Just as sports obsessives will travel to Paris this summer for the Olympics, pop music lovers with a penchant for camp will travel to Malmö for the Eurovision Song Contest.
The annual competition gathers winning musicians from countries across Europe (and after years of superfandom, Australia), to each perform their original song in a televised broadcast as fans vote from home and national juries determine the winner. While the contest may not be a household name in the US, it’s the most watched cultural event in the world. Don’t believe it? The event’s three live broadcasts drew 162 million viewers last year (while the 2024 Super Bowl was watched by about 123 million.)
But this is no American Idol. First held in 1956 in Switzerland, Eurovision is known for theatrical performances full of unbelievable fashion, elaborate dance routines, and viral baiting moments. Think cyborg costumes, flamboyant pipe players, and vampires. While most winners don’t break into the international mainstream pop circuit—instead, their superstar status is contained within the Eurovision fan base—there are a few exceptions like 2021 winners, Italian rock band Måneskin and the most popular Eurovision export of all time, 1974 winners ABBA.
The stage for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest within the Malmö Arena.
With ABBA on their side, Sweden isn’t new to hosting. This year marks the country’s seventh time, and third in this particular coastal city. The annual competition is hosted in the home country of the previous year’s winner, with a few exceptions: In 2023, when Ukraine was unable to host due to the war, the UK hosted on its behalf in Liverpool.
On top of the honor of the song of the year, there’s a lot on the line for the winning country. Hosting the event promises a boom in tourism as thousands of fans ready to wine, dine, and dance plan their next summer holiday around the festivities. It can be an opportunity to debut new city infrastructure, hospitality offerings, and boost the economy. The host country (along with the top five countries who financially contribute to the event) is also automatically qualified for the grand finale.
Eurovision by the numbers
1956 the year Eurovision started
162 million viewers tuned into last year’s three televised events
50 years since Swedish group Abba won Eurovision
7 times Sweden has hosted Eurovision
3 times Malmö has hosted Eurovision
37 countries participating in the 2024 song contest
100,000 tourists expected to travel to Malmö for the event this month
5,200 total hotel rooms in Malmö
But there’s a reason why Iceland considered running a subpar candidate to avoid winning the contest in the 2020 Netflix comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga: Hosting the event
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