Multiple Bulgarian cities express Eurovision 2027 interest

Bulgaria has moved from celebration to early host-city jockeying less than a week after winning the Eurovision Song Contest, with multiple cities signaling interest in staging the 2027 edition. That Eurovision Site reported on May 21 that four Bulgarian cities had already expressed a desire to host next year’s contest. The interest followed Bulgaria’s first Eurovision victory, secured by DARA with “Bangaranga” in Vienna on May 16. Eurovisionworld’s results page lists Bulgaria on 516 points, ahead of Israel on 343 and Romania on 296. ### Which Bulgarian cities are in the frame already? That Eurovision Site said four cities have so far emerged in the early conversation: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. The report described them as having expressed interest rather than having entered any formal bidding round, a distinction that matters because the European Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster typically set technical and financial criteria later in the process. (thateurovisionsite.com) Sofia is Bulgaria’s capital and the country’s largest city, while Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas give the process a mix of inland and Black Sea contenders. At this stage, no final shortlist or official bid book process has been announced publicly by BNT or the EBU. That leaves the current phase as one of declarations and positioning rather than formal selection. (thateurovisionsite.com) ### How did Bulgaria get here so quickly? DARA won the 2026 contest for Bulgaria with “Bangaranga” on 516 points, according to Eurovisionworld’s official results page. The same results page shows Bulgaria taking 312 points from the public vote and 204 from juries in the grand final. Associated Press reported the win as Bulgaria’s first-ever Eurovision victory. (thateurovisionsite.com) The 2026 contest was held in Vienna, Austria, at Wiener Stadthalle on May 16. Eurovisionworld lists 35 participating countries in the 2026 edition, while the EBU said in a December 2025 press release that 35 broadcasters would compete in the 70th contest in Vienna between May 12 and May 16. ### Why is Bulgaria’s role notable this year? The EBU said in December that BNT, Bulgaria’s public broadcaster, was returning to the contest after a three-year absence. (eurovisionworld.com) Bulgaria was one of three broadcasters — alongside Romania’s TVR and Moldova’s TRM — singled out by the EBU as returning for the 2026 edition. That means Bulgaria has gone from non-participant to host nation in a single contest cycle. That Eurovision Site linked the host-city interest directly to the speed of that turnaround, reporting that the country’s win came in its first year back after the hiatus. ### What usually decides a Eurovision host city? (ebu.ch) The European Broadcasting Union and the host broadcaster typically run the selection, with venue size, production capacity, hotel supply, transport links and financing among the core issues in past host races. The EBU’s Vienna 2026 materials show how central the broadcaster is to staging: ORF hosted the 2026 contest at Wiener Stadthalle after Austria’s 2025 win. (thateurovisionsite.com) For Bulgaria, the lead domestic institution will be BNT. Any city that wants the 2027 contest would need to align with broadcaster requirements and EBU standards once those are published. ### What comes next in the 2027 process? BNT and the EBU have not yet published a formal Eurovision 2027 host-city timetable in the material reviewed for this story. (ebu.ch) The next public milestone is likely to be an official launch of the host selection process, followed by bid submissions and venue assessments, based on the structure used in previous years. That is an inference from past Eurovision practice rather than a newly announced schedule. Eurovoix separately reported that Luxembourg intends to compete again in the 2027 contest in Bulgaria, indicating that participating broadcasters are already treating Bulgaria as next year’s host country even before a host city is named. The unresolved question now is which Bulgarian city BNT and the EBU choose to put on the final stage. (thateurovisionsite.com) (ebu.ch)