Following Bulgaria’s historic first victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with Varna-born artist DARA, the Black Sea city of Varna is already making a strong case to host the 2027 edition. Mayor Blagomir Kocev highlights the city’s robust infrastructure and cultural readiness to welcome the prestigious event.
Varna’s Strong Bid for Eurovision 2027
Mayor Blagomir Kocev is all set to bring the Eurovision Song Contest to DARA’s birthplace aka Varnae, he emphasised that Varna possesses strong arguments to be the next host city.
According to Mayor Kocev, Varna boasts a developed infrastructure, a modernised airport, a large port, and an excellent hotel base, all crucial for accommodating an event of Eurovision’s scale. The city also offers a vibrant cultural tourism scene. Kocev expressed confidence that Varna is fully prepared to welcome guests from across the globe in 2027. He further noted Varna’s advantageous geographical location, which he believes would contribute significantly to the successful staging of the contest.
A key element of Varna’s proposal is its modern and functional sports hall, the Palace of Culture and Sports, specifically the Kongresna Hall. This venue, with a capacity of approximately 6,000 spectators, is considered one of the most suitable in Bulgaria for hosting such a large-scale event. Mayor Kocev highlighted that the arena has recently undergone renovation, ensuring it meets international standards.
We should note that one of the EBU’s requirements is to have a venue with a minumum capacity of 10,000 specators. Hence Varna would fall short in order to be eligible to host the competition in Bulgaria next year. So far four Bulgarian cities have showcased their intention to host Eurovision 2027 next year: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas with Sofia being the frontrunner with the strongest chances to belt the coveted bid to host the contest.
