Last year the epic Netflix Eurovision movie didn’t just tell the story of Lars and Sigrit — it also put the Icelandic town of Húsavík on the map. And now a local museum about the history of Eurovision is set to open for two years.
The idea of the museum came along after the release of “Eurovision Song Contest: The story of Fire Saga”, the musical comedy that took the Eurovision fandom by storm in 2020. With Iceland playing a big role in the movie, and Húsavík being one of the main locations for it, the local entrepreneur Örlygur Hnefill Örlygsson decided to seize the opportunity.
“We saw that following the movie a window of opportunities opened to make something more around the story of Eurovision,” he tells Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. “The movie speaks to a certain niche group of fans and we want to get them to Húsavík.”
And now the museum has gotten the support of the Icelandic government, who granted the soon-to-be opened Eurovision museum a grant of 2,000,000 ISK (around 13,000 EUR) for the financial preparations. Other collaborators for the project are the Húsavík Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, RÚV, EBU, and Netflix.
The museum already has the space — a 300 square meter house owned by the curator himself. Örlygur hopes to have fully financed the project in the coming weeks and the opening is scheduled for May, or at the latest this summer. The plan is for the museum to have three different sections, one devoted to Söngvakeppnin, one devoted to the Netflix movie and its connection to the town, and one devoted to the history of Eurovision.
Eurovision Museum in Húsavík: What memorabilia do you want on display?
In a talk with wiwibloggs, Örlygur tells us about his vision for the museum.
“We want the experience to be very interactive, and we want people to sort of get to know what Eurovision is all about. Not only the technical aspects and personal aspects of the spirit of the contest, but we are also looking for costumes and props from former contestants.”
The museum has already procured some items for the museum, mostly from Icelandic contestants. He confirms that Jóhanna Guðrún, Iceland’s representative from 2009, will lend her blue dress for the display. “It is probably the most beautiful dress ever worn on the stage, in my opinion,” Orly says. The museum also has both of Selma’s outfits, from 1999 and 2005, and the hammer used by Hatari’s drummer Einar in 2019. But Örlygur would like to get more from international contestants.
And Örlygur wants to know what you, the fans, would like to see in a museum about the history of Eurovision. So please shout out your suggestions below!
Are you excited for the new Eurovision museum? What would you like to see in the display? Will you be travelling to Iceland to experience the museum? Tell us in the comments below.
Maneskin outfits
All the ones you said in the video, but also – The Buranovskiye Babushki’s oven – The Slavic Girl’s buckets – The cannons from Yodel It! – Valentina Monetta’s IKEA lamp, giant seashell, or computer – Something with Can Bonomo’s boat – Mr. Lordi and Serhat’s hats – The clothesline from Pokušaj – Svetlana Loboda’s industrial hamster wheels – Dmitry Koldun, Ani Lorak, Sergey Lazarev (x2), and DoReDos’ walls – Paula and Ovi’s double piano and ring piano – Some of The Humans’ mannequins – The flute from Only Teardrops – The ice cream cart from France’s 2018 Junior Eurovision… Read more »
Lmao
The toy instrument that Spain 2008 used as a prop!
On a serious note: Original 7” singles of songs of the 1956 contest. On a lighter note : Dustin the Turkey and on a joke note Hataris complete gear ! 🙂 You can add Silvia Nights slide too!
Alexander Rybak’s violin from 2009
Einar’s hammer at a bare minimum. If they can’t manage to get even that than there’s no way they’re going to be able to acquire anything else.
Waxworks of William Lee Adams and Deban Aderemi
Mahmood’s shirt from Grand Final
The hot-air balloon was in 2017 but your ideas are great!
HAMSTER WHEEL, PLEASE!!! And, obviously, something from ABBA!
* Dana’s cube where she sat on while singing “All Kinds of Everything” * The puppets and grinding organ of Mouth & MacNeal (Netherlands 1974) * Dustin the Turkey’s shopping trolley * Sir Cliff Richard’s “Congratulations” outfit * Dana Internationational’s feathered jacket by J.P. Gaultier * The Salon of Massive Dresses: Moldova 2013, Estonia 2018 and Australia 2019 * Francesco Gabbani’s gorilla * t.A.T.u.’s 2003 T-shirts * Dschinghis Khan costume (Germany 1979) * Ukraine 2014 hamster wheel (made “interactive” for visitors) * A special children’s corner with La Venda (Spain 2019) staging adapted for them * A special workshop room… Read more »
Items I think should be in the Eurovision Husavik Museum? * Barbara Dex awards winners Outfits * Costumes from the previous winners or contestants of Eurovision (ABBA, Netta, Celine Dion, Eleni Foureira, Jamala, Verka and Buck Fizz are a must) * Something from the National Finals (Danny Saucedo’s Cardboard staging this year, Dotter’s mirror top from Bulletproof, Raylee’s and the Mama’s outfits, etc.) * Costumes from The Eurovision Movie * Probably some memorabilia from the past editions like a promotion signs and countdown clocks. * A video hall where people can look at contestants interviews as if they were paintings.… Read more »
Celine’s tutu!
Probably the costumes of all the winner or most
*Verka Serduchka’s head piece
*The Babushki oven
*Conchita Wurst’s gold dress as worn on the big night of her win.
*Netta’s Chinese cat set up from her performance
*Ukraines hamster wheel
*Elina Nechayeva (Estonia 2018) light up ball gown.
*Lordi’s sceptre.
*Bucks Fizz skirts
*Donatan & Cleo (Poland) butter churn and washboard
*The Olsen Brothers guitars
*Dana International’s ‘Diva’ parrot feather dress designed by Gaultier.
*Make Make’s (Austria) fire piano
*Epic Sax man’s Saxophone (Moldova)
*Azerbaijan 2013 (Mahmod) glass case
*Romania 2014 circular keyboard
Conchita’s dress is in Vienna museum.
Hey Azerbaijan 2013 was not Mahmood , It’s Farid Mammedov*
Ooops! Thank you for correcting me Raylee! I was half asleep when I wrote that comment:)
Conan Osiris eurovision outfit must be there
They simply MUST have Barbra Dex’s outfit as the main showpiece at the venue!
I saw an interview on wiwibloggs, and Valentina has Crisalide’s orb under a table. Put that orb in the museum. We need that place empty for esc 2022.
Valentina’s backyard needs to be empty.
If SM wins, I probably think it would be in Bologna (Senhit’s hometown), Parma, or somewhere else in Emilia Romagna or Marche. It does have to have a roof…
I remember when i was in a Greek island Mykonos in summer 2003 and i was shocked when i saw children putting tablecloths on their clothes and dancing like Sertab Erener 😀 It was such a beautiful view. Sertab’s dress was also iconic i’d like to see it too
Sorry, but to me, this seems really ridiculous and kind of non-sential. I have nothing against creating some museum there, but they’re taking it too serious, overestimating its real impact.
Eurovision deserves an official, EBU operated museum, which would adequately and with dignity represent the contest. Museum, that would be designed only for this purpose and that would be located somewhere like Geneva, Stockholm, Lugano etc. (any place with a real connection to the ESC).
The EBU is a broadcasting union, not a museum operator. Geneva and Stockholm are, for many people, expensive places to visit and stay. Why not decentralise Eurovision museums and have multiple sites of interest? Not everything in the world needs to be in London-New York-Paris-Geneva-Tokyo-Milan-etc. I’m not sure why you think Iceland’s museum would be undignified, I’m sure they’ll do a great job. The people of Husavik are clearly very passionate about the same thing we are all passionate about here. No need to rain on their parade dear 😉
It would be cool to have a collection of itens that could travel between the competing countries. Let’s say after 2 or 3 months, they would go to another country. By the time it gets to a country for the second time, new itens would be already available.
The word BOP in a big neon light at the entrance of the museum, honouring all über-passionate underage wiwi-commentators.
I’d like to see Ruslana , Kalomira and Hadise
I have often joked that the latter’s costume was very similar to Jesy Nelson’s in Reggaeton Lento (or vice versa as RLR was 8 years later) – that would be a good idea. I would also like Netta’s costume designer, Barbara Dex, Vretakos Vrettas (Cyprus 2018) and Mary Stepanyan (Armenia 2020, as this should never be allowed to be forgotten, and Stepanyan’s costumes were iconic).
One hundred maneki-neko.
Elenis jumpsuit from fuego
Even better, her naked outfit for covering Lasha Tumbai, designed by the same designer!
They should keep the clothes worn by all Barbara Dex Award winners, haha
Interactive hamster wheel from Loboda or Mariya Yaremchuk, please!
Ohmygosh, yes! 😀
And Melovin’s coffin-piano!
Eric Saade’s red jacket and black four-belted top from his performance of Popular – Sweden 2011.
It’s a must!
The whole outfit!
The dress of Kaiti Garbi, Greece 1993
Stamos
Eleni’s foureira outfit with fires behind it…imagine this.!!