The European Broadcasting Union and Bulgarian National Television announced that the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 will be hosted in Burgas, a coastal city on the Black Sea, scheduled for May 12-15. The event will be held at Arena Burgas, the country’s newest sports and entertainment venue that opened in 2023.
Burgas was selected following a competitive bidding process involving four Bulgarian cities. The final selection came down to Burgas and Sofia, with Varna and Plovdiv eliminated in earlier rounds. The choice of Burgas rather than the capital surprised some observers, as both the winning artist and Bulgarian television officials had previously indicated Sofia would host the event after Bulgaria’s maiden Eurovision victory earlier this year.
EBU director Martin Green stated that Burgas offers the necessary infrastructure, including hotel capacity and international transportation links, alongside its cultural identity and venue capabilities. Officials from both the EBU and Bulgarian National Television emphasized that the contest would celebrate Bulgarian culture while maintaining the Eurovision tradition. Previous host cities have experienced significant economic impacts, with Liverpool reporting a €66 million boost in 2023, Malmö €40 million in 2024, and Basel €58 million in 2025.
Separately, Eurovision organizers updated competition rules earlier this week to prohibit countries involved in armed conflicts from hosting the contest the following year. The amendment also disqualifies hosts if a sensitive geopolitical situation threatens the security or stability of their state or region. The rule change was approved by the contest’s governing body following feedback from broadcasters and has been widely interpreted as a response to ongoing debate regarding Israel’s participation in the competition.
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