When Malmö was announced the host city for the 2013 Eurovision song contest many jaws dropped. Not only the fans who had been foolish enough to book flights and rooms in Stockholm already - who are these people and are they insane??? - but also native Swedes were more or less unhappy. But apparently it's a sum of things; the Ice Hockey world champs being held in Stockholm at the same time, EBU's wish to downscale the event and cut the costs being the most apparent ones. And some suspect it's also an attempt to change Malmö's somewhat suspicious image as the center of Nordic racism and racial conflict hot spot. Did you know 174 languages are spoken in the Malmö area?
Malmö has also less traffic problems than Stockholm, especially if two major international events should take place at the same time. There are two international airports within 20 minutes from the city center, the train station is some 100 meters from the arena (there's a train from Copenhagen every 20 minutes and it only takes minutes) and you can get to the arena from the center in 5 minutes by bus. Also there should be enough of hotel rooms unlike in Stockholm when the city is filled with tens of thousands ice hockey fans.
Like every year the host city declares it will be a party for everybody and key locations in the city will be engaged. The Folkets park will be used for open air concerts and screening and maybe the EuroClub will be located there, too. Other options are Debaser and Amiralen Club in the center.
Centrally located Gustaf Adolfs torg could be used as the Eurovision Village that could be opened already a bit before the event hits the town.
The welcome reception could be hosted by the Malmö Opera, and the press center would be in Malmömässan. All venues well connected .... sounds a bit like Helsinki 2007 really where the whole city center was connected and involved with the Eurovision madness.... :-)
So, after all it sounds pretty good. This said I have never been a fan of the Swedish stages (I think both 2000 and especially 1992 in Malmö were rather awful and the presenters haven't been really that great either with the exception of Lill Lindfros in 1985 (and the stage that year was great, too) so I'm a bit skeptical about the show they will produce... and Melodifestivalen is a whole another story!)
Comments