Melodifestivalen 2019 kicks off in less than five months and now Swedish broadcaster SVT has revealed the dates and locations where the six Melfest shows will be held as Sweden selects its act for Eurovision 2019.

Melodifestivalen 2019 returns, with the standard Melfest tour format that sets it apart from most other national finals. Every year the semi-finals of the show are held in different cities and towns, taking the Melodifestivalen magic to small regional towns as well as big urban areas.

As usual, the grand final will be held at Friends Arena in Stockholm, the home of the Melfest final since 2013. This year’s final will be held on March 9th.

But before that, there are five weeks of semi-finals and the andra chansen round. This time the competition will kick off in Gothenburg (Göteborg) on February 2nd at the iconic Scandinavium. The venue previously hosted Eurovision 1985. Gothenburg has previously been the opening location of the Melfest tour six times.

The second semi-final will be held on February 9th at another regular location, Malmö. The show will be held at Malmö Arena, which also hosted Eurovision 2013.

The town of Leksand will host the third semi-final, on February 16th. It will be the fourth time the town has hosted a Mello semi-final, which will be held at the ice hockey stadium Tegera Arena.

The fourth semi-final will be held in Lidköping on February 23rd. The town has hosted a Melfest semi-final just once before, in 2014. The event will be held at Sparbanken Arena.

Melodifestivalen’s iconic andra chansen round will throw a lifeline to four acts in Nyköping on March 2nd. The town has hosted a Melfest show twice before, both times hosting the Andra Chansen round. And of course the 12 the four qualifying Andra Chansen acts will join the other finalists at grand final one week later in Stockholm.

Entries for Melodifestivalen 2019 are currently open and will close this coming Monday, 17 September. It is expected that the competing acts for 2019 will be announced sometime in November.

SVT is also yet to reveal who the host or hosts for Melodifestivalen 2019 will be. The 2018 edition was hosted by the entertainer and Melfest regular David Lindgren. However, the show’s style was criticised and it suffered the worst ratings in seven years. Earlier this month, Swedish press revealed that SVT has drafted in veteran Melodifestivalen and Eurovision writer and producer Edward af Sillén to consult on the 2019 edition of Melfest, in an attempt to ensure the show is a success.

Tickets for the Melodifestivalen 2019 rehearsals and live shows will go on sale on October 31st.

Melodifestivalen 2019 – Dates and venues

Semi-final one

2 February 2019

Scandinavium

Gothenburg

Semi-final two

9 February 2019

Malmö Arena

Malmö

Semi-final three

16 February 2019

Tegera Arena

Leksand

Semi-final four

23 February 2019

Sparbanken Arena

Lidköping

Andra Chansen

2 March 2019

Nyköpings Arena

Nyköping

Grand final

9 March 2019

Friends Arena

Stockholm