Share to ClassroomBulgaria Wins 70th Eurovision Contest
Bulgarian singer Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. Her party song Bangaranga gave Bulgaria its first-ever Eurovision win. She performed at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna and beat 24 other acts. Dara was not a favourite before the show, but her dance routine and strong beats won over both national juries and TV voters across Europe. Israel's Noam Bettan finished second. Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu came third with the song Choke Me.
The contest happened during a third year of political tension over Israel's place in Eurovision. Five longtime countries— Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia— boycotted the show in protest at Israel's war in Gaza. Hundreds of protesters marched near the arena holding signs that said Block Eurovision. A separate concert called No stage for genocide was held outdoors in Vienna. Bettan's song received loud cheers but also some boos.
Eurovision director Martin Green asked viewers to put politics aside and enjoy the show. Last year, 166 million people around the world watched the contest. The United Kingdom finished last again with the song Eins, Zwei, Drei— its third bottom-place finish since 2020. Eurovision will also start a new spinoff called Eurovision Song Contest Asia, which will debut in Bangkok this November.
