‘United by sequins’: Eurovision followers arrive in fabulously flamboyant outfits

Malmo is all a sparkle. Outside town area, sequins twinkle within the gentle.

Eurovision followers have been arriving in drive, kitted out in a spread of fabulously flamboyant outfits.

In the queue, we meet a bunch who’ve travelled from Iceland.

They are all carrying the identical multi-coloured glittering jackets.

“United by sequins,” one in every of them quips, riffing on the competition’s slogan “United by music”.

Further alongside we meet Eurovision superfan Dimi.

“I love it, I grew up on it,” she gushes.

She explains she is unhappy her native Australia has been knocked out, but it surely hasn’t taken the shine off the occasion.

Many within the crowd have flags draped over their shoulders, others are channelling the acts’ outfits, together with Elizabeth and Katie from the UK, who’ve been impressed by Finland’s Windows95man.

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Around 100,000 guests from 89 nations are anticipated in Malmo this week.

It is a big increase to a metropolis with round 360,000 residents and the police have spent months planning.

Sweden not taking any possibilities

Around the sector, officers are relaxed however seen.

Small teams stand collectively on corners, others peer down from the roofs above.

Against a backdrop of two wars and the latest Moscow terror assault, Sweden just isn’t taking any possibilities.

It has drafted in officers from neighbouring Denmark and Norway to assist with safety.

Eurovision provides to doable tensions

Sweden is already on terror alert stage 4 out of 5 after a string of Quran-burnings sparked outrage in Muslim communities final yr.

Eurovision has added to the doable tensions with a number of protests deliberate in opposition to Israel being allowed to take part.

Tens of hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators are anticipated to assemble forward of the second semi-final on Thursday the place 20-year-old Eden Golan will struggle for her place in Saturday’s ultimate.

A smaller protest in help of Israel can also be deliberate, though some within the Jewish group mentioned they have been nervous it might grow to be a goal.

‘We simply wish to benefit from the music’

One Eurovision fan mentioned that they had seen some protests however that they had been “really peaceful”, whereas one other mentioned: “We just want to enjoy the music.”

Another mentioned: “I feel dreadfully sorry for what’s going on in Gaza. I have enormous sympathy for [the] Israeli contestant because they’re here as a musician, not as a political act.

“This ought to be above politics. [It] ought to be about enjoyment and love for different individuals.”

Organisers unable to cease politics seeping in

The lyrics of the Israeli unique entry, October Rain, needed to be modified after they broke the foundations on political neutrality for obvious references to the 7 October Hamas assaults.

Despite requires a boycott, organisers dominated Israel might stay within the competitors with its reworked entry, Hurricane.

Meanwhile, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) needed to put out an announcement expressing “regret” after former Swedish contestant Eric Saade, who’s reportedly of Palestinian origin, wore a keffiyeh tied round his wrist as he sang. The conventional scarf has lengthy been a logo of help for Palestinian nationalism.

While organisers are decided the occasion stays apolitical, they seem unable to cease politics from seeping in.