Пераможца конкурсу "Еўрабачанне-2026" - балгарская спявачка Dara (у цэнтры). Фота: скрыншот з відэатрансляцыі.
The grand final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest has ended at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital. The jubilee show went down in history not only because of Bulgaria’s unexpected victory and a parade of past stars, but also because of the contest’s biggest political crisis in half a century.
This year’s winner was Bulgaria, which bookmakers had not even considered a top favorite. Israel took second place.
Bulgarian singer DARA (Darina Yotova) literally brought the house down with her fiery dance-pop hit “Bangaranga.” Its unusual choreography and powerful beat won over both national juries and viewers around the world, giving the country a record 516 points (312 from viewers and 204 from juries). It was Bulgaria’s first victory in the entire history of its participation in the contest.
The song, which combines drum and bass with Bulgarian brass instruments, can be described as a manifesto of inner freedom. DARA sings about rebellion, a wild passion for life, temptation and dancing until one’s pulse is gone. The lyrics call for living life to the fullest here and now. It was this primal energy, combined with a modern club Balkan sound, that broke through to European viewers.
It is worth noting that the battle for the crystal microphone remained tense until the very end.
Second place went to Israel’s representative, Noam Bettan, with the song “Michelle.” His track received enormous support — 220 points from the public and 343 points in total.
Third place went to Romanian performer Alexandra Căpitănescu with the song “Choke Me,” which scored 296 points.
The top five were rounded out by Australia, represented by pop diva Delta Goodrem, and Italy, represented this year by Italian audience favorite Sal Da Vinci with the very stylish ballad “Per sempre sì.”
Since this was the 70th, jubilee contest, the organizers gave viewers a real treat and brought together a whole cohort of legends from previous years on the Wiener Stadthalle stage. But there was a twist: the stars performed not their own songs, but famous hits by their Eurovision colleagues.
Favorites of Eastern European audiences also received a warm welcome in the hall: the medley featured Verka Serduchka, Alexander Rybak and Ruslana — in particular, the Ukrainian singer performed Loreen’s “Euphoria.”
Alexander Rybak came on stage with his trademark violin, but instead of “Fairytale” performed a cover version of the 1968 track “Congratulations.” Verka Serduchka performed the Italian hit “Nel blu, dipinto di blu.”
The medley also featured the famous Lordi, Erika Vikman, Max Mutzke and Maltese singer Miriana Conte.
Music experts are unanimous that Eurovision 2026 showed a high musical standard. Even without the jubilee features, the lineup itself was very strong — from dramatic ballads to high-quality club electronica. Critics emphasize that the contest has finally moved away from its “freak show” reputation and turned into a major platform for showcasing cutting-edge pop industry trends and sophisticated visual technologies. The stadium sound and lighting in Vienna were described as “flawless.”
Nevertheless, the celebration of music took place under the shadow of a serious political scandal. This contest faced the largest demarche by participating countries since 1970.
Five states — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — officially refused to take part in the contest in protest against Israel’s presence amid the war in Gaza. The public broadcasters of these countries said they considered participation “unacceptable in connection with the humanitarian crisis.” As a result, the number of participating countries fell to 35, the lowest in 23 years, dealing a serious blow to the European Broadcasting Union’s television ratings.
Despite the boycott and protests outside the Wiener Stadthalle, Israel’s representative Noam Bettan managed to win second place: his song received high scores precisely thanks to support from European viewers in the vote.
The next Eurovision 2027 is officially heading to Sofia.
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