Bulgaria’s seaside city of Bourgas chosen to host 2027 Eurovision Song Contest

Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea city of Bourgas will be the host city of the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, it was announced on August 12.

Bourgas beat the other city that had been shortlisted, Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.

Bulgaria is the host country of next year’s song contest following Dara’s victory in the May 2026 Eurovision with the song Bangaranga.

Initially, four cities bid to host the contest, with Plovdiv and Varna being eliminated in a decision announced on July 13.

A commission, including members of public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and experts, reviewed the applications and assessed the technical characteristics of the proposed venues, their compliance with EBU requirements and the production standards of the competition.

BNT said that as the public broadcaster, a member of the EBU and the host television of Eurovision 2027, BNT has the leading role in the preparation and organization of the contest in partnership with the EBU.

BNT director-general Milena Milotinova said that the Grand Final would be held on May 15.

Bourgas mayor Dimitar Nikolov told a joint news conference with Milotinova: “Bourgas is honoured and privileged to host Eurovision 2027 Song Contest.

“I would like to thank the BNT and the EBU for the exceptional opportunity for Bourgas to present the beauty of Bulgaria. All the guests and fans that are going to follow and see the broadcast will feel Bulgaria and will give our best to show the best of Bulgaria and Bourgas,” Nikolov said.

Bourgas is popular as the centre of southern Bulgarian seaside with its excellent infrastructure and connectivity, he said.

“Bourgas and the region around the Bourgas Bay is a territory that every year hosts many times more tourists than the expected guests of Eurovision,” Nikolov said.

“So I’m pretty sure that the experience that we have in hosting so many tourists every year, it will be really helpful together with all the resources that we have to ensure excellent holding of the Song Contest and the newest sports hall, sports facility that is in Bourgas.”

He said that Bourgas has a lot of capabilities, resources to provide good opportunities for the equipment and the guests to attend any such events and it will be the best possible venue for this central event.

One of the locations at the seaside, at the beach itself, very near the seashore, in the sea garden of Bourgas, it will be where the events will start, will present the Bulgarian seaside, the territory around Bourgas, in the best possible and attractive manner, Nikolov said.

The national air carrier will provide additional flights from Sofia, the news conference was told. The Bourgas airport will host further flights.

“We have talked to the Istanbul airport, because it’s really near, which will provide further support for us in terms of connectivity.”

Varna airport will also help if necessary, because it is identical to the Bourgas airport.

“We have already talked to these operators. One of the challenges is airports, because we expect much higher traffic.”

And the airport of Bourgas can meet around 21 flights per hour, around 20 000 passengers, the news conference was told.

The EBU said on its websie that the contest will be staged at Bulgaria’s newest sports and entertainment venue, Arena Bourgas, which was opened in 2023.

A full schedule of activities will take place around the contest in Bourgas during Eurovision week. More details about Eurovision Village, EuroClub and the wider cultural and entertainment programme will be revealed in the coming weeks and months, the EBU said.

Fans will also have the chance to buy tickets for six further Preview Shows taking place between May 10 and 15. All those wishing to buy tickets must sign up to Eurofan, the official, free fanclub, to enter the sale when it begins. Further news on ticket sales will follow in the coming months, the broadcasting union said.

“Bourgas was ultimately selected for its strong overall proposition, combining the venue and technical potential required for the Eurovision Song Contest with accommodation capacity, transport and international connectivity, strong commitment from the municipality and a clear vision for transforming the entire city into part of the Eurovision experience,” the EBU said.

It said that BNT’s ambition is also for Eurovision Song Contest 2027 to be much more than an event taking place in a single city. Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna will also be involved in the accompanying programme, building on the enthusiasm, ideas and commitment they demonstrated throughout the process, it said.