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 have a look at the Magic Countdown Flower at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm.

If you are a true Eurovision fan, then there is a list of things you must experience when you come to  Stockholm for Eurovision next May: Euroclub,  Eurofan Cafe, Eurovision Village, The Globe Arena (ESC Shows), The Eurovision Party (Tele 2 Arena), Euro After Parties at the Operaterrassen and last and not least the Countdown Magic Flower at Norrmalmstorg Square.

It is perfect for that Kodak moment aka a selfie shot in Stockholm whilst you’re in town for the Eurovision Song Contest. Did I mention that you can actually smell, hear, touch, feel when you’re at the Countdown Magic Flower.

I’d advise you to a pay visit to Norrmalsmtorg both during the morning and during the night. As you will see the flower in 2 different facets: without lights in the morning and all light up and glowing at night!

Norrmalmstorg is just a hop away from the Eurovision Village, just  a 2 minutes walk from Kungsträdgården.

The Countdown Magic Flower is a three-dimensional sculpture of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest’s symbol the Dandelion and is exquistely located at Norrmalmstorg Square in Stockholm. The symbol was created by INGO on behalf of SVT (the Swedish national broadcaster) and EBU (The European Broadcasting Union).

The sculpture will be counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the 14 May  21:00 CET when the Grand Final of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest kicks off.

After the Eurovision Song Contest the Magical Countdown Flower will be placed in the Globen Arena Complex as a remembrance of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.

The City of Stockholm and SVT are working round the clock in order to showcase an extraordinary Eurovision Song Contest come May. Stockholm is all set to welcome Eurovision fans, delegations, artists, media, press and visitors in the best possible way, making their stay in the Swedish capital both memorable and unique.

Facts about the Countdown Magic Flower

The sphere of the Magic Flower measures a total of four meters in diameter and consists of 190 flower seeds. The Flower is also a dynamic and energy-saving light installation, has a subtle fragrance and plays music streamed from the Stockholm-based streaming service Spotify. The flower stands on a three meter high podium with an integrated countdown clock.

• The Magic Flower is a total of 8.5 meters high, of which the actual flower is 4×4 meters. It stands on a 3 meter high podium.
• The fragrance from the Magic Flower comes from a system that follows IFRA:s, ie the International Fragrance Association, criteria for the production, handling and use of scents.
• The fragrance is supplied by representing Uniscent ScentAir in Sweden.
• The flower plays selected music, via a collaboration with the Stockholm-based company Spotify.
• The flower was drawn by MK Illumination and manufactured in Slovakia.
• The sculpture is made of lacquered aluminum, frosted plastic cable ties and LED lighting.
• The sculpture consists of 190 aviators.
• Each aviator consists of 110 ties.
• 84 square meters of metal used to make the flower.
• There are 7280 points of light on the magical flower.

Getting to Norrmalmstorg is very easy as it is pretty close to Kungsträdgården where the Eurovision Village is located. You can even walk it up from Sergels Torg and T Centralen.

So what are you waiting for? Come to Stockholm, get your smartphone or camera out and take a selfie at the Countdown Magic Flower!

Come, see, smell, touch, feel and listen to the magic of the Countdown Magic Flower in Stockholm!

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