Eurovision 2013: Discover Malmö’s Folkets Park

by Sanjay (Sergio) Jiandani 327 views

Esctoday.com, in collaboration with Malmö Turism, invites you to discover Malmö and experience the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Today we we will have a look at Folkets Park in Malmö , also known as the people’s park, in the 2013 Eurovision host city.

A Park to meet Malmö

Eight stages, four restaurants, a bunch of animals and a Tivoli. And of course the most popular picnic spot in Malmö. Folkets Park is everyone’s park, and a more than 120 years long history of making people meet and greet.

In 1891 an area of 6 acres in Malmö was announced as the people’s park, Folkets Park, aiming to be a place for recreation and amusement for the workers of the city. That marked the starting point for a Social Democratic movement that was to spread around the country in various shapes, but none as successful as the originator in Malmö. Throughout the years, the Park has had its metamorphoses, but the main idea is still intact. Artists like ABBA, Frank Sinatra, Status Quo and many more have performed on the stages and bears, clowns, rollercoasters and merry go rounds have come and gone.

Folkets Park reinvented
After a drastic dip in popularity in the 1990s, when the Park was merely considered a slum area, the City of Malmö took over control of Folkets Park and begun a process of renewal. A new success was underway, and today Malmö Folkets Park is the third most visited place in Sweden after Gothenburg’s Liseberg and Stockholm’s Kulturhuset.

The Park as it is now, 2013, offers a variety of attractions for the people living in and visiting Malmö. The main season is late April until August, but it’s open all year round and the ice skating rink, celebrations of Halloween and Lucia and cozy restaurants make it a vivid and welcoming place even throughout the winter. The spectacular building Moriskan from 1902 offers three indoor stages and one outdoor stage, with a mixture of multicultural performances, poetry, art and avant garde. Far i Hatten is a bit like a country-side cottage restaurant moved to an urban environment, with organic food and beverages and acoustic performances in an old style outdoor serving area. Debaser is a classic rock club where international artists line up to play. Cuba Café lets you feel the Caribbean atmosphere and move your feet to live Latin music. Barnens Scen hosts children’s theatre several days a week, and at the venues Amiralen and Nöjesteatern various shows and performances take place every week.

Moriskan Pavillion(Photo  Jorchr)

Something for everyone
Add to this the animal house with crocodiles, snakes, lizards, kangaroos and even a celebrity parrot – known from the Pippi Longstocking movies, a riding school with a pet zoo and a Tivoli with rollercoasters, merry-go-rounds and a nostalgic appearance to match the history of the place it’s in. No wonder this is a place deeply rooted in the hearts of most residents of Malmö.

Pippi Longstocking at Folkets Park  (Photo- malmofolketspark.se)

In the summertime the main outdoor stage is filled with performances, festivals and events. This summer there will be singalong, outdoor cinema, African and Latin festivals, a clown festival, children’s theatre, stand-up comedy and a concert with veterans Smokie, Sweet and Slade. And that’s just some of the over 200 performances that will take place over the next months!

Tivoli- (Photo- malmofolketspark.se)

Eurovision comes to Folkets Park
During the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Folkets Park will be one of the central meeting points. Moriskan is hosting Euro Fan Café with broadcasts from the rehearsals and shows for the hardcore Eurovision nerds. Amiralen is hosting Wonk – Malmö’s biggest gay club – with prominent guests such as previous ESC winners Loreen and Charlotte Perelli. And next to the outdoor stage a 45 square meter TV will provide live public viewing of the semifinals and the final. On the main stage there will also be live performances and events, framing the public viewing and creating an unforgettable Eurovision experience for all the visitors to Folkets Park.

Folkets Park– malmofolketspark.se

 

And remember: entering the Park is always free of charge. After all – this is the people’s park.

Cover Photo: – malmofolketspark.se