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Finland’s Official Eurovision Grandstand in Oulu

Julkaistu 07.05.2018

People in Oulu gather for the Eurovision Song Contest final in the Summer Street of Shopping Centre Valkea – greet Europe with us on May 12th!

The annual Eurovision Song Contest culminates once again as the final takes place on May 12th. Finland’s representative is none other than Oulu’s own Saara Aalto, also known from Britain’s X Factor two years ago. The backdrop video for the Finnish Eurovision point-awarding ceremony this year is shot at Finland’s Official Eurovision Grandstand in the Summer Street of Shopping Centre Valkea on Saturday, 12 May.

Shopping Centre Valkea will be the setting for an urban street disco where we welcome everyone to join the fun, send their greetings to Europe and watch the actual ESC broadcast. The doors of the Summer Street Grandstand venue open at 8:30 p.m. and the Eurovision broadcast from Portugal begins at 10 p.m. The venue closes after the broadcast from Portugal ends, around 1:30 a.m. The capacity for audience in the Summer Street is limited.

Video footage from Finland’s Official Eurovision Grandstand in Shopping Centre Valkea will spread throughout Europe with the Eurovision broadcast. The City of Oulu hopes that as many people as possible join and cheer for the video shoot and watch the actual broadcast at the grandstand. The Eurovision event at Shopping Centre Valkea is hosted by popular Finnish TV personality Sampo Marjomaa. Before the broadcast from Portugal, we will also see an aerial acrobatics performance by Ilona Jäntti.

Saara Aalto’s hometown wants to honour the local Eurovision representative on this special occasion, and the City of Oulu believes that Saara will claim a place in the Eurovision final.

The Finnish points will be awarded in Pasila, Helsinki, but the background footage and cheers come from Oulu.
Finland’s Official Eurovision Grandstand in Oulu is organised by the City of Oulu, Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle and Shopping Centre Valkea. Chief technician in Oulu is Jarno Tahvanainen and the technical contact in Pasila is Jari Väisänen. The broadcast is directed by Rami Lindholm.

Further information:
Producer Janita Jämsén, BusinessOulu, tel. +358 50 361 7924