot of people from other parts of Region South, and we will receive reinforcements from other parts of the Swedish Police Force throughout the week.”

Positive about the cooperation

The assessment is that it is not enough. The Swedish police are now seeking assistance from Danish and Norwegian police to reinforce the operation. Nils adds:

“We view their arrival very positively. It not only gives us relief but also the opportunity to train and work together, strengthening Nordic police cooperation. All foreign police officers will be supervised by Swedish officers.”

Collaboration between Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish police has occurred before. Swedish police have supported Danish colleagues in Denmark, and Norwegian police have assisted at football matches in Stockholm.

“It is part of Nordic police cooperation that we can support each other. The way Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian police work is very similar.”

says Nils Norling.

Previous collaborations

Danish and Norwegian police officers come with their own equipment, which may include police vehicles.

“We have previously received help from Danish police and borrowed firefighting vehicles, for example, during the Rosengård riots.”

Nils Norling does not want to disclose how many police officers – Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish – are involved in the command during Eurovision.

“We should not expose ourselves to being identified.”

Focus on the public festival

The police have been preparing for six months for Eurovision week. As the competition approaches, more and more employees have been involved.

“For every week, more people are engaged.”

Nils Norling says that residents and visitors to Malmö will notice a significant police presence in the city during the week of the competition. Throughout the city, there are activities related to Eurovision. In Malmö Arena, there are events almost daily, with finals and semi-finals and double rehearsals before them.

“We can assure everyone in Malmö that there will be a lot of police officers. People living in and visiting Malmö should be able to focus on the public festival. The police will handle security work.”

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to be held this May in Malmö, Sweden and any updates regarding its planning!

Source: Skånska Dagbladet
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

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Eurovision 2024: “Can’t guarantee safety but do everything we can!” | Police ahead of Eurovision

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Now it’s only a month left before the world’s biggest music festival, the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden. And preparations are in full swing so that the competition can be carried out with the best possible safety.

Petra Stenkulla is the police area manager in Malmö and was interviewed on P1-Morgon of Sveriges Radio by reporter August Haskbom. Petra comments on the situation:

“It is of course the case that Sweden has a terror threat level of four out of five. And that means that we need to intensify our work together with the security police. But really, you can say that all types of events where there are very many people in the same place always pose a certain risk and that means that we need to take measures to have many police officers and have good planning for anything that could happen, even if it is an accident or anything at all.”

In a time with high terrorist threat, Israel‘s participation has aroused strong reactions and with up to one hundred thousand visitors, the city of Malmö is still planning on an open event. Petra Stenkulla adds:

“Our ambition is for it to be a festive event where people can still feel safe and have fun. Right now, we’re planning for it to be an open event that is happening in several different places. There will be events and people need to be able to move between them. And this is part of our planning.”

In safety planning, the City of Malmö and the police have had frequent communication with last year’s host city, Liverpool.  And Petra Stenkulla thinks that a good plan has been formed for this year’s music competition:

“We can never guarantee safety but we will do our upmost to make people feel safe. And we can also assume that there will be both rumor spreading and other factors that will lead to, for example, threats that we need to assess. But we will continue to work with this, we have a solid plan and we feel confident with that plan. So that everyone can feel comfortable.”

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to be held this May in Malmö, Sweden and any security updates regarding its planning!

Source: Sveriges Radio/P1 Morgon/August Haskbom/Ekot
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

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Eurovision 2024: Preperations are underway at the Malmö Arena!

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Malmö beats in the rhythm of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, as work begins on the arena.

Ιn particular, Malmö Arena is under intensive preparations, with construction of the rigging, sound equipment and stage for the competition to have begun. SVT is going to work in daily basis at the venue to make sure that everything is perfect for the stand-in rehearsals later this month.

Eurovision 2024

Loreen won the 67th Eurovision Song Contest with her song “Tattoo” in behalf of Sweden, making her the first woman that has won the contest twice.

Overall Sweden has succeeded seven Eurovision victories (in 1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023). This makes Sweden the joint most successful country in ESC alongside Ireland. Malmö will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, which is the third time, following hosts in 1992 and 2013.

Eurovision 2024: Skånetrafiken releases unique tickets adapted for the Eurovision week!

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Skånetrafiken, the regional public transport carrier of the region of Skåne – where Malmö is located, is developing two new tickets that are valid when the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the region!

In the first week of May, thousands of visitors are expected to visit the region Skåne. Skånetrafiken has decided to make it easy for everyone to choose to travel by train and bus and is therefore producing two adapted tickets for the Eurovision week. Both tickets are valid for eight days, 5-12 May. One is valid for the whole of Skåne and the other for over the Öresund Bridge, which connects the city of Malmö with the city of Copenhagen in Denmark, and in the whole of Skåne.

The tickets can of course be bought regardless of whether you are going to see Eurovision or not. 

This is how the tickets work:

  • Eurovision Skåne: Travel unlimited within Skåne for eight days for only 350 SEK (approx. 31 Euros). 
  • Eurovision Skåne/Copenhagen: Travel to and from Copenhagen with the Öresund train and throughout Skåne for eight days for only SEK 700 (approx. 61 Euros). 

Tickets can be purchased from April 15 to May 12 via the app which can be downloaded for Android or iOS devices via Google Play or Appstore respectively!

Update 16:57 CET:

Pernilla Lyberg, Sales and Marketing Manager at Skånetrafiken, says in a press release:

“We want to make it possible for as many people as possible to travel by bus and train. We will strengthen all traffic and have developed two really advantageous tickets.”

Changes to train services during the Eurovision week:

• Extra trains will go to Ystad and Trelleborg during the evenings.

• Some trains that would normally have Lund as their final station will continue to Hässleholm.

• Extra train to Helsingborg in the evening.

• Extra train to Copenhagen on Thursday, May 9th, when Denmark participates in the semi-finals.

Skånetrafiken writes that they also plan to increase the number of buses during the week and have customer hosts on site around Malmö. The customer center at Malmö Central Station will also extend its opening hours during the week.

In addition, skanetrafiken.se will be partially translated into English.

Don’t miss out on the performance of Marcus & Martinus, at the Melodifestivalen 2024 afterparty that took place at Quality Friends Hotel, in Stockholm, Sweden, after their victory on this year’s Melodifestivalen final!

Check out our YouTube channel for more interviews, reactions videos and Melodifestivalen material!

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding the Swedish entry for Eurovision 2024!

Source: Skånetrafiken

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Eurovision 2024: City of Malmö working hard for a safe Eurovision!

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Malmö is currently evaluating the current situation caused by the ongoing Middle-Eastern conflict, hence, is discussing the ways of making the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest as safe as possible.

Israel‘s confirmed participation in Eurovision is stirring emotional protests around Europe. Intensive work is being done on security for the Eurovision Song Contest, to be held this May in Malmö, Sweden. Ulf Nilsson, the Head of Security and Preparedness at the city of Malmö., said on an interview with P4 Malmöhus:

“Many people are contributing to make this a reputation-proof event. We’re broadly working with many different scenarios. We’re working very closely with the police, SVT, Region Skåne, the Traffic Department.”

Last weekend, a Eurovision sign outside Malmö Live was vandalized and has now been protected with wax. The vandalism was discovered in the early hours of the morning. On the base of the sign, someone has written “Free Gaza” and smeared it with red paint. Even on the digital sign that says “United by music” and “We are one“, someone has thrown paint.

Several individuals have already applied for permission from the police to demonstrate during Eurovision in protest against Israel and their Eurovision Song Contest participation.

“We see that many have opinions about Israel’s participation and we understand that. We’re closely monitoring the situation. Of course, this will be taken into account in our work.”

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to be held next May in Malmö, Sweden!

Source: Sveriges Radio/P4 Malmöhus/Sofie Dahlstedt

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The Netherlands: Joost Klein’s song “Europapa” will be released on February 29th!

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About an hour ago, Joost Klein in collaboration with the Dutch public broadcaster, AVROTROS, and the Eurovision official Instagram account, published a new Reel revealing that his Eurovision song is called “Europapa” and will be released on Thursday, February the 29th!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Eurovision Song Contest (@eurovision)

Joost is an eccentric and controversial Dutch artist who recently stirred the pot with his discography, which includes a song that embodies his love for Russia. The song in question is named “Jackass”, and it was published on March 11, 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was recorded in cooperation with Russian musician CMH.

AVTROTROS has already responded to the allegations and stated that, Joost Klein has never made any political remarks that support Russia.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Dutch entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 to be held in Malmö, Sweden.

Source: eurovision.tv, AVROTROS, Joost Klein

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