Arena Burgas: what the EBU release actually says

On 13 August 2026 the EBU and BNT announced that Eurovision 2027 will be held in Burgas. Most of what has been written about the venue since goes further than that release does. This page stays inside it.

The release, line by line

The venue. Arena Burgas, which opened in 2023. The release names it and says when it opened, and says nothing else about the building.

The dates. The first semi-final on Tuesday 11 May, the second on Thursday 13 May and the Grand Final on Saturday 15 May 2027. It is the 71st contest and Bulgaria's first as host, after Dara's win in Vienna with "Bangaranga".

The preview shows. Six of them, from Monday 10 May to Saturday 15 May, alongside the three broadcasts. Nine shows in one week, in one arena.

Tickets. Buying one will require a Eurofan account, and the details of the sale come "in the coming months". No date, no prices and no ticketing partner.

The programme around the shows. Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna are named as part of the accompanying programme. Named, not described.

Who spoke. The release carries a quote from BNT's director general, Milena Milotinova.

And what the release does not contain, which matters as much: no capacity, no logo, no presenters and no executive supervisor. No slogan either, and there will not be one, because "United by Music" is the contest's permanent slogan.

Capacity: why we write TBA

A figure of 15,000 for Arena Burgas is easy to find. It is a concert figure, quoted by fan sites and on Wikipedia, and it describes the arena at its largest, not the arena with a Eurovision production inside it.

Nobody official has stated a contest capacity. The EBU release does not give one, and BNT's own Eurovision site, eurovision2027.bg, says the capacity and final configuration will be settled after technical planning. Until one of them publishes a number, the host-city page says TBA, and so does this one.

The works around the arena

Work on the ground around Arena Burgas began in the week of 17 August 2026, reported as levelling the terrain for the outside-broadcast vans and the technical compound. The plan reported with it: eight OB vans, around 1,000 journalists expected, and the locations of the press and media centre still under assessment.

Those figures come from BNT and the municipality's own reporting, not from the EBU release, and they are plans rather than results. They say what is being prepared for, which is the most useful thing to know in the autumn and the easiest thing to misread as settled.

Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna: the accompanying programme

The release names the three cities and nothing more. What the programme is, where in each city it happens and when has not been published. The municipality's statement on the same day pointed residents to two sites, info.gotoburgas.com and eurovision2027.bg, for the programme, tickets, accommodation and volunteering as they are announced.

If you are planning a trip, our Burgas guide covers the city itself, and the host-city page is updated as announcements come.

What is not settled for 2027

The contest capacity of Arena Burgas. Ticket prices, the on-sale date and the ticketing partner. The logo and visual identity, the presenters and the executive supervisor. What the accompanying programme in Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna consists of, and where the press centre will be. None of it has been announced by the EBU or BNT. The 13 August release is the whole of what is official about the venue, and the tracker and the host-city page will carry whatever follows.