Access All Areas June 2018 | Page 36

Gothenburg ’ s event virtues

“ Gothenburg was built for events ,” Stefan Gadd , corporate communications , Goteborg & Co tells Access . “ At least it ’ s easy to get that impression when you look at how the city is planned with big open spaces as well as arenas conveniently located in the centre .”

Heden . A large open space just between the city ’ s main boulevard , Avenyn , and Ullevi Stadium are good examples of this . In summer , this is the playing ground for Gothia and Partille Cup , the world ’ s largest youth tournaments in football and handball respectively . Whenever a world event is hosted at Ullevi , Heden is used for side-events and shows . Slottsskogen Park , Gothenburg ’ s equivalent to Hyde Park , is also a worthy outdoor event spot with the annual music festival Way out West taking place , as well as a number of other events . “ This is

also where runners in the world ’ s largest halfmarathon sets off for the 21 kms in May ,” says Gadd .

The Garden Society , across from the Central Station , is one of the best-preserved 19th century parks in Europe , meanwhile . Apart from being a popular spot for the Gothenburgers , this summer it hosts artists including Van Morrison and Graham Nash .

The harbour area Frihamnen is also a popular event area . Across the river from the Opera House , it is a club area for Stay out West in August . In June its huge pier will be an event area for Volvo Ocean Race .

This year ’ s big events

• Volvo Ocean Race : 14-18 June

• Way Out West : 9-11 August

• EuroPride and Gothenburg Culture Festival : 14-19 August

• Nordea Masters : 16-19 August

Gothenburg facts & figures

Area : 448 km2 Founded : 1621 Population : ( city of Gothenburg ): 564,039 ( Gothenburg region ): 1 , 012,569 Average temperature : January - 1.0 Celsius , July + 18.8 Celsius Largest private companies : Volvo Cars , Volvo Trucks , Chalmers , SKF , PostNord , Astra Zeneca , Samhall , Ericsson , Essity , Saab Green space per citizen : 274 m ² Museums : 20 Fish and shellfish sold each week at the Gothenburg fish auction : 100 tons Public transport trams : 263 Tram lines : 12 Bicycle lanes : 810km Opera house : 1 Symphony orchestra : 1 Bed nights at hotels in the Gothenburg region : 4,780,249

Pocket sized passion : Gothenburg event facts

• The events district , not far from the main boulevard Avenyn ( Kungsportsavenyn ), is home to Ullevi stadium , Scandinavium arena , the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre ( Svenska Mässan ), Liseberg amusement park , Universeum Science Discovery Centre and the Museum of World Culture ( Världskulturmuseet ), which between them attract over six million visitors annually .

• Regular fixtures include major cultural events , such as ; the Göteborg Film Festival , the Gothenburg culture festival ( Göteborgs kulturkalas ), the Gothenburg Book Fair ( Bok & Bibliotek ), the International Science Festival ( Vetenskapsfestivalen ) and the music festivals Way Out West and Summerburst .

• There are also plenty of annual sport events ; such as the Gothenburg Horse Show , Göteborgsvarvet half marathon , Gothia Cup and Partille Cup .

• In 2021 the city will celebrate its 400-years anniversary , launching the sustainable city project River City Gothenburg .

Event history

The first big music event at Ullevi was a Rolling Stones concert in 1982 , with the first big sporting event being the 1992 European Football Championship .

Gothenburg has subsequently hosted numerous large events , the biggest being the 1995 World Athletics Championships , followed by the European Championships in 2006 and the 2013 Indoor European Athletics Championships ( the first event of this size to be all sustainably arranged ).

Furthermore , the World Figure Skating Championship 2008 was held in Gothenburg .