Introducing Museum Mondays

Museum Monday schedule

• 30th May: The Rise of ABBA
• 6th June: Famous dresses and costume changes
• 13th June: The Herreys – Sweden’s winners from 1984
• 20th June: Winning memories
• 27th June: Focus on Loreen
• 4th July: Nicole and a little peace
• 11th July: The most exciting voting moments
• 18th July: Interviews with various winners including common and weird questions
• 25th July: Johnny Logan
• 1st August: Bobbysocks
• 8th August: What is the biggest change between then and now? (Multiple winners)
• 15th August: Record breaking winners

Week One: The Rise of ABBA 

Sweden won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1974 with the entry Waterloo, performed by ABBA. The song became a huge international hit and was the starting point of an outstanding career for the Swedish group. Over 30 years after it won, Waterloo was even voted the best Eurovision Song Contest song ever at the 50-year anniversary show Congratulations, in Copenhagen in the autumn of 2005. ABBA had actually tried to enter the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Ring Ring, which later became a hit for them in many European countries - but they only reached the third place in the Swedish national selection. ABBA proved that good things come to those who wait, the rest of course is history.

At the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus reflected on the significance of the Contest. In his opening speech he spoke about the challenges that Europe faces today. He believes that the Eurovision Song Contest is a force for good; "Maybe we need the Eurovision Song Contest more than we realise". ABBA has become intrinsically linked to the Eurovision Song Contest and it is therefore fitting that we should launch Museum Mondays with an interview with Björn himself!

Good Evening Europe! The Official Eurovision Song Contest Exhibition is open at ABBA The Museum in Stockholm, for more information visit the Pop House website.