The arena was selected to host the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest , which took place in May that year . Malmö Arena 's main contenders for this were the Friends Arena in Stockholm and Scandinavium in Gothenburg . Sveriges Television ( SVT ) decided on Malmö Arena because of the good transport links around the arena , as well as SVT 's previous experiences hosting Melodifestivalen heats at the arena . SVT also expressed the desire to host the contest at a slightly smaller venue than previous years to increase the Eurovision experience
2013 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2013
Malmö Arena