Eurovision 2024: How Malmö, Sweden Will Pull It Off

Simply as sports activities obsessives will journey to Paris this summer time for the Olympics, pop music lovers with a penchant for camp will journey to Malmö for the Eurovision Music Contest.

The annual competitors gathers profitable musicians from nations throughout Europe (and after years of superfandom, Australia), to every carry out their authentic music in a televised broadcast as followers vote from house and nationwide juries decide the winner. Whereas the competition might not be a family identify within the US, it’s essentially the most watched cultural occasion on this planet. Don’t consider it? The occasion’s three dwell broadcasts drew 162 million viewers final 12 months (whereas the 2024 Super Bowl was watched by about 123 million.)

However that is no American Idol. First held in 1956 in Switzerland, Eurovision is thought for theatrical performances stuffed with unbelievable style, elaborate dance routines, and viral baiting moments. Assume cyborg costumes, flamboyant pipe gamers, and vampires. Whereas most winners don’t break into the worldwide mainstream pop circuit—as an alternative, their celebrity standing is contained inside the Eurovision fan base—there are just a few exceptions like 2021 winners, Italian rock band Måneskin and the most well-liked Eurovision export of all time, 1974 winners ABBA.

With ABBA on their aspect, Sweden isn’t new to internet hosting. This 12 months marks the nation’s seventh time, and third on this specific coastal metropolis. The annual competitors is hosted within the house nation of the earlier 12 months’s winner, with just a few exceptions: In 2023, when Ukraine was unable to host attributable to the war, the UK hosted on its behalf in Liverpool.

On high of the glory of the music of the 12 months, there’s quite a bit on the road for the profitable nation. Internet hosting the occasion guarantees a increase in tourism as 1000’s of followers able to wine, dine, and dance plan their subsequent summer time vacation across the festivities. It may be a chance to debut new metropolis infrastructure, hospitality choices, and enhance the economic system. The host nation (together with the highest 5 nations who financially contribute to the occasion) can also be routinely certified for the grand finale.

However there’s a motive why Iceland thought of working a subpar candidate to keep away from profitable the competition within the 2020 Netflix comedy Eurovision Music Contest: The Story of Fireplace Saga: Internet hosting the occasion might trigger the nation to go bankrupt. In 2012, when Azerbaijan hosted the competition in capital Baku, The Times reported the nation spent upwards of $60 million internet hosting the occasion, not together with the $100 million stadium they constructed for it.

Anna Witgren, Head of Advertising for town of Malmö, says it’s making ready for 100,000 guests to hitch its roughly 350,000 individual inhabitants (almost half of that are underneath 35) throughout the week-long celebration. This contains ticket patrons from 89 nations, followers with out tickets, sponsors, and the performers from 37 collaborating nations, every with round 20 crew members.