BNT, Bulgarian national broadcaster, have provided a host city update, ahead of the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest.

Following the completion of the first stage of the Host City selection process, which included an assessment of the technical specifications of the proposed venue, its compliance with the requirements of the European Broadcasting Union (the EBU) and the production standards of the Eurovision Song Contest, it’s been announced that the municipalities of Plovdiv and Varna have not advanced to the next round. The bids submitted by both Burgas and Sofia have progressed to the next stage of the process; it will be one of those two cities that will host the 71st Eurovision Song Contest in 2027.

The host city bids had to meet the following criteria:

• A fully equipped event hall with appropriate capacity and infrastructure
• Good international connections and sufficient accommodation in the region
• Clear organisational, security and sustainable implementation capabilities
• The venue must have the capacity for at least 10,000 people
• The venue must be available for a period of eight weeks at a minimum, seven weeks before the final and one week after the final

Plovdiv and Varna were the two cities to miss out. Plovdiv, which is the oldest and second-largest city in Bulgaria, served as a European Capital of Culture in 2019. Varna, meanwhile, is the largest city and seaside resort on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast and has been regarded as an important economic, transport and cultural hub for thousands of years.

Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, had the following to say:

“Thank you to Plovdiv and Varna for their passion for the Eurovision Song Contest and interest in hosting this event that unites millions of people around the world with the power of music. Such intense competition between cities underscores the significant economic and social benefits of hosting. Both bids demonstrated just how widespread the support for next year’s event is across Bulgaria and we hope both cities will be part of the nationwide celebrations next May.”

Milena Milotinova, BNT Director General, had the following to say:

“We would like to emphasise that this decision is based solely on the assessment of the pre-established technical and infrastructure criteria, which were applied equally to all candidates. It does not call into question the undeniable strengths of your cities or their well-established traditions in music, culture and international festivals. This also creates opportunities for their participation in the programme of accompanying events.”

Let us know what you think about Bulgaria and the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

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Author: Richard Taylor

Source: EBU