Anyone attending the Eurovision village and Grand Final this year won’t be able to take any kind of bag in – but there have been some very bizarre objects on the banned list in previous years
In years gone by, Eurovision ticket holders have been ordered not to take their handcuffs, golf balls or mugs with them to the ceremony – and the outlandish list didn’t stop there.
Every big public event that involves a large number of people gathering under the same roof, or in the same space, obviously requires a list of security measures to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance. And the Eurovision Song Contest is no different, especially since there are likely to be politically opposed countries competing against each other.
This year’s ceremony in Malmo, Sweden has attracted its fair share of controversy and criticism with the inclusion of Israeli act Eden Golan. They were ordered to change the title and lyrics to song, October Rain, as it was believed to reference the Hamas attacks last year and therefore breaks the rules on political neutrality.
The name was eventually changed to Hurricane but that hasn’t stopped those opposed to the war in Gaza and supporters of Palestine from calling for Israel to be banned from the contest and for performers to boycott it. Protests have taken place in Sweden and are expected to continue throughout the event and the country is on terror level four, out of five.
So it’s no wonder that organisers have decided to impose a total ban on bags of any size in the Eurovision village and at the ceremony, including plastic bags. Anything you do take must be able to fit into your pocket.
A message on the official website reads: “There is a bag ban in Eurovision Village from 4 May to 11 May. There is also a bag ban at Malmö Live from 4 May to 12 May. The bag ban applies to all types of bags regardless of size – including small bags, such as handbags, tote bags and plastic bags. You are not allowed to bring in items that are larger than what you can fit in your pocket.”
As well as the bag ban, anyone hoping to have a game of frisbee while waiting for the performances to start, or even during any really bad ones, sadly won’t be able to as the plastic discs are a no-go. Skateboarders and rollerbladers will also have to hang up their wheels for the night and rely on their actual feet as those are also banned.
Authorities in Malmo have been planning the security details of the event for months and have worked with their counterparts at last year’s competition in Liverpool, which is no doubt where they got some of their inspiration from. In a throwback, ticket holders to the 2023 contest at the M&S Liverpool Arena were informed they weren’t allowed to bring CDs in.
Flags, signs and banners were also banned, which seemed pretty strange considering most would want to support their country, while stink bombs were fortunately not permitted.
The performers at last year’s Eurovision also had a list of their own rules to abide by. They included no live animals on stage and no live instruments – pretty odd for a music competition but bizarrely this was introduced in 1999 to save money – and is why some acts pretend to play instruments on stage.
The banned items in 2018 in Lisbon were even more peculiar and went down a storm on social media when the list was shared, with users finding it hilarious. As well as the things you’d expect to see on a prohibited items list, like drugs, guns and knives, audience members were also asked not to bring golf balls, handcuffs and mugs.
In addition, guests were told to leave their adhesive tape and power banks at home. And perhaps the strangest of all – there were strictly no shopping trolleys or ladders allowed in the venue either.
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