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Bulgaria's Dara Wins Eurovision 2026, Triggers Protests

5/17/2026

Summary

Dara Wins

Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on 16 May 2026.
Bulgaria scored 516 points, with 312 from the public vote and 204 from juries.
Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second with 343 points.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain boycotted, prompting hundreds to protest in Vienna.
Bulgaria will host the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest.

Summary

BBC Broadcasts

BBC will broadcast Eurovision 2026 final on Saturday 16 May at 8 pm on BBC One and iPlayer, commentated by Graham Norton.
Austrian hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski will present from Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle while voting opens before first song and closes 40 minutes after performance.
Kalshi’s odds give Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen 47 % to win, Australia’s Delta Goodrem 25 % and Greece’s Akylas 8 %, forecast Israel’s Noam Bettan 54 % televote lead and Australia 57 % jury lead.

History

Historical Context

On 6 April 1974 the BBC staged the 19th Eurovision Song Contest at Brighton’s Dome, where Sweden’s ABBA won with “Waterloo” scoring 24 points from eighteen countries. The event marked the BBC’s fourth takeover after previous hosts declined, and ABBA’s victory sparked Sweden’s rise as a global pop-music exporter, a trend echoed in later contests.

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Dara Wins

Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on 16 May 2026.
Bulgaria scored 516 points, with 312 from the public vote and 204 from juries.
Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second with 343 points.
Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain boycotted, prompting hundreds to protest in Vienna.
Bulgaria will host the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest.

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