Less than one week since Loreen won Eurovision 2023, several cities in Sweden have already expressed an interest to welcome the Contest next year.
Which cities are in the running already?
Just days after their win, cities up and down Sweden have already thrown their hat into the ring for hosting the Contest.
Following her victory, Loreen clearly stated at her winner’s press conference that she would hope the Contest be held in Stockholm, the Swedish capital. Following on from this, the southern city of Malmö – host city for Eurovision 2013 – also showed an interesting in welcoming Eurovision next year.
Similarly, the southwestern city of Gothenburg threw their hat into the ring for taking on the role of host city. The city’s events organiser, Got Events, expressed a clear interest in “wanting to welcome Europe” to the main contending venue – the Scandinavium. However, the arena currently fails to meet the EBU’s requirements for a tall enough roof to provide for the stage lights. In addition to this, the city’s residents currently have mixed reactions to taking on the Contest.
Finally, the northern city of Örnsköldsvik, over 500 kilometres away from the capital, has also shown the potential to submit a bid for hosting the Contest next year. Despite its remote location, the city already has experience in hosting a Eurovision event, hosting several heats for Melodifestivalen in the past ten years in the Hägglund Arena.
Whilst these cities have already expressed an interest in submitting a bid for hosting next year, no specific details regarding the host city have been made public by SVT.
Sweden’s Eurovision journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).
In 2023, Loreen returned to represent Sweden, who won the 2012 edition of the competition. She competed with the song “Tattoo”, which managed to qualify for the Grand Final, and placed 1st with 583 points. Loreen won the jury vote, accruing 340 points from the jury, earning an additional 243 points from the televote. This now means Sweden matches Ireland for the record of most wins in Eurovision history.
What do you think of the Swedish cities expressing interests to host Eurovision 2024? Where would you like Eurovision to be held next year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tiktok as we start our preparations for Eurovision in Sweden next year!
News Source: Expressen.se
Photo Credit: Various
