Eurovision Winner DARA Honoured at Public Event in Sofia

Teodora Tsaneva, Yoana Novakova, Siyana Dimitrova, Marina Chertova

Bulgarian singer DARA performs in downtown Sofia, May 19, 2026 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Sofia,

19.05.2026 21:24

(BTA)

A large crowd of fans waving Bulgarian flags gathered in downtown Sofia on Tuesday evening to celebrate Bulgarian singer DARA following her victory at Eurovision 2026. The celebration, organized by the Sofia Municipality and Bulgarian National Television (BNT), also marked the 10th anniversary of the singer’s professional music career.

“My dream has always been to bring people together. Thank you for making my dreams come true,” DARA said, addressing the crowd from a stage in Knyaz Alexander I Square. She performed her Eurovision-winning song Bangaranga and walked along a 60-metre red carpet laid out in her honour. DARA said that Bangaranga is currently climbing the global streaming charts, adding that the song ranks 11th among the most-streamed tracks on Spotify’s global chart and could soon enter the Billboard charts. She urged fans to continue sharing the song across video and music platforms to help it reach the top of the global rankings.

Speaking from the stage, BNT Director General Milena Milotinova said BNT was already broadcasting live coverage of the celebrations across Europe and noted that the race to host Eurovision's 71st edition was only beginning. DARA’s Eurovision victory has earned Bulgaria the right to organize next year’s competition, with Sofia, Varna - DARA's hometown, Burgas, and Plovdiv already expressing interest in hosting the event, she noted.

”DARA has unlocked our hearts,” Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said during the event and symbolically presented the singer with the key to Sofia along with a large bouquet of flowers.

“I am especially proud to be from Varna because DARA is here, and I want to thank her as an ambassador for Varna,” Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev told the crowd.

Speaking to reporters later, Terziev said that regardless of which city is ultimately selected to host Eurovision 2027, Bulgaria should present a united front. Asked what advantages Sofia has over Varna in the bid to host the competition, he pointed to the capital’s larger hotel capacity, bigger airport, and stronger transport connections. He also noted that Sofia has a venue with nearly twice the capacity of comparable arenas in other Bulgarian cities.

/IV/