Bulgaria’s Sofia and Bourgas shortlisted to host 2027 Eurovision Song Contest

Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia and seaside city Bourgas have been shortlisted to be the host city of the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on July 13.

The municipalities of Varna and Plovdiv have been eliminated from the procedure, BNT said.

Bulgaria is to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 after Dara won the 2026 contest with Bangarange.

BNT said that the first stage of the procedure to choose a host city included an assessment of the technical characteristics of the proposed hall according to the requirements of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the production standards of the competition.

In an official letter to the mayors of the cities that bid to host the contest, BNT Director General Milena Milotinova expressed gratitude to the municipal teams for their professionalism, commitment and serious preparation of the cities’ bids to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2027.

“We would like to emphasize that this decision is the result solely of the assessment according to the previously defined technical and infrastructure criteria, applied equally to all candidates,” Milotinova said.

“It does not question the undeniable qualities of the eliminated cities and their established traditions in the field of music, culture and international festival events, which opens up opportunities for their participation in an accompanying program,” she said.

The EBU’s director for Eurovision Martin Green also addressed the cities that are withdrawing from the contest : “I thank Plovdiv and Varna for their dedication to the Eurovision Song Contest and for their ambition to host an event that unites millions of people around the world through the power of music.

“The strong competition between the cities is eloquent evidence of the significant economic and social benefits that hosting the contest brings. Both applications showed how broad the support is for holding the next edition of the contest in Bulgaria. We hope that both cities will be an active part of the national events related to Eurovision 2027 in May next year,” Green said.

The work of the international working group on the evaluation of the applications is continuing, BNT said.

As The Sofia Globe reported previously, Bulgaria’s Cabinet approved on July 1 an action plan with key dates in the timeline for Eurovision 2027.

By July 31, the host city will be named.

The government’s action plan says that an executive producer, creative director and showrunner must be appointed by August 30.

By September 10, a contract with the venue – the hall to be used – must be signed.

This is followed by a September 30 deadline for allocating spaces within the venue for, among others, a press centre, make-up rooms, costume rooms and VIP area.

October 10 is the deadline for compiling a financing model – funding from the state, the municipality, the European Broadcasting Union, sponsorships and ticket sales.

December 15 is the deadline for a creative concept and visual identity for Bulgaria’s Eurovision 2027.

By the end of November, contracts with hotels must be signed.

The dedicated website is scheduled to be launched at the beginning of 2027, which is also when ticket sales will begin.

From mid-March to April, there are to be exercises and training simulations. In April, temporary facilities, such as tents, fences and signage are to be put up.

While the precise date for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 has not been announced, the action plan sets a schedule of May 18 to 24 for the dismantling of the contest’s facilities at the venue.

(Photo: Arena Bourgas and Sofia’s Arena 8888, formerly Arena Armeec)