Bulgaria сhooses host city for Eurovision 2027

The Bulgarian city of Burgas has been chosen to host the 71st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2027, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Thursday on its website.

Located on the Black Sea coast, Burgas will welcome artists, delegations, fans, journalists and millions of viewers from around the world for three spectacular live shows on Tuesday, May 11, Thursday, May 13 and Saturday, May 15, 2027, according to the EBU and Bulgarian National Television (BNT), CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

The contest will be held at Bulgaria’s newest sports and entertainment complex, Arena Burgas, which opened in 2023.

Further details about Eurovision Village, EuroClub and the cultural and entertainment programme will be announced in the coming weeks and months, the organisers said.

BNT and Burgas will host the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest after Bulgarian singer DARA secured Bulgaria’s first Eurovision victory at the 2026 edition in Vienna with the song “Bangaranga.”

The Grand Final of the 71st Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday, May 15, while the two semi-finals will be held on Tuesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 13.

Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets for six additional shows taking place between May 10 and 15, according to the organisers. Those wishing to buy tickets must register for the official fan club, Eurofan, free of charge.

Burgas, Bulgaria’s fourth-largest city, is known for its beaches and parks, as well as its cultural life and vibrant summer events, according to the organisers. “The city has built a strong reputation as a host of international music, art and cultural festivals, and its location will provide Eurovision fans with a truly unique setting for the world’s biggest live music event,” the EBU said.

“Burgas brings something truly special to the Eurovision Song Contest. It is a vibrant and welcoming city on the Black Sea, with a strong musical and cultural identity, and it has the ambition, infrastructure and passion needed to welcome the Eurovision family,” Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said.

“For the first Eurovision Song Contest ever to be held in Bulgaria, we want to create something that feels genuinely Bulgarian while remaining unmistakably Eurovision — a celebration that brings people together through music,” he added.

Burgas was selected following a host-city selection process involving four cities. An international working group comprising representatives of BNT and the EBU, together with international experts who have worked on the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years, reviewed the submitted applications, visited the proposed venues, held meetings with municipal teams and conducted numerous working sessions throughout the evaluation process. Burgas and Sofia advanced to the final stage, ahead of Varna and Plovdiv.

BNT said it wants the 2027 edition to be much more than an event taking place in a single city. Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna will also be involved in the accompanying programme.

“This victory comes with great responsibility, and I hope the true winners will be the many international visitors who will come to discover Burgas,” BNT Director-General Milena Milotinova said. “I am convinced that Bulgaria will be a worthy host of Europe’s biggest televised live music event and will showcase the best of our culture, hospitality and professionalism,” she added.

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said that “it is an exceptional honour for us to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2027.” He thanked BNT and the EBU for their trust, adding that “we are now one team, working together to make the next edition of the contest an unforgettable experience, both for the participants and for the hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.”

Nikolov noted that Burgas has “the most modern arena in the country, hotels and excellent transport links, as well as outstanding infrastructure and natural resources.”

“This is not just about one city hosting Eurovision. It is about Bulgaria hosting Eurovision — an entire community, united and inspired,” the Burgas mayor stressed.

Photo: Chat GPT