NewzSOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Next year's Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Burgas, a port city on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, organizers said Thursday.It's the first time the music extravaganza is held in the Balkan country, which scored its first-ever victory in the contest in May, when Bulgarian singer Dara beat 24 other competitors with her infectious party anthem “Bangaranga.”Bulgaria’s public TV broadcaster BNT, which will organize the largest live music event, and the European Broadcasting Union announced the location on Thursday. The two semifinals will take place on May 11 and 13, 2027, while the final will be held on May 15.Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, also had applied to host the event.Eurovision director Martin Green said “Burgas will bring something truly special to Eurovision.”“It is a dynamic and welcoming city on the Black Sea coast with a strong musical and cultural identity, which possesses the ambition, infrastructure, and passion needed to welcome the big Eurovision family,” he said in a statement.Milena Milotinova, head of BNT, told a news conference that together with the EBU and Burgas they “will face intensive joint work to organize a contest that will live up to the high expectations of millions of viewers around the world.”Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said hosting the contest was a major honor for the city.On Wednesday, Eurovision organizers introduced new rules barring countries affected by an armed conflict or other security risks from hosting the contest. Under the new rules, the winning broadcaster will be ineligible to host if an armed conflict, sensitive geopolitical situation or other circumstances threaten the security, safety or stability of the country or surrounding region.The contest has faced security concerns in recent years as tensions rose over the participation of Israel over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere.
Five longtime participants — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — boycotted in protest.The new rules also raised the minimum age for competitors from 16 to 18. Organizers say the change aims to boost safeguarding and protection of younger artists from the pressures associated with competing.__Valentina Petrova contributed to this report It’s the first time the music extravaganza is held in the Balkan country, which scored its first-ever victory in the contest in May, when Bulgarian singer Dara beat 24 other competitors with her infectious party anthem “Bangaranga.” Bulgaria’s public TV broadcaster BNT, which will organize the largest live music event, and the European Broadcasting Union announced the location on Thursday.
Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, also had applied to host the event. Eurovision director Martin Green said “Burgas will bring something truly special to Eurovision.” “It is a dynamic and welcoming city on the Black Sea coast with a strong musical and cultural identity, which possesses the ambition, infrastructure, and passion needed to welcome the big Eurovision family,” he said in a statement. Milena Milotinova, head of BNT, told a news conference that together with the EBU and Burgas they “will face intensive joint work to organize a contest that will live up to the high expectations of millions of viewers around the world.” Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said hosting the contest was a major honor for the city.
On Wednesday, Eurovision organizers introduced new rules barring countries affected by an armed conflict or other security risks from hosting the contest. The contest has faced security concerns in recent years as tensions rose over the participation of Israel over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere. The new rules also raised the minimum age for competitors from 16 to 18.
__ Valentina Petrova contributed to this report Source Burgas, a Black Sea city in Bulgaria, has been chosen to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest after Bulgarian singer Dara won this year's competition. Burgas edged out capital Sofia to stage next year's contest following a 'complex' evaluation.
(File pic)SOFIA: Bulgaria's Black Sea city Burgas was chosen to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest, with the final of the world's biggest live televised music event to take place on May 15, 2027, the organisers announced on Thursday.It will be the first time that the Balkan nation hosts the contest after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year's contest in the Austrian capital Vienna with the catchy floor-filler "Bangaranga"."The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Bulgarian National Television (BNT) are excited to reveal that Burgas has been selected to host the 71st Eurovision Song Contest in May 2027," they said in a press release.The semi-finals will take place on May 11 and May 13, with the final on May 15, they added.Burgas edged out capital Sofia to stage next year's contest following a "complex" evaluation, "covering all EBU requirements," BNT general director Milena Milotinova told a press conference.Burgas is the second-largest city on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, with a population of around 190,000.An important commercial port, it is also one of the main gateways to seaside resorts along the coast, including Sunny Beach, a prime tourist destination for its golden sands.The contest will be held at Arena Burgas, a multifunctional venue with 5,500 seats that can host up to 15,000 people.Burgas mayor Dimitar Nikolov said it was "an honour and a privilege" to be chosen."Thank you for the unique chance to present Burgas, the region, and the beauty of Bulgaria. We will give it our all to perform at a high level and be remembered as a successful host," he said.It is hoped the contest will provide a boost for the tourism sector, which accounts for around 8 percent of GDP in one of the EU's poorest countries.Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting the likes of Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.The 2026 competition was watched by 131 million viewers, down 35 million on the year before after five countries boycotted it over Israel's participation.The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia all pulled out of the contest -- with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all.Eurovision Song Contest organ…
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