The Bulgarian Black Sea city of Burgas has been selected to host the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in May 2027. The decision was announced on August 13 by the European Broadcasting Union and the Bulgarian National Television.

The contest will be held at Arena Burgas, one of Bulgaria’s largest modern sports and entertainment complexes. The semi-finals will take place on May 11 and 13, 2027, while the grand final is scheduled for May 15. Burgas will therefore host Europe’s premier music competition for the first time, while Bulgaria will host the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in its history.

Bulgaria won the right to host the competition following the historic victory of singer DARA at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna with the song “Bangaranga”. It was Bulgaria’s first victory in the history of the contest.

Burgas was selected through a competitive bidding process that initially involved four Bulgarian cities. In addition to Burgas, Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna submitted bids. Burgas and Sofia reached the final stage, with the Black Sea city ultimately being selected.

One of the key factors behind the choice of Burgas was the city’s infrastructure, including hotel capacity, transport accessibility, international connections, the readiness of the municipal authorities, and the city’s ability to accommodate large numbers of international visitors. Arena Burgas, which opened in 2023, can accommodate up to 15,000 spectators for concert events. Organizers consider the venue suitable for a large-scale television production that attracts millions of viewers worldwide every year.

Hosting Eurovision could be particularly important for Bulgaria’s tourism sector. Burgas is one of the country’s largest cities on the Black Sea and an important tourist destination. The city is expected to welcome large numbers of foreign tourists, national delegations, journalists, and Eurovision fans during the competition.

Organizers also intend to use Eurovision to promote not only Burgas but Bulgaria as a whole. Related events will be held in other major cities, including Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna. The contest is therefore expected to become a nationwide cultural and tourism event.

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said that hosting the contest would provide an opportunity to showcase not only the city but Bulgaria as a whole to a European audience. According to him, preparations will involve municipalities, government institutions, universities, schools, cultural organizations, artists, volunteers, and local businesses.

For Burgas, hosting Eurovision could also become an important tool for further developing the city as an international tourism and cultural center. In addition to direct revenues from accommodation, transportation, restaurants, and other services, the city will have an opportunity to increase its international visibility.

At the same time, hosting the contest will require extensive preparations. Over the coming months, authorities and organizers will need to coordinate issues related to security, transportation, accommodation for delegations, fan zones, television infrastructure, and the cultural program.

 

Thus, Eurovision 2027 will be not only Bulgaria’s largest music event but also an important tourism and image-building project. The selection of Burgas shifts the focus of the contest from a traditional capital-city venue to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, giving the country an opportunity to showcase its tourism potential to a European audience.

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14.08.2026 06:53