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Sweden’s capital city will host the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, it was announced this morning.

Stockholm’s Globe Arena will stage the contest for the second time in its history, with the semi-finals taking place on 10-12 May and the Grand Final scheduled for 14 May 2016.

Måns Zelmerlöw’s victory in Vienna a month ago (pictured above) brought the contest back to Sweden for the second time in as many years; the 2013 Eurovision contest was held in Malmö.

Sweden’s premier cities began bidding as soon as Zelmerlöw’s win was confirmed, but organisers said that Stockholm’s entry took the contest to “the next level”.

“Stockholm has delivered a thorough offer that guarantees that the event once again is taken to the next level,” said Martin Österdahl, executive producer for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Swedish broadcaster SVT.

This will be the second Eurovision outing for Stockholm’s Globe Arena, which hosted the contest in 2000. The venue has a regular capacity between 14 and 16,000 spectators.

SVT will be responsible for the TV production of the event, while Stockholm itself will handle all the logistic solutions, the festivities, all fans and media. A press centre for more than 1,500 journalists will be located at the Hovet venue, and delegations will be housed in Annex.

“Stockholm is music. Our city seethes with activity revolving music. Creativity is close to our hearts and is something that we want to emphasise and be noticed even more clearly in the city,” said Mayor of Stockholm Karin Wanngård.

“To be the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest gives us the opportunity to reinforce and stimulate the involvement which the music creates for people in Stockholm and all that will travel here to take part of the Swedish musical wonder.”

Image: Andres Putting (EBU)