ESCToday in collaboration with the City of Stockholm will be bringing you a series of articles leading up to the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in order to showcase and introduce the 2016 Eurovision host city Stockholm to our readers. Today we will visit the Globen Arena, the 2016 Eurovision venue.

Esctoday’s Head of Press Sergio Jiandani and Managing Director Michalis Vranis were in Stockholm last month on a research trip and got the chance to check out the Eurovision host city, the preparations prior to the event and visited the prime Eurovision 2016 event venues and locations.

The ESCToday boys visited all 4 Globe Arenas venues and checked out the facilities which will be used for the forthcoming 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.

Esctoday got the chance to visit the 2016 Eurovision venue in Stockholm just a few weeks before SVT and the EBU moved in to construct the stage.

Going back to the Globen Arena for me was an incredible experience as I visited the venue back in 2000 when Stockholm hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. It did bring back great memories as the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest was my first contest and that’s where it all began for me!!

OMG! The whole Eurovision bandwagon along with all its glitz, glitter and glamour will be back in the Globe Arena!

The Globen Arena is the world’s largest spherical building, having hosted most of the massive events in the city in the last decades, including various Melodifestivalen finals and the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest.

It has an audience capacity of 13,850 during a sports event and +16, 000 during a concert. The venue is well known for its red interior and flexibility, as the seats in the arena can slide in and out enabling to ehance the size of the arena and adequate the premises for each event’s requirements and neccessities.

During Eurovision the Globe Arena will host an estimated 11,000 people during each of the live shows (Semifinals and Grand Final). The whole arena has been transformed in order to host the Eurovision Song Contest. The glass cabins (Quality Globe Hotel Restaurant) overlooking the venue will be converted into the commentator boxes during the Eurovision Song Contest.

A magnificent state of the art stage has been constructed inside the venue specially for the occasion, showcasing the latest technological and grahical features.

A new wi-fi system has been installed in the premises to enable visitors and guests to freely log in and use internet both inside the venue and at the Globes Arenas Complex.

In 2016 the Globen Arena will play host to the Eurovision Song Contest for the 2nd time, but this time it will be welcoming double the number of participating countries! A total of 42 countries are scheduled to compete in the event next May.

I was so excited to be back in the Arena that I tried to enter the venue with my 2000 accreditation that I didn’t realize that 16 years had passed since my first Eurovision!

Video of ESCToday’s visit in Stockholm

Ladies and gentlemen the countdown has started for Eurovision 2016. The clock is ticking and Eurovision fever is about to hit Stockholm! Our next destination will take us direkt til Globen!

Don’t forget to read our series of Discover Stockholm articles leading up to the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest including The first impression of Stockhom- the host city!

For more information on Stockholm you can visit visitstockholm.com

You can follow our forthcoming series of Discover Stockholm articles with photographs and videos on ESCToday.com and on our official Esctoday Instagram and ESCToday Facebook pages.