Eurovision announces host city for 2027 amid rollout of major changes to hosting requirements
Burgas, a coastal city on Bulgaria’s Black Sea shore, has been confirmed as the host of the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, with the Grand Final scheduled for Saturday, May 15, 2027.
The announcement was made jointly by Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) this morning.
The contest will mark the first time Eurovision has ever been staged in Bulgaria. Two semi-finals are set for Tuesday, May 11, and Thursday, May 13, with all three live broadcasts beginning at 9pm CEST.
The event follows DARA’s triumph at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, where her entry Bangaranga secured Bulgaria’s maiden victory with 516 points and a record-breaking winning margin of 173 points.
Bulgaria’s DARA won the 2026 contest
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Arena Burgas will serve as the main venue for all three shows.
Arena Burgas, which opened its doors in 2023, ranks among Bulgaria’s most modern indoor venues and can hold up to 15,000 spectators for concert events.
It is one of just two arenas in the country that satisfies the capacity requirements for staging the contest.
An international working group made up of BNT and EBU representatives, alongside experts with prior Eurovision production experience, evaluated each bid on criteria including venue infrastructure, accommodation, transport connectivity and financial commitments.
Bulgaria will host this year’s competition following DARA’s win
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Burgas and the capital Sofia were the final two candidates before Burgas was ultimately chosen.
Burgas is Bulgaria’s fourth-largest city, home to roughly 225,000 residents, and is renowned for its beaches, seafront parks and a thriving calendar of cultural and music festivals.
BNT has signalled its ambition for the event to extend well beyond a single city, with Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna all set to feature in the broader programme of accompanying activities.
Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said: “This is not about one city hosting Eurovision. This is Bulgaria hosting Eurovision – an entire community, united and inspired. Our goal is for Europe to experience Bulgaria through Burgas.”
Martin Green, the Eurovision Song Contest director, said: “Burgas brings something really special to the Eurovision Song Contest. It is a vibrant, 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.”
He added: “For the first Eurovision Song Contest ever to be held in Bulgaria, we want to create something that feels truly Bulgarian while also being unmistakably Eurovision — a celebration that brings people together through music.”
BNT Director General Milena Milotinova described the selection process as “intense and highly competitive” and congratulated Burgas.
She said: “The selection of the Host City marks the beginning of the next key stage in Bulgaria’s preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest 2027.”
DARA won Eurovision with her hit Bangaranga
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The announcement comes alongside significant rule changes for the 2027 contest. The EBU has introduced a new provision barring broadcasters from hosting Eurovision if their state is engaged in an “armed conflict” or “sensitive geopolitical situation,” a move it said would ensure a “safe and welcoming environment” for all participants.
The change follows boycotts of the 2026 contest in Vienna by Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia over the continued participation of Israel amid the war in Gaza. The minimum age for competing artists has also been raised from 16 to 18.
Separately, the 2026 final drew 130 million viewers worldwide, down from 160 million the previous year.
Tickets for Burgas 2027 are not yet on sale, though fans can register with Eurofan, Eurovision’s official free fan club, to receive updates.
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