During Eurovision you can #swingalong in Rotterdam

International appeal

Riva was very looking forward to the Eurovision Song Contest last year. We were making amends to house visitors with our short-stay options. But then Covid-19 hit. The festival had to be postponed. Although the audience is welcome during the festival we won't welcome many international guests. With an international campaign #SWINGALONG, the city lets as many people as possible dance along in Rotterdam. It makes a great case for Rotterdam as a place of business or to reside. Via Riva, you can rent a variety of apartments and houses once Corona is over.

But for now, Rotterdam Partners (the marketing office of Rotterdam) makes it possible to visit the city digitally. On the occasion of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, Rotterdam Partners presents, in collaboration with the municipality, #SWINGALONG. This international campaign connects as many people as possible with each other by means of an infectious dance and accompanying feel-good video clip. Fans of the Eurovision Song Contest worldwide can dance along in an innovative way with the help of a 360-degree view. The moves will be projected life-size on the World Port Building. This way, despite all (travel) restrictions, the whole world can dance along via social media and experience the city at the same time. The campaign aims to generate as much positive international visibility for Rotterdam as possible.

Wilbert Lek, director of Rotterdam Partners: "With this campaign, we say that we never stand still, not even in this time. It shows the dynamism, diversity, and resilience of Rotterdam and inspires for the future when a visit to the city is again possible for everyone. We are really looking forward to that.''

Famous Landmarks

The campaign will run from April 13 to June 6 and will be distributed via Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok. The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Rotterdam on 18, 20, and 22 May, in an adapted form in Ahoy. It will be a different celebration than usual: all the more reason to show that worldwide connection with the city is still possible. The #SWINGALONG video clip is central to this. In this video clip, well-known and unknown Rotterdammers venture into a catchy dance at various Rotterdam landmarks like the Rotterdam metro, the Floating Farm, Hofbogen, and the circular incubator BlueCity. These locations are the backdrop for this video clip, which has a distinctive Rotterdam look.

I Am Redo has the distinctive Rotterdam look

At the same time, the clip is topped with a real Eurovision sauce, partly due to the distinct outfits and decoration. The clip invites you to participate in this dance challenge and share your own version via various social media. This is possible, among other things, with a special filter for Instagram and Facebook, which makes it possible to dance at the Rotterdam locations from the video clip using a 360-degree view. This way, the 'dance virus' is increasingly spread internationally and people worldwide are introduced to the city of Rotterdam.

In the week surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest, a selection of dancing people will be projected life-size at a Rotterdam location with an iconic view over the Maas: the World Port Center on the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam. This projection is then streamed that people all over the world can see themselves virtually dancing in Rotterdam.

Project yourself on the World Port Center on the Kop van Zuid in Rotterdam

Purebred Rotterdam

A lot of people from Rotterdammers can be seen in the video clip. Purebred or imported. You'll find party-guru Ted Langenbach, drag queen Mama Queen and dancer Redouan Ait Chitt for example. For this campaign, Rotterdam Partners teamed up with HUNTED Agency, Zuiver Media, and various other Rotterdam makers. The choreography is in the hands of Dalton Jansen and Luciano Hiwat, David Vunk & De Likt created the accompanying track and Vilain & Gai are responsible for the styling and set design in collaboration with Logocomo.  

A prominent international Songfestival fan also managed to get a role in the campaign. The Rotterdam company REBLIKA created a lifelike avatar of William Lee Adams, known from the Eurovision Song Contest blog Wiwibloggs. This way the London-based journalist and influencer can still be part of the video. 

Artistic decoration

Of course, there are more big promotional campaigns. The whole city gets decorated. Studio VollaersZwart, Mothership, Arttenders, Hiphop In Je Smoel and Flowerdales Agency are responsible for the city’s artistic 2021 Eurovision Song Contest decorations. “It will soon literally be impossible for anyone not to notice that the Eurovision Song Contest will be taking place in Rotterdam this spring as a result of this impressive line-up of internationally renowned city dressers”, according to Rotterdam’s Eurovision Song Contest organizers.

Rotterdam is all set to be beautifully decorated in the Eurovision Song Contest colors this spring. Posters, banners and video screens in and around the city will be displaying the official 2021 Eurovision Song Contest Open Up artwork for a two-week period. In addition to this traditional city dressing, Rotterdam will also be presenting a variety of artistic decorations in collaboration with five creative city dressers, ranging from fashion and photography to light art, street art, and various installations.

Faye Ellen and Siobhan Burger from the creative agency Arttenders have unveiled The Splash, the design was created together with the Rotterdam artist Cindy Bakker. The art objects are designed as a multifunctional interpretation of Rotterdam’s outdoor space. The object will be erected on the Annie M.G. Schmidtplein in the Hart van Zuid in April and will also be able to serve as a stage for the Rotterdam City Programme.

Studio VollaersZwart will roll out its SING ALONG CITY concept. It's design is based on a medley of lyrics from winning songs and international flags, which mark the route from Rotterdam CS to Rotterdam Ahoy like a continuous ribbon. The flyovers and metro stations will also be beautifully highlighted in collaboration with the RET.

SING ALONG CITY in collaboration with the RET

“This will create a visual musical wave through the city”, according to Madje Vollaers. “SING ALONG CITY marks the architecture, whilst simultaneously also enticing people to interact. The city is the setting in which both visitors and residents will be playing the leading roles.” In addition, VollaersZwart had already appealed to Dutch fashion designers last year, in an attempt to design a fashion piece from old national flags.

The designs by Mothership, Hiphop In Je Smoel and Flowerdales Agency will be presented later. 

The taste of Rotterdam

A smaller project, but important no less. In a new special cooking book: Taste of Rotterdam, people get a glimpse into the versatile and diverse kitchen of Rotterdam. The book is published by Kyosei together with Veenman+, carenza*, Rotterdam. Make it Happen. They asked Terry Priem to give 41 local dishes from the countries participating in the Song Contest a Rotterdam twist. You can leave this up to the chef of Gastrobar Ster in Kralingen which recently was awarded a Bib Gourmand by Michelin. He takes on the Croatian dish Crni Rizot (Cuttlefish and squid are the stars of this risotto), the French eclair, a Danish ceviche with Seabass and Taratar from Bulgaria.

The book cover of Taste of Rotterdam

Next to the recipes, the book takes the reader on a journey through Rotterdam. Next to there are so many more ingredients that make up the taste of Rotterdam. Take, for example, dance, music, art and culture, sustainability and innovation, and the port of Rotterdam. Based on inspiring stories from true Rotterdammers, such as Shirma Rouse, Tymon de Laat, and Sabine Biesheuvel. 

The countdown has begun. We are full of anticipation and are confident Jeangu Macrooy will represent the Netherlands in a spectacular way and will be a worthy successor to Duncan Laurence. But more importantly we hope that the many viewers around the world will be very impressed by Rotterdam and will visit our beautiful city when it's possible again. We can always provide housing.

A look inside Taste of Rotterdam