Around 27 000 fans travel to Friends Arena in Solna, Stockholm, every year for the final.
Melodifestivalen is the competition for Sweden to choose the song that will represent the country in the Eurovision Song Contest, the most popular entertainment show on the planet.
Sweden takes Eurovision seriously. Very seriously. Melodifestivalen (usually abbreviated to Mello) may "only" be the competition to choose the Swedish entry, but it's a six-week-long orgy of glitter, extraordinary costumes and variable music.
The six shows always rank in the top ten of the Swedish television viewing figures, and many of the 28 competing songs end up being played endlessly on Swedish radio. Some of them are even quite good (see 2022's Mello winner, Cornelia Jakobs' excellent Hold Me Closer).
An indicator of Mello's popularity is that since 2013 the show’s finale has been held in Stockholm's Friends Arena football stadium attended by an audience of around 27,000. Yes, 27,000!
The seriousness with which Swedes take Mello surprises every newcomer. But those that deride Melodifestivalen are often those that fall for the schlocky variants of X Factor or Idol, shows that prefers to concentrate on the individual’s pursuit of fame at the expense of the song.
And most Swedes are far too canny to fall for that malarkey. They love songs. After all, Sweden boasts the highest number of choirs per capita in the world – a startling 15 percent of Swedes sing in choirs.
When it comes to Eurovision, Sweden is probably the hottest country in the entire competition. Only twice in the last 12 years has Sweden finished outside the Eurovision top 10, a record that includes five top three finishes and three first places, including Loreen in 2023. Only Ireland matches Sweden's seven overall wins.
Loreen, Swedish winner of 2023's Eurovision Song Contest.
Mello has been held annually since 1959, is organised by the Swedish public broadcaster, Sveriges Television (SVT), and features a mix of established and new artists competing for the opportunity to represent Sweden at Eurovision.
This year's Mello will take place over six weeks from February 1 to March 8. Hosted by Edvin Törnblom and Kristina "Keyyo" Petrushina, the event will feature 30 entries competing across five heats in six cities: Luleå, Gothenburg, Västerås, Malmö, Jönköping, and Stockholm.
Each heat will showcase six songs, with the top two directly qualifying for the final. The third-placed song from each heat will proceed to a final qualification round at the end of the fifth heat, featuring five songs. The top two songs from this round will then advance to the final, which will comprise 12 songs. The winner will be determined by a 50/50 combination of public votes and an international jury.
Cornelia Jakobs performing her 2022 winning song ”Hold Me Closer”.
If this all sounds remarkably complex, it is! But you'll soon get the hang of it. And if you want to understand Swedes and Sweden, immersing yourself in Mello will pay dividends - Saturday's first show will be the main topic of conversation during fika breaks throughout Sweden next week.
Settle in on Saturday and make up your own mind on whether Melodifestivalen is an unmissable event for anyone interested in the music and culture of Sweden.
Melodifestivalen 2025, 8pm, SVT1, Saturday night