Sweden: Melodifestivalen to move into Swedbank Arena?
Venue could also stage Eurovision
Next year’s final of Melodifestivalen could be moving into the currently under construction Swedbank Arena in Stockholm. The arena, which actually sits a few kilometers from Globen, will also play host to the Swedish national football team.
Built in a similar design to the ESPRIT arena that hosted the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf, the Swedbank arena would have a concert capacity of up to 65.000 spectators. “The relocation of the finale was a natural step to address the growing interest in Eurovision” said Staffan Holm of Live Nation, who organsie Melodifestivalen.
With the venue due to open late this year, there would be no reason why it couldn’t stage the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest if Loreen were to win in Baku, However, one point of note is that the ‘Svenska Cupen’, Sweden’s equivilent to the FA Cup, is due to be played in the new arena at some point in May 2013.
