A report from Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter has revealed that 22 million Kroner (approximately €2 million) was spent on policing and security over the course of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
Increased Security = Increased Security Funding
The weeks leading up to Eurovision 2024 22 million Kroner spent on a significantly increased security presence for the contest. The high increase on the policing budget was due in part to the increased security measures needed to be taken by Malmö authorities in accordance with Sweden’s heightened security concerns.
In addition to the general security concerns in Sweden during the time of the contest, the policing budget and increased number of security presence was also necessary due to the large number of protests taking place in Malmö due to Eurovision taking place. The contest saw 1500 police officers descend on the city; with 50 coming via Norway and Denmark.
The story of Eurovision 2024
The Nordic country hosted the 68th edition of the competition. This is after Loreen’s historic win at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool.
In July 2023, after a shortlist of four cities, the EBU announced that Malmö would host Eurovision 2024. The city spent up to €2.5 million for the contest, as well as having 600 volunteers work on the show.
In total, 37 countries participated in the Contest. Luxembourg returned, whilst Romania withdrew. ‘United By Music’ became the permanent slogan for the Contest. The show had ‘The Eurovision Lights’ as the theme art. Florian Wieder and Fredrik Stormby designed the stage.
Nemo who represented Switzerland in Malmö, won this year’s competition with their entry “The Code” after receiving the most points from the jury and televoters combined.
What do you think of the this spending? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all your Eurovision news!
News Source: Dagens Nyheter
Image Credit: Wikimedia / Peter Isotalo
That Eurovision Site 
Rory Gannon 
Liverpool was £3m for policing alone (FOI report 2023), so Sweden actually spent less on what is going to be a standard expense in every Eurovision from now on, irrespective of who is participating or the particular threat.