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.
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.
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 could cause the country to go bankrupt. In 2012, when Azerbaijan hosted the contest in capital Baku, The Times reported the country spent upwards of $60 million hosting the event, not including the $100 million stadium they built for it.
Anna Witgren, Head of Marketing for the city of Malmö, says it is preparing for 100,000 visitors to join its approximately 350,000 person population (nearly half of which are under 35) during the week-long celebration. This includes ticket buyers from 89 countries, fans without tickets, sponsors, and the performers from 37 participating countries, each with around 20 crew members.