Sweden: Melodifestivalen 2024 dates and cities revealed
Six shows, Six Saturdays, Six cities: Malmö, Göteborg, Växjö, Eskilstuna, Karlstad, and Stockholm will all help find Sweden's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, which will be celebrated on home soil. Next year's Melodifestivalen will take place from 3 February to 9 March
There was no big news when it comes to Sweden's upcoming Melodifestivalen. As in previous years, SVT has announced that the country's national selection will take place in six different cities around Sweden.
The largest entertainment program in the country will start in the host city of Eurovision 2024, Malmö, and will end in Stockholm.
Melodifestivalen 2024 – Host cities
- 3 February: Heat 1, Malmö (Malmö Arena)
- 10 February: Heat 2, Göteborg (Scandinavium)
- 17 February: Heat 3, Växjö (Vida Arena)
- 24 February: Heat 4, Eskilstuna (Stiga Sports Arena)
- 2 March: Heat 5 + Second Chance, Karlstad (Löfbergs Arena)
- 9 March: Melodifestivalen Final, Stockholm (Friends Arena)
The format for Melodifestivalen 2024 will be changed a bit compared to previous years:
There will be five heats with six entries in each, so the entire competition will therefore consist of 30 entries. Two entries from each heat go straight to the Final, two remain in the competition, and two are eliminated.
Right after Heat 5, all the third and fourth place finishers from the five heats will compete in a Second Chance.
Melodifestivalen 2024 – Format
- Heat 1: 6 songs (2 to Final, 2 to Second Chance)
- Heat 2: 6 songs (2 to Final, 2 to Second Chance)
- Heat 3: 6 songs (2 to Final, 2 to Second Chance)
- Heat 4: 6 songs (2 to Final, 2 to Second Chance)
- Heat 5: 6 songs (2 to Final, 2 to Second Chance)
- Second Chance: 10 songs (recap) (2 to Final)
- Final: 12 songs
The submission window for Melodifestivalen 2024 was open from 25 August to 15 September. A total of 2,624 entries were submitted, but only 30 of them will compete.
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Since 1958, Sweden has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 62 times, and with great success. Together with Ireland, they hold the record of most victories in Eurovision:
- 1974: ABBA – Waterloo
- 1984: Herreys – Diggi-loo Diggy-ley
- 1991: Carola – Fångad Av En Stormvind
- 1999: Charlotte Nilsson – Take Me To Your Heaven
- 2012: Loreen – Euphoria
- 2015: Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes
- 2023: Loreen – Tattoo
They came in last two times (1963 and 1977), and since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004 Sweden has managed to qualify for the Grand Final 18 out of 19 times (only failing to qualify in 2010)!
