Sweden will start on the road to pick its participant for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest on the 4th of February in Växjö. Final destination on March 10, will as usual be Globen in Stockholm. Six different cities around the country will be involved in next year’s Melodifestivalen.
On the 10th of March the Swedish population will decide upon who gets to represent the country at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Whoever wins their national final will have a bit of pressure on the shoulders trying to improve Eric Saade‘s third place from Düsseldorf with Popular.
As usual Sweden has a long selection process with four preliminary heats, a second chance contest and the big final. Swedish broadcaster, SVT, today announced the cities and the dates for the 2012 edition of Melodifestivalen:
| Date: | Show: | City: |
| 4/2 – 2012 | Heat 1 | Växjö |
| 11/2 – 2012 | Heat 2 | Göteborg |
| 18/2 – 2012 | Heat 3 | Leksand |
| 25/2 – 2012 | Heat 4 | Malmö |
| 3/3 – 2012 | Second Chance | Nyköping |
| 10/3 – 2012 | Final | Stockholm |
Växjö has previously been hosting Melodifestivalen shows in 2002 and 2005. Leksand twice as well in 2006 and 2009. Nyköping just once, in 2007. Malmö has been used four times; 2004 as well as the three previous years (2011 included). Aside from that then they hosted the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest.
Göteborg has had one of the shows each year since 2003 giving a total of 9 years by now and they hosted the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest as well. Stockholm, the capital, has hosted the Swedish final since 2002, meaning a total of 10 times – and then they hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1975 and 2000.
