DARA wins Eurovision 2026

Bulgaria’s DARA won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on May 16 with “Bangaranga,” delivering the country’s first victory in the competition’s history. Eurovision’s official site says the win came in Bulgaria’s first year back in the contest since 2022, and that DARA topped both the jury and public vote. The result was followed almost immediately by celebrations in Sofia and a separate wave of online falsehoods about the vote. Bulgarian outlets and international reports described large crowds greeting DARA after her return, while Euronews reported that viral claims the contest had been “fixed” were unsupported and contradicted by Eurovision’s voting system. (eurovision.com) ### How big was the win? Eurovision’s official Vienna 2026 page says DARA’s victory was historic for two reasons: it was Bulgaria’s first Eurovision title and it came with a 173-point margin over second place, a new contest record. The site also says “Bangaranga” was the first winner since 2017 to top both the jury score and the public vote. (bnrnews.bg) Euronews reported that DARA beat 24 other finalists in Vienna. Its live coverage said Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second after leading before the public vote was fully revealed, while Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu placed third and Finland, widely seen as a favorite beforehand, ended in sixth. (eurovision.com) ### Who is DARA, and what was Bulgaria’s entry? Eurovision’s artist profile identifies DARA as a Bulgarian pop singer with multiple domestic No. 1 hits and more than 80 million listens and views across her songs and videos. The site says her 2025 album was titled “ADHDARA” and that she had also served as a mentor on “The Voice of Bulgaria.” (euronews.com) Eurovision’s pre-contest coverage says “Bangaranga” was written by Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea, Darina Nikolaeva Yotova and Dimitris Kontopoulos. Radio Bulgaria reported earlier that DARA described the title as translating as “riot” from Jamaican. ### What happened in Sofia after the final? (eurovision.com) On May 17, Associated Press reported that hundreds of cheering fans waving Bulgarian flags welcomed DARA at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport after the victory. AP said Bulgaria’s major television stations changed programming to carry live coverage from the airport, where DARA arrived holding the trophy. (eurovision.com) Radio Sofia’s May 19 coverage listed an item headlined “Sofia celebrates Dara’s victory at Eurovision,” indicating the homecoming celebrations continued in the capital after the airport reception. Sofia Airport separately said DARA’s arrival marked a historic moment for Bulgaria after the “Bangaranga” win. ### What were the false “fixed contest” claims? (usnews.com) Euronews reported on May 19 that a viral X post had claimed Eurovision 2026 was secretly fixed in Finland’s favor and alleged a €16 million payment. The outlet said the account offered no verifiable evidence, had no confirmed link to Eurovision, and was contradicted by the outcome because Finland finished sixth while DARA won. (bnrnews.bg) A spokesperson for the European Broadcasting Union, quoted by Euronews, called the allegation “false information.” Euronews also said Eurovision’s final combines public televotes with rankings from seven-member national juries, with votes processed through telecom, payment and national voting partners before independent verification. (euronews.com) ### What comes next after Bulgaria’s win? As the 2026 winner, Bulgaria is next in line to host Eurovision in 2027 under the contest’s usual arrangement, though the host city and venue have not yet been formally announced on Eurovision’s official site. Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said on DARA’s return that the capital was ready to host the next edition in 2027, according to AP coverage. (euronews.com) Eurovision’s official pages for Vienna 2026 remain the main source for final results, participant biographies and contest updates as organizers move toward the next host announcement. (eurovision.com) (lethbridgeherald.com)