Dara gives Bulgaria its first Eurovision victory in Vienna

Bulgaria’s Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on May 16 with the song “Bangaranga,” giving Bulgaria its first victory in the competition. Official Eurovision channels and results trackers said Dara finished on 516 points after the grand final at Wiener Stadthalle, ahead of Israel’s Noam Bettan on 343 and Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu on 296. Vienna hosted 25 finalists on Saturday night after a season overshadowed by disputes over Israel’s participation. Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — boycotted the 2026 contest, according to Eurovisionworld and broadcaster reports. ### How did Dara win it for Bulgaria? Dara secured victory with “Bangaranga,” a dance-pop entry that AP described as a hit with viewers and national juries. (eurovision.com) The singer beat 24 other competitors in the final and delivered Bulgaria’s first-ever Eurovision title. The official Eurovision site said the win was Bulgaria’s first in contest history. (radiotimes.com) Results published after the show listed Dara first on 516 points, a margin of 173 points over Israel in second place. ### Who came closest to stopping her? Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second with “Michelle” on 343 points, after appearing for part of the voting sequence to be in contention for the trophy. (apnews.com) Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu placed third on 296 points, while Australia’s Delta Goodrem was fourth on 287 and Italy’s Sal Da Vinci fifth on 281. (eurovision.com) Euronews, citing AP reporting, said the final public vote changed the shape of the leaderboard and left Bettan in second place. The same report said Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, who had been among betting-market favorites, finished sixth. ### Why was this year’s contest politically fraught? (radiotimes.com) Five broadcasters withdrew from Eurovision 2026 after organizers allowed Israel to remain in the contest. Radio Times and Eurovisionworld identified the boycotting countries as Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain. ABC reported in December that Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia said they would not take part after the European Broadcasting Union declined to expel Israel over the war in Gaza. (euronews.com) Statements cited by ABC included RTÉ saying Ireland’s participation was “unconscionable,” while Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said “humanity and press freedom” had been compromised. (radiotimes.com) Vienna saw demonstrations around the final as the dispute carried into contest week. Euronews, again citing AP reporting, said hundreds marched near the arena before Saturday’s final and that pro-Palestinian groups staged an outdoor concert on Friday under the banner “No stage for genocide.” (abcnews.com) ### How badly did the United Kingdom do? The United Kingdom finished last with one point. Radio Times’ published scoreboard listed “United Kingdom, Look Mum No Computer - 1,” and British media said the act’s lone point came from the jury in Ukraine, with no public vote points. British reports said it was the fourth straight year that the U.K. failed to receive any public-vote points. (euronews.com) The performer, Look Mum No Computer, is the stage name of Sam Battle, according to i newspaper. ### Where does Eurovision go next? The official Eurovision results page said Vienna 2026 was held at Wiener Stadthalle and involved 35 participating countries, with 25 in the grand final. (radiotimes.com) Under Eurovision convention, the winning country gets the right to stage the following year’s contest, subject to broadcaster arrangements. Bulgaria is therefore in line to host Eurovision 2027 after Dara’s win, with Sofia identified by British media as the expected destination for next year’s contest. (inews.co.uk) Organizers have not yet published the 2027 host-city timetable on the official Eurovision homepage. (eurovisionworld.com)