Sweden: David Lindgren to host Melodifestivalen 2018

David Lindgren returns as host for Melodifestivalen 2018 after he hosted Melodifestivalen 2017 with succes:

– Hosting the Melodifestivalen is one of the funniest things I've ever done, and I really long to meet the audience and TV viewers again. Now, we will be setting up a party that will lift the venues' roofs on the Melodifestivalen tour, says David Lindgren, host of Melodifestivalen 2018.

I was so insanely honored when they asked me againDavid Lindgren

Project manager Anette Helenius from Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) is very pleased to announce David as the one to lead the viewers of melodifestivalen 2018 through six weeks of celebration and joy next spring:

– David is a phenomenal entertainer who shined in the host role and won the viewers' hearts at Melodifestivalen 2017. But David has so many more skills to show. Therefore it feels both calm and at the same time very exiting that David said yes to host Melodifestivalen next year, says Anette Helenius, project manager of Melodifestivalen 2018.

Sunil Munshi will be the director of Melodifestivalen in 2018. He has directed a number of celebrated and spectacular theater sets:

– Getting the honorary mission to direct Sweden's biggest entertainment program feels fantastic. We are going to make a warm, fashionable, exciting party that also raises thoughts and opens new perspectives. I'm incredibly pleased to work with David Lindgren, and to show the audience completely new sides of him, says Sunil Munshi, director of Melodifestivalen 2018.

Melodifestivalen 2018

• 3 February: Deltävling 1 (Karlstad)
• 10 February: Deltävling 2 (Gothenburg)
• 17 February: Deltävling 3 (Malmö)
• 24 February: Deltävling 4 (Örnsköldsvik)
• 3 March: Second Chance (Kristianstad)
• 10 March: Final (Stockholm)

The format for Melodifestivalen 2018 is the same as last year: Each of the 4 heats qualifies 2 songs directly to the final Each of the 4 heats qualifies 2 songs to the "second chance"-show. In the "second chance" 4 songs will be selected for the final.

Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest

Since 1958 Sweden has participated 57 times in Eurovision Song Contest with great succes. They have won the contest 6 times:

• 1974: Abba - "Waterloo"
• 1984: Herreys - "Diggi-loo Diggy-ley"
• 1991: Carola - "Fångad Av En Stormvind"
• 1999: Charlotte Nilsson - "Take Me To Your Heaven"
• 2012: Loreen - "Euphoria"
• 2015: Måns Zelmerlöw - "Heroes"

They came last two times (1963 and 1977), and since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004 Sweden managed to qualify for the Grand Final 13 out of 14 times! (only skipped the qualification in 2010).