Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time on Saturday, as the singer Dara took the title at the 70th edition of the competition in Vienna with the high-energy dance track “Bangaranga”.
Dara finished with 516 points, topping both the national juries and the public vote. Bulgaria had never previously won the contest, and will host the 2027 edition as a result.
Israel’s entrant, Noam Bettan, finished second with the song “Michelle”, performed in French, English and Hebrew, after a strong showing in the public vote. Romania placed third.
Australia’s Delta Goodrem came fourth with the ballad “Eclipse”, and Italy’s Sal Da Vinci was fifth with “Per Sempre Sì”. Twenty-five countries competed in the grand final.
The contest was staged at the Wiener Stadthalle, with Austria hosting after its victory the previous year. Eurovision, watched by tens of millions of viewers across Europe and beyond, remains one of the world’s largest live music events.
Israel’s participation again drew protests and political debate in the run-up to the final, a recurring feature of recent editions, though the result was ultimately decided by the juries and a record public vote.