Organisers have confirmed that the Eurovision Song Contest will head to the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas in 2027, with the event scheduled to run from 12 to 15 May. The announcement was made jointly by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on Thursday.
The hosting rights come after Bulgarian singer Dara won this year’s contest in Vienna, Austria in May, marking her country’s first-ever Eurovision victory with the energetic dance anthem ‘Bangaranga’.
The competition — including rehearsals, the semi-finals and the grand final — will be staged at Arena Burgas, Bulgaria’s newest sports and entertainment venue, which opened in 2023. Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said organisers were ‘delighted’ with the choice, adding that Burgas would ‘bring something really special’ to the competition. He described the city as ‘a vibrant, welcoming city on the Black Sea with a strong musical and cultural identity.’
The decision came after a competitive bidding process involving four Bulgarian cities. Burgas and the capital, Sofia, advanced to the final stage, with Varna and Plovdiv also submitting initial bids. Some Eurovision followers expressed surprise that the contest will not be held in Sofia, but Green explained that Burgas was chosen for its ‘strong overall proposition, combining the venue and technical potential,’ including hotel capacity, transport and international travel links.
Dara welcomed the news, saying, ‘I’m so happy that Bulgaria will host Eurovision, so be ready because we’re going to scream! And I know that all of my seaside people are great at parties.’ BNT director Milena Miltenova said she was ‘confident’ Bulgaria would be a ‘worthy’ host and would ‘showcase the very best of our culture, hospitality and professionalism.’ Burgas mayor Dimitar Nikolov called it an ‘exceptional honour.’
Eurovision typically brings a significant economic lift to host cities. According to the EBU, Liverpool saw a €66m (£56m) boost in 2023, Malmö €40m in 2024 and Basel €58m in 2025. Residents of Burgas responded positively, with one telling BNT that placing the event by the sea would allow visitors to see more of Bulgaria.
Earlier this week, organisers updated the contest’s rules to bar a winning country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the following year. The amendment, approved by the contest’s governing body following feedback from participating broadcasters after Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, also disqualifies a winner if a ‘sensitive geopolitical situation’ affects the security, safety or stability of their state or region. The change has been widely interpreted as a response to Israel’s continued participation amid criticism of its military actions in Gaza, as well as a measure affecting Ukraine, which has been at war following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision that year, but organisers deemed Kyiv too risky and the UK hosted the contest in Liverpool instead.