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 The
Malmö Festival has something to offer everyone. During the third
week in August, Malmö is transformed into a festive atmosphere, attracting
over 1.5 million visitors. For eight days and seven evenings you can enjoy
live musical performances and concerts, an incredible selection of culinary
delicacies, other forms of entertainment, an amusement park, handicrafts
for sale and so much more. All this is spread out through the city center.
And the best thing of all is that all of the entertainment is free of
charge!
The Malmö Festival started in 1985 and is the oldest city festival
of its kind in Sweden. It has changed a bit over the years, but the basic
idea is still the same - the Festival should contribute to making Malmö
a vibrant city where people like to live and are keen to visit. Approximately
6,000 people participate in the preparation. Local support is considerable
and non-profit associations and businesses also contribute to the main
work.
The festival starts off with a huge crayfish party at Stortorget. All
you need to bring with you are some crayfish and a party mood! If you
are still hungry, walk down to the food market at Gustav Adolfs torg.
There is so much to choose from here that you will have to come back again
and again. After you have taken care of that food craving, it is time
to start experiencing what most people come to the festival for, and that
is the music. There are over 15 stages offering a steady stream of free
entertaiment. You can hear everything from opera, to hip-hop and heavy
metal.
The largest gatherings are at the Stora scene at Stortorget, where current
performers can be watched by up to 25,000 people. Then spread out, around
the center, are many musical tents which are sponsored by Malmö's
local asscociations, including jazz, blues, swing, 60's and folk. At Mölleplatsen,
three tents host both Swedish and international bands from various music
genres, for example rock, pop, electroclash, world music and jazz.
Even though there are a variety of events going on you will find that
the main cultural area is around Lördagsplan in Slottsparken. This
is where you will find film, music, theater, poetry, performances and
so much more for both children and adults.
As you can see there are many reasons to visit the Malmö Festival
- the food, the music, the people - and the best thing of all is that
it last for eight days. Eight days of free entertainment, which will definitely
have you coming back again and again.
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