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EUROVISION

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Cornelia Jakobs, Sweden's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, burst into tears and jumped onto presenter Mario Acampas, after shooting through to the final on Thursday night.

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final
Sweden’s Eurovision entry Cornelia Jakobs leaps onto the presenter after going through to the final on Thursday night. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Jakobs was emotional at the press conference after her victory, telling the story of her progress from an “largely unknown” indie artist to the Eurovision stage. 

“There are a lot of feelings right now in this little body, an extremely large amount of feelings that can’t really fit in, so they’re exploding,” she said, before beginning to cry. “But I’m so happy and overwhelmed by all the support I’ve got from all these fantastic countries.” 

When the time came to pick lots for which half of the final she would appear in, she leapt onto Mario Acampas, the presenter asking questions at the press conference, wrapping her legs around his waist and clasping herself tightly to his torso. 

He then walked her over to the bowl where the lots were lying. 

“I want you to choose the second half,” she said to him. “Imagine that I have a pistol here and on the count of three I’m going to shoot you if you don’t choose.”

He refused to pick for her so she took one herself and got the second half. 

Jakobs, with her song, “Hold me closer”, was the clear favourite to go into the final, and will go through alongside Finland’s The Rasmus, and his song Jezebel, Serbia’s Konstrakta with “In corpore sano”, as well as entries from Belgium, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Estonia, Australia, and Romania. 

You can see her performance on Thursday in the video below. 

In the final, she will meet the other favourites, which include Ukraine, Italy, and the United Kingdom. 

The final will be shown on Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT at 9pm on Saturday. 

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EUROVISION

Eight unmissable free events in Malmö during Eurovision

As the Eurovision Song Contest gets closer, how will people who don’t have tickets to the actual shows be able to celebrate in the host city, Malmö?

Eight unmissable free events in Malmö during Eurovision

First off, the city’s main park, Folkets Park, will host the Eurovision Village, which will have a packed schedule of events during Eurovision week. Friisgatan, which runs along the route to Folkets Park from Triangeln train station, will also turn into Eurovision Street, where guests will be able to get into the Eurovision spirit.

All of the events in this article are free.

Art Workshop with Bästa Biennalen

One of the events during the week is an art workshop in Eurovision Village in collaboration with Bästa Biennalen, an art network made up of a whopping 90 venues in southern Sweden. This is a great activity for children and young people, where they will be able to transform and repurpose recycled materials into art pieces.

Where: Eurovision Village in Folkets Park

When: May 4th from 2pm to 7pm, May 5th from 3pm to 7pm

More information available here.

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Circus with Cirkus Syd

Cirkus Syd, an international non-profit who offer circus training in Skåne, will perform for three days in the Eurovision Village, offering people of all ages the opportunity to try out juggling, acrobatics and other circus related activities.

Where: Eurovision Village in Folkets Park

When: May 4th from 2pm to 7pm, May 6th from 4pm-7pm.

More information available here.

Roller Disco

If you want to try dancing with a twist, then this is your chance. The Eurovision-themed roller disco offers the chance to dance with rollerblades on the Dancing Queen stage in the Eurovision Village, better known to locals as the Brändan dance hall.

You can borrow skates (European sizes 36-46 available), helmets and wrist guards for an hour, but be aware that the equipment is limited.

If you choose to bring your own skates (roller or inline both permitted), you’ll need to wear them when you pass security on your way into the park.

Where: Dancing Queen Stage, Eurovision Village (Brändan, Folkets Park)

When: May 4th-11th 4pm-10pm 

Over The Water Show Choir

All the way from last year’s host city Liverpool, where they performed during Eurovision 2023, Over The Water Show Choir will be coming to Malmö this year to share their repertoire of Eurovision songs with Sweden (apparently last year’s winner Loreen is a fan!)

Where: Multiple locations

When: May 10th. Malmö C at noon and Dag Hammarskjölds torg at 1pm, before doing a full set at the Euphoria Stage at Eurovision Village from 3pm. 

Dance Workshop with Choreographer Nick Hvidfelt

Fancy learning how to dance like a Eurovision performer? Danish choreographer Nick Hvidfelt will be teaching two dances at the Eurovision Village next week.

The first dance on May 9th will be to Greece’s 2004 Eurovision Song My Number One by Helena Paparizou, while the second will be to Spain’s 2022 Eurovision song SloMo by Chanel.

Where: Tattoo Stage, Eurovision Village

When: May 9th 4-5pm, May 10th 2-3pm

Eurovision Village Drag Night

Performing on the Euphoria Stage, four drag queens will headline the event. First up is Skåne’s own Elecktra, who those of us living in Sweden may recognise from this year’s Melodifestivalen, where she performed Banne maj, as well as Drag Race Sverige.

She will be joined by French drag queen Nicky Doll – the host of Drag Race France, who also appeared on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race – as well as Danish drag queen DQ, who performed in Eurovision 2007 with her song Drama Queen, and Swedish Miss Tobi, winner of Drag Factor Sweden vs Finland in 2022, the same year she celebrated 20 years on stage.

Where: Euphoria Stage, Eurovision Village

When: May 10th from 9-9.45pm

MALMÖ NIGHTLIFE:

Abba Music on Fire

Malmö’s own fire brigade orchestra will perform some of Abba’s songs in honour of the band’s 50th anniversary since winning Eurovision. Expect to hear classics like Waterloo, Take a Chance On Me, Dancing Queen and Thank You for the Music.

Where: Multiple locations

When: May 11th, Malmö C 4:30-4:50pm, Dag Hammarskjölds torg 5.30-5.50pm

The Eurovision final on the big screen

Perhaps the most important event for tourists in Malmö for the contest, the Eurovision final will be broadcast live to two stages in Folkets Park – the Euphoria Stage and the Tattoo Stage.

People from over 80 different countries are expected to visit Malmö for Eurovision, so this is a perfect opportunity to feel the Eurovision fever with fans from all over the world.

Where: Euphoria Stage and the Tattoo Stage in the Eurovision Village.

When: May 11th, 9pm. Expected to end around 1am on May 12th

Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Be aware that there will be extra security measures in place in Folkets Park during the week, with visitors subject to checks when entering the park. The usual entrance on Amiralsgatan will be exit only, with guests able to enter the park via Norra Parkgatan and Falsterbogatan.

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There will also be a bag ban in place for all events, with the exception of bags used to carry medical equipment, changing bags for those with children, and journalists who can show a valid press card. These will need to be checked before entry.

Buggies and prams will also be allowed.

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