Burgas to Host Eurovision Song Contest in 2027

Burgas, a coastal city in Bulgaria, has been selected to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027. The announcement was made jointly by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The semifinals are slated for May 11 and 13, 2027, with the grand final scheduled for May 15. Burgas emerged as the chosen host city after a selection process that began in June, involving BNT meetings with representatives from four interested cities: Burgas, Varna, Plovdiv, and Sofia.

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I looked at the cities that have hosted Eurovision so far. In recent years, it turns out that many of them were not capitals. We have Basel, Malmö, Liverpool, Rotterdam, and Turin. So, it is not unprecedented for the evaluation commission to choose a city that is not a capital.

A committee comprising representatives from BNT, the EBU, and external experts evaluated the bids. They assessed technical specifications of proposed venues and their alignment with EBU requirements and competition production standards. Milena Milotinova, Director General of BNT, noted that non-capital cities have successfully hosted Eurovision in recent years, citing Basel, Malmö, Liverpool, Rotterdam, and Turin as examples.

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Our ambition is to present Bulgaria as a whole, all that it offers, all its talent and all its beauty, and to make Eurovision a national event, as well as a great international one, as befits a global event of this scale.

Milotinova stated that the evaluation committee conducted a thorough assessment of both Sofia and Burgas, ultimately finding Burgas to be the clear choice. "Our ambition is to present Bulgaria as a whole, all that it offers, all its talent and all its beauty, and to make Eurovision a national event, as well as a great international one, as befits a global event of this scale," she said.

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov expressed his commitment to transforming the Arena Burgas venue for the event. "We will do everything we can to ensure that we perform at a high level and that Burgas remains recorded as a successful host in the long history of this wonderful and largest live music event in the world," Nikolov stated. He highlighted Burgas's popularity as a center on the southern Black Sea coast, boasting good infrastructure and connectivity. Plans include hosting the Turquoise Carpet event by the sea and locating the Eurovision Village in the city center, with additional locations considered based on weather conditions.

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We will do everything we can to ensure that we perform at a high level and that Burgas remains recorded as a successful host in the long history of this wonderful and largest live music event in the world.