It’s the iconic national final known for its six-city tour of Sweden every year. But the tour could be over for Melodifestivalen 2021. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, broadcaster SVT is reportedly considering a different format for the series – it would be filmed entirely in Stockholm with no live audience.
According to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, their well-placed sources claim SVT is working on different contingency plans for the music festival. The alternative scenarios involve scrapping the usual Melfest tour and instead filming all six shows in a single venue in Stockholm.
The six Melodifestivalen shows are normally held in different locations around Sweden, including venues in both large metropolitan areas as well as smaller regional towns. The grand final traditionally takes place at Stockholm’s Friends Arena, in front of a live audience of around 30,000 people.
However, since late March, the Swedish government has banned all public gatherings of more than 50 people — which includes events like Melodifestivalen.
Even if restrictions were to be lifted in the future, Aftonbladet‘s sources say that SVT is concerned that the usual arena format may cause the virus to be spread and that the broadcaster may face negative public scrutiny. And, as one source says, “I have a very hard time seeing that they will be able to sell tickets for an arena tour.”
The paper’s sources say there is no plan to change the format of the contest, with the usual four semi-finals, andra chansen second-chance round and grand final. Instead all six shows would be filmed in a smaller Stockholm venue.
Small venue, big dreams
A source claims that SVT aren’t considering using one of their own studios. They’re thinking big and want to be able to build a full-size Melodifestivalen stage to give performers and viewers the usual experience.
Two potential locations have been suggested. The first is NEP Studios in Stockholm, where Swedish Idol is usually filmed. The venue is the largest television studio in Sweden and can accommodate an audience of 1,600. The show could be filmed with a small audience, but if restrictions are relaxed, a larger audience could be used.
The other potential venue is the Annex hall of Globe Arena. At Eurovision 2016, the Annex was used as the area for delegations. The Annex has a concert capacity of 3,950.
It will still feel “very luxurious and expensive”
Aftonbladet‘s source also says that even if the show venues are downscaled, Melfest 2021 will still have the same high production standards. The source said, “They say that it should still feel very luxurious and expensive.”
Another source says it will be no problem for SVT to produce a high-quality show, noting that Melodifestivalen ticket sales do not normally fund the stage production. But they note that holding the show without an audience won’t have the same feeling.
As the Melodifestivalen shows are regularly among the most popular Swedish television shows every year, it’s understandable that SVT would want to retain as much of the Melodifestivalen spirit as possible.
Aftonbladet says that it is not clear if SVT has committed to ditching the Melodifestivalen tour yet. A source says the broadcaster will need to have made a decision by September.
In the past, SVT has announced the venues for upcoming editions of Melodifestivalen in mid-September, however the 2020 locations were confirmed in late August 2019.
A spokesperson from SVT told the newspaper, “It is far too early to say anything about the tour in 2021. The editors will start work again next week. We will come back later.”
What do you think? Will Melodifestivalen be the same if it’s held in a TV studio? Tell us your thoughts below!
sorry for the off topic but what happened with Khayat’ family in Beirut? he is currently there and saying that his family suffered from the explosion….
I’m worried. Football has taught us that live entertainment without a crowd is a significantly less enjoyable experience. I think we must have some sort of live Eurovision season next year but I don’t think it is going to be any good unfortunately.
It is what it is. I still enjoy footall and I’m glad we could see the whole season done in my country. And can’t wait for Champions League in Portugal. Same for next Eurovision and national festivals.
I know Melodifestival is big, but it still boggles my mind seeing that enormous crowd there on the top pic! Like even Globen is considered too small for it, such is the hunger to be there! Has anyone been to the final? How is the atmosphere usually, even far back?
I used to live in the Netherlands and always dreamed about seeing the contest come to Rotterdam and to go there again- but I’m doubting a normal “big” show (and festivites outside) still won’t be possible next May- what does everyone think?
I’m from Australia and went over this year for Mello and Eurovision. Didn’t get to Eurovision of course but still got to go to the final of Melfest in Stockholm. It was seriously awesome to see the hype and excitement around Stockholm, all the shops in the shopping mall next to Friends Arena were decorated.
Everyone was dressed up with signs and it was so awesome to experience first hand. I also scored front row tickets so turning around to see the massive crowd was insane.
I live near the Finale arena and have been there once. It it HUGE. Usually only half of the stadium is used and that itself is bigger than most arenas in Scandinavia. Visually, it’s very beautiful but the acoustics used to lack. It is better now but I went to the finale in 2015 and the acoustics where very bad from where I sat at the far back. I went to the Beyoncé concert in 2018 and had the same seats and the acoustics were much better that time.
The acoustics all depend on the skill of the audio technicians being used. Beyoncé had the best, but maybe the next concert you attend there it’ll be back to bad. A global tour like Beyoncé’s, with plenty of $$$, is more likely to have good acoustics than a single television event.
I want luxurious song material.
I expected a comment like this 😀 Even if I’m neither from Sweden nor a big fan of their “male pop entry series” 2017-2019 (Frans 2016 was cute though), I’m getting a bit tired tbh. If we’re talking about lack of diversity: I don’t want a Swedish Vidbir or Beovizija, cause we already have these shows for Eurovision fans who are into national languages, avantgardistic and “diverse” performances. Just give me a bit of good English pop from Sweden please 😀
Good English pop from Sweden is luxurious song material. I want that, too. But it doesn’t often make it to Melodifestivalen. 😉 And frankly, I don’t even want the Serbian Beovizija anymore because it refuses me the typical Balkan ballads that could win Eurovision.
Also, I like Swedish male pop entries. Just not those that won from 2017 to 2019. But at least Robin looked good, 2018 was a complete bust.
Also: ‘…but I’m not sorry, no.’ 😉
“‘Cause you’re the devil in disguise?” 😀 No, I know, I can be sometimes the devil, when I play the advocator for English mainstream pop in Eurovision, but I can also love native languages, if the package is entertaining enough to overcome the problem of understanding the lyrics at first listen without reading. Just give me some Erika Vikman sass 😀
Check the Swedish charts. They don’t have that much English pop. Swedish language really dominate.
Eurovision isn’t far away from the Melodifestivalen final.. I’m so tensed if (respectively how) the ESC is going to happen..
So sad that esc itself will have to make changes and then the question is : Why 2020 had to be canceled?
So I guess this means that if coronavirus is still an issue next year, Eurovision 2021 won’t get cancelled and will instead be held in an empty arena with no audience?
I can’t stop thinking , what bad luck for one of the richest hosts.
Oh god, it’s going to be tragic for Rotterdam if at the end, they host a scaled down eurovision after waiting fucking 44 years to win and a cancellation a year before. I pray to God that everything will be ok in a few months that Rotterdam will host the most amazing and strongest eurovision ever.
I don’t really care that much about the format as long as Melodifestivalen 2021 is still taking place.
So much needless negativity on this thread.
Oxford say they are confident we will have a vaccine by Christmas. The WHO may disagree but they’ve yet to get anything right during this crisis, remember when they said it wasn’t transferable between humans?
It’s not negative to be cautious. It’s responsible.
I want to be optimistic as well and I do believe that we are going to have a vaccine in early 2021, but even in that case it is impossible to have everyone in Sweden vaccinated until Melfest starts. Besides, planning an event of that scale starts quite early, and for now I think that it’s impossible to schedule a contest with live audience like the previous years. It won’t be the same but at least we are getting Melfest 2021, even wihout audience. I think this is a small price to pay. I believe that this will be the… Read more »
One of the good things with having only one venue is that SVT can put some extra effort on the stage, making it bigger and more versatile. As of now, the stages often tend to become very limited because of the arena-tours where they have to build and dismantle it every week.
By next year the restrictions will most likely be lifted, I can’t see it going past autumn. Some lighter stuff will probably open to audience this autumn. I think we have to wait and see how Idol does it, they are still scheduled to do business as usual. If it works for them it should work for Mello too..
Should be mentioned that Mello is still planning to do it as usual, this is just alternative plans
That’s very optimistic. There’s likely to be a second/third wave, mixed in with winter flu. A Covid-20 is possible. The more things get back to normal, the more careless people will become – which only increases the chances of a surge. A vaccine is still far off. It’s not over yet. Even if they go ahead with their usual plans, they will for sure need a Plan B that will likely need to be used. I hope I’m wrong.
A second wave won’t be as as hard-hitting as the first one though, it rarely is, if the predictions are correct. More clusters than an actual outbreak.Therefore some restrictions might be lifted. This has been hinted at by our experts. Also it has been suggested that the virus will be more seasonal based, making it a virus like others.
I honestly think we all jus need to learn to live with the virus, it is here to stay. You can’t restrict, ban gatherings movements and travel for an unforeseen time being
We may see an increase of cases at the winter ( if not more) though this maybe because people won’t be able to differentiate with the flu
The vaccine here (UK) actually is starting production and should be ready by Christmas so isn’t actually that far off
Injections with disinfectant. I know a reliable guy in high places who swears it’s the next big thing.
It has been hinted by government and experts that some restrictions might be lifted, while still being cautious. Like small scale events and so. Of course nothing is confirmed and the restrictions still stand so we have to wait and see
A normal Mello won’t happen next year, that’s a fact. I’m also concerned about next years contest. Australia are considering a ban on outside travel until 2021, which would leave an Australian contestant out of the game. I’m anxious to see if other countries follow, and if they do, a “normal” Eurovision won’t happen in 2021.
It’s impossible to have a normal Melodifestivalen next year. That’s a fact that everybody needs to accept.
It’s not a fact. Everything is changing in a daily basis. We have no idea how the state of things will be. A crowd may be possible in March.