For the first time in almost 27 years, the Globe Arena in Stockholm, which will host the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, will get a shower and change its color from dirty grey to white.

The Globe Arena in Stockholm was opened on 19 February 1989. Three weeks later, the arena had hosted the annual Melodifestivalen. It also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest of 2000 and no less than 11 finals of the Swedish selection between 2002-2011.

We might think that the special shower takes place especially for the Eurovision Song Contest, but apparently it’s just the time to get it cleaned – so one of Sweden’s main landmarks will shine more than ever.

The Globen under construction, October 1987

“The Globen is dirty because of Stockholm’s air pollution and renovation works”, says Mats Grönlund, the CEO of SGA Fastigheter, the owners and managers of the arena. “To wash a 85 meters high gigantic ball takes time and needs special resources. It will take about three weeks, depends on the weather. No chemicals needed – only warm water.”

Stay tuned to ESCToday.com for more updates regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2016!