Swedish broadcaster SVT and the European Broadcasting Union have announced the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Sweden.
Malmö will host the contest in May next year following a joint announcement by the two parties on Friday afternoon local time, as announced at eurovision.tv.
As in recent years, the contest will play out across the second week in May, with the first semi-final taking place on Tuesday 7 May, followed by the second on Thursday 9 May and the grand final on Saturday 11 May 2024.
The contest will be held at Malmö Arena, which also hosted the 2013 contest, and has room for 15,500 fans in concert mode.
Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Osterdahl had this to say about the exciting announcement:
Malmö's commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and innovation aligns perfectly with the spirit of the competition. Furthermore, its compact size and well-developed transport infrastructure means everyone involved in the Contest, including delegations, media, and fans will be able to navigate the city easily.
Its commitment to sustainability and green initiatives also aligns perfectly with our own values, making it an ideal Host City for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.
The Road to Malmö
Sweden earned the right to host next year's contest after Loreen's historic victory in Liverpool in May with her song 'Tattoo'. She became the first woman and only the second artist in the competition's 67 year history to win Eurovision twice, following her triumph at the 2012 contest with 'Euphoria'.
Malmö triumphed from a field of four cities which bid to host next year's contest - with Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Örnsköldsvik informed today their bids were unsuccessful.
Earlier in the day, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported the race was down to two - Stockholm and Malmö, with Gothenburg and Örnsköldsvik ruled out.
This will be the second time in 11 years that the Swedish city has hosted the Contest - ironically, the previous time also followed a victory by Loreen, with Malmö Arena playing host to Eurovision 2013.
Fact fans will also enjoy discovering that this is the first time in the history of the Contest that 5 consecutive Eurovision editions have been hosted outside of a European capital city!
The selection of Malmö of host city is also a bit of a win for Denmark, with it's capital Copenhagen about 40 minutes away and linked by a huge bridge.
The city is likely to get a tourism boost with an influx of fans wanting nearby accommodation - a search on Booking.com shows Malmö is already maxxed out with only sky-high prices left in competition week.
*Additional reporting by Craig Land.
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