Bulgaria has allocated €20 million from its 2026 state budget for preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest 2027, as work accelerates towards the country’s first hosting of the competition in Burgas.
Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov, who heads the interagency organising committee responsible for Eurovision, confirmed the funding following a meeting with Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov on 20 August.
However, the €20 million figure should not be interpreted as the final cost of Eurovision 2027.
Of the amount currently allocated, €15 million is intended as a financial guarantee that must be deposited before the organisational process begins, while the remaining €5 million will be available for immediate operational requirements.
Additional Eurovision funding is expected to be included in Bulgaria’s 2027 state budget, meaning the overall public expenditure associated with hosting the Contest is still to be determined.
Where will the €20 million go?
According to Hristov, the government will take responsibility for areas of the Eurovision organisation that require national investment.
The funding is expected to support preparations including infrastructure, transport, accommodation and the promotion of Bulgaria as an international tourism destination.
This is particularly significant for Burgas. Hosting Eurovision requires considerably more than preparing Arena Burgas for three televised shows.
The city will need to accommodate thousands of international visitors alongside delegations, journalists, production personnel and Eurovision staff. Transport connections, security, temporary infrastructure and accommodation capacity will therefore form part of the wider preparation programme.
The Bulgarian government has indicated that at least five ministries are involved in preparations, highlighting the scale of coordination required between national institutions, BNT and Burgas Municipality.
€15 million is a financial guarantee
The largest part of the current allocation — €15 million — is specifically designated as a guarantee required before the organisational process begins.
That distinction is important.
It means the headline €20 million allocation does not represent €20 million being spent directly on construction, the stage or Arena Burgas.
Only the remaining approximately €5 million has currently been identified for ongoing organisational needs through the end of 2026.
The government has not yet provided a detailed breakdown showing exactly how that operational portion will be distributed.
More money will follow in 2027
The current allocation only covers Eurovision preparations through the end of 2026.
Hristov confirmed that further funding will be included in Bulgaria’s 2027 state budget, which is expected to be considered later this year.
No figure has yet been announced.
That means the final amount Bulgaria will commit to Eurovision cannot currently be calculated simply from the €20 million announced for 2026.
Earlier estimates from Hristov suggested that hosting Eurovision could cost approximately €20–30 million, although those figures were given before the Host City had been selected and before the detailed production and infrastructure requirements had been finalised.
The eventual financing model is also expected to involve more than direct state funding.
Eurovision hosting traditionally combines contributions and revenue from several sources, including the Host Broadcaster, participating broadcasters, sponsorship agreements and ticket sales.
Bulgaria sees Eurovision as a tourism opportunity
The Bulgarian government is also looking beyond the immediate cost of staging the Contest.
Hristov described Eurovision as an opportunity to strengthen Bulgaria’s international tourism image, particularly among visitors who may be travelling to the country for the first time.
With Eurovision reaching a television audience of more than 150 million people internationally, the Host Country receives significant exposure throughout the event.
Bulgaria is expected to use that visibility to promote not only Burgas and the Black Sea coast but the country’s broader tourism offering.
That includes Bulgaria’s beaches, mountains and ski resorts, cuisine, cultural heritage and historical destinations.
For the government, Eurovision is therefore being treated partly as an international marketing investment rather than solely as the cost of producing a television event.
Burgas preparations move into operational phase
The funding confirmation comes as preparations in Burgas begin moving rapidly from planning towards implementation.
Mayor Dimitar Nikolov has warned that organisers are working against tight deadlines, particularly when it comes to administrative procedures and public procurement.
Work is already beginning around Arena Burgas, which will need extensive temporary infrastructure to accommodate Eurovision’s television production.
The venue is also expected to undergo a major test concert before the end of 2026, attended by EBU experts. The event will allow organisers to examine areas including internal logistics and acoustics and correct potential problems before Eurovision arrives.
Security, transportation, accommodation and the wider programme of events around the Contest are being developed simultaneously.
A national project, not only a Burgas event
Although Burgas will host the three Eurovision live shows, Bulgarian authorities have increasingly described Eurovision 2027 as a national project.
Other Bulgarian cities are also preparing to participate in the celebrations.
Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna — all of which competed in the original Host City selection — are exploring Eurovision-related events and public activities during May.
That wider programme could allow the economic and promotional impact of Eurovision to extend beyond the Host City itself.
It could be particularly important for Sofia and Varna, which are likely to act as major international arrival points for fans travelling onward to Burgas.
The final Eurovision bill remains unknown
The €20 million announcement provides the clearest indication yet of the Bulgarian government’s immediate financial commitment to Eurovision 2027, but it does not provide the final price tag for hosting the Contest.
For now, the confirmed picture is straightforward:
€20 million has been earmarked through the end of 2026, €15 million of that amount represents the required financial guarantee, approximately €5 million is available for current needs, and additional state funding is expected in 2027.
The final cost will become clearer as the 2027 budget is prepared and the detailed requirements for Arena Burgas, transport, security, accommodation and Eurovision’s wider infrastructure are finalised.
What is already clear is that Bulgaria is beginning to make a substantial financial commitment to its first Eurovision on home soil — with the government hoping the investment will deliver benefits extending well beyond the three live shows in May.