Seemingly obsessed with new editions that don’t see the light of day, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced the introduction of the Wintervision Song Contest.
Sweden will host the inaugural Contest in Jukkasjärvi during December 2022, the EBU said.
Inspired partly by the Winter Olympics, the Wintervision Song Contest will take place once every two years and will be performed entirely on snow and ice.
Local authorities in the Kiruna Municipality will create a spectacular temporary open-air venue for the Contest, the Snow Globen Arena, which will seat up to 2,000 spectators against a backdrop of glistening ice forests, frolicking reindeer and, of course, the aurora borealis.
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So far, 15 EBU Members have confirmed their participation with more expected to follow.
As hosts, Sweden automatically qualify for the Grand Final alongside the ‘Frosty 5’ broadcasters from those competing nations with the highest snowfall: Norway, Russia, Iceland, Finland and Switzerland (Alps).
A range of national finals and internal selections will take place in 2022, but NRK has already confirmed their act: KEiiNO will represent Norway in Jukkasjärvi.
“We’re so excited to be a part of the first Wintervision Song Contest. It’s like a dream come true. We’ve been promised a number of snow-machines free to use as part of our performance, and as we already have worked with reindeer for our MONUMENT video, we’re crossing our fingers that the “no-animals-on-stage” ban will be lifted for the Wintervision. In any case, we’ll do our best to awaken the spirits in the sky and make the Northern Lights dance.”
The EBU has set out a detailed list of the requirements for participants in Wintervision:
- Entries must be no longer than 3 minutes in length and should be in keeping with the Winter theme (we recommend the use of bells: sleigh bells, handbells, doorbells, etc).
- Participants must wear skis, skates or ice grips, and must not be barefoot.
- Maximum of 6 performers on stage plus an optional extra 4 skaters for the satellite ice-rink stage.
- No animals allowed on stage intentionally, however, if reindeer, brown bears or wolves are particularly entranced by specific entries and wander on to set, Wintervision producers will not intervene with nature.
- Should they decide to participate, the Australian delegation will be given special dispensation to submit a Summertime banger.
If this turns out to not be an elaborate, date-oriented ruse, we’re 100% on board. We’ll bring woollen socks.
