Back in February, it was revealed that the Icelandic government had plans for a Eurovision museum in the town of Húsavík. This followed the opening of the ‘Play Ja Ja Ding Dong bar’ that opened alongside Húsavík Cape Hótel last summer. Now, it appears that the dream will become a reality next month, as the museum is due to open in August.
The Eurovision Museum in Húsavík is set to open this August, according to museum founder and Húsavík native Örlygur Hnefill Örlygsson, who gave an update via the project’s crowdfunding page. While the crowdfunded is a third of the way to its goal, the Icelandic Government has approved an ISK 2 Million (~€13,000) grant to support the creation of the museum.
In the days following the film’s release, me and the team behind the Exploration Museum have started to look at ways to use this incredible opportunity to revitalize the town and its tourism after the huge setback caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The team has since then started collaborating with Iceland’s EBU member broadcaster RÚV as well as FÁSES, Iceland’s official Eurovision fan club in order to establish in Húsavík a temporary museum dedicated to the Eurovision Song Contest. We have also met with the ABBA Museum in Stockholm and, since July 2020, we are in contact with the European Broadcasters Union, which expressed its interest to assist the project becoming a reality.
Örlygur Hnefill Örlygsson
To be located next to the Ja Ja Ding Dong Bar, the museum will also offer karaoke alongside three main exhibitions; the first exhibit will be on the history of Iceland’s national final Söngkeppnin, the second will be dedicated to the film and Húsavík’s role in the story of “Fire Saga” and third section will tell the story of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The crowdfunding page is still open for those looking to support the project.
About Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga
Back in June 2020, Netflix released the long-awaited and once-delayed Eurovision movie. In anticipation of the release of the film, Netflix acquired the rights to broadcast the 2019 edition of the contest. Starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as fictional Icelandic band “Fire Saga” and featuring several cameos from Eurovision past, the film became a slow burning success.
In our review of the film, we found it to be wholesome, watchable and widely-respectful of our beloved contest. However, we didn’t expect the success that it ultimately achieved. While the film was nominated for multiple awards, including two People’s Choice Awards, it was the soundtrack that was the breakout success. Not only was the soundtrack a chart and streaming success, the song “Húsavík” was nominated for Best Original Song at 93rd Oscars.
Of course, the other breakout star of the film (besides Molly Sandén’s vocals) was Olaf Yohansson, A.K.A. “the Play Jaja Ding Dong Guy”, who was Iceland’s spokesperson at this year’s Grand Final.
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