Have you heard of Eurovision but don’t quite know what it is or what the fuss is about? Or are you a die-hard fan curious about the 2024 event due to ABBA’s commemoration? Either way, Expat Explore has you covered with our guide to the Eurovision Song Contest, this year’s hosts, and the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s iconic win!
Eurovision Song Contest is an annual songwriting competition in Europe. Competing countries each submit an original song to be performed live and broadcast throughout Europe (and the world, thanks to social media). Eurovision 2024 marks the 68th edition of what is now the longest-running international music competition as well as one of the longest-running television specials in the world. For more of an introduction to the famous song content, read our Beginners Guide to Eurovision!
Each year, a live event is hosted where the semi-finalist countries compete and cast their votes to determine a winner. Then, the following year, the reigning winning country receives the honour of hosting! So, it’s actually quite poetic that Sweden won in 2023, the year before ABBA’s 50th anniversary, allowing them to commemorate their first win with the help of their latest. Read on for more interesting information about Eurovision 2024 and Sweden as the hosting country!
Your guide to Sweden’s participation in Eurovision:
Hosting history
Sweden hosting the annual Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 makes it their seventh time hosting. Sweden has hosted six times before – 1975 in Stockholm, 1985 in Gothenburg, 1992 in Malmö, 2000 in Stockholm again, back to Malmö in 2013, and finally another return to Stockholm in 2016. This year sees the annual event return to Malmö for the third time.
Related: Here are some more reasons you should visit Sweden in 2024!
Picking performers
When it comes to selecting the contestants who will represent the country each year, Sweden has opted for an event called Melodifestivalen. Like many other countries, Sweden employs televoting to select its Eurovision representative. But, did you know that in 1959, Sweden was one of the first five countries to adopt the new televoting system?
Today, the contest winners are selected through a somewhat intricate system involving competing countries handing out points, a jury panel doing the same, and non-participating countries adding to the votes online. This ensures that the final vote tally is as fair as possible, minimising the chance of neighbouring countries favouring each other (as they sometimes used to with the old 12-point system from 1975).
A for Attendance
Since attending the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1958, Sweden has attended and competed nearly every year. The only exceptions are 1964, 1970 and 1976. That means Sweden has competed in the iconic annual event a whopping 62 times!
Interestingly enough, no country has competed every single year. Not even Germany, who has competed more times than any other country, has a perfect attendance – they sat out from competing for only one edition.
Related: Visit Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and more on our Northern Explorer tour!
Podium placements
Having attended 62 times, Sweden has expectedly raked up quite a few podium placements over the years! Apart from the seven wins, Sweden has secured an impressive 26 top-five placements. Of those, one was second place and five were third. But despite its track record, a decade-long dip meant no wins or placements for Sweden between 2000 and 2010.
Winning at winning
Sweden has not only attended and placed several times, but they’ve also secured the win on seven occasions! This makes Sweden and Ireland the countries with the most wins of any competing countries. Sweden’s first win, and arguably the most memorable, was in 1974 when the now-legendary pop group ABBA won with their smash hit “Waterloo”.
Since then, the country has secured six more wins. In 1984, Herreys won with “Diggiloo Diggiley”, followed by a win in 1991 for Carola’s “Fångad av en Stormvind”. Charlotte Nilsson walked away victorious in 1999 with “Take Me To Your Heaven”. Then, for over a decade, Sweden’s Eurovision track record took a dip.
But in 2012, Loreen got Sweden back in the game with her winning song “Euphoria”, which went on to generate huge global success. Then, in 2015, Måns Zelmerlöw secured Sweden’s sixth victory with “Heroes”, breaking the decade-long streak of not placing with two wins and two placements in just five years!
In 2023, Loreen made history with a victorious return. The winning song “Tattoo” not only became a global smash hit but the victory also secured Loreen as the second-ever and first female artist to win the Eurovision Song Contest more than once.
Related: Are you a music lover? Don’t miss out on these top musical experiences.
All about ABBA
With Loreen securing yet another victory for Sweden, the country that gave us ABBA is set to host the 68th annual Eurovision Song Contest in 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of “Waterloo” winning. If you ask us, this is going to be a historic year for Eurovision!
To celebrate the golden anniversary, ABBA World will open its doors for two weeks during the Eurovision Song Contest. Fans can marvel at a myriad of ABBA memorabilia, capturing the essence of their decades-long career. From 29 April 2024, ABBA World brings ABBA The Museum, ABBA Voyage, Mamma Mia!, Mamma Mia! The Party and Polar Music International to Malmö for a Eurovision unlike any other!
Related: Discover Stockholm’s ABBA Museum and more quirky museums around the world!
Meet Malmö
This year, the Eurovision Song Contest is set to return to Malmö, Sweden for its hattrick hosting stint. Apart from ABBA World opening its doors during Eurovision, this coastal city in the south of Sweden offers plenty of sights and experiences for global visitors!
From stunning attractions like the Öresund Bridge running to Copenhagen and the quaint cobblestone square of Lilla Torg to a historic fortress built by King Christian III of Denmark, Malmö boasts stunning nature, history and art for Eurovision visitors to explore.
Now that you’ve learned all about Eurovision, it’s time to tune in to see who will win this year! And if you’re a big ABBA fan, you might be tuning in to see if they truly won’t perform at the 50-year commemoration.
If you’d like to travel to Sweden, Expat Explore offers a variety of exciting and affordable guided group tours. Choose between our Europe multi-country tours that visit Sweden, and book now!