Sofia is preparing a major celebration for DARA following Bulgaria’s historic triumph at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
The open-air Bangaranga party will begin at 18:00 at Prince Alexander I Square, where fans will have the chance to welcome the singer at a large-scale city celebration.
The event is being organised jointly by Sofia Municipality and BNT.
Live coverage of the event will begin on BNT 1 at 18:45, while audiences will also be able to follow it online via BNT News and the broadcaster’s social platforms.
The signal will also be sent to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), where it may be distributed through the organisation’s video exchange network.
The event will be hosted by Boryana Gramatikova, head of Bulgaria’s Eurovision 2026 delegation and presenter of BNT’s programme Otblizo (“From a Close Up”).
The celebrations will carry a double significance, as DARA is also marking ten years on stage.
Large video screens will revisit key moments from her artistic journey, culminating in her emphatic victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna.
The highlight of the evening will come when DARA herself takes to the stage. Audiences both in the square and watching on television will relive the emotional moment Bulgaria was announced as the winner of Eurovision 2026, before the night concludes with a live performance of Bangaranga.
As a public service broadcaster and member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Bulgarian National Television (BNT) is the only broadcaster entitled to participate in Eurovision by officially selecting and sending Bulgaria’s representative.
BNT organised a national selection process for Eurovision 2026. In the first stage, a combination of jury and public voting selected DARA as Bulgaria’s representative. In the second stage, jury and viewers chose Bangaranga from three songs specially written for her to represent the country on the Eurovision stage.
Police and Sofia Municipality are introducing enhanced security measures ahead of the large-scale DARA celebration in the city centre.
Access to Prince Alexander I Square will be controlled through designated security checkpoints, while temporary traffic restrictions are also being introduced around the concert area.
From 12:00, vehicle traffic in both directions is being restricted along Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, as well as Aksakov Street and Georgi Benkovski Street.
From 16:00, vehicle access will be prohibited along Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard between Vasil Levski Boulevard and Georgi S. Rakovski Street.
Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev said preparations are designed to accommodate as many people as possible.
“The important thing is that there will be a red carpet and three stages. Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard will be closed so that we can gather as many people as possible here in the square. I think it will become a fantastic party.
Everything is focused on DARA and the three DJs warming up beforehand — Theo, Teddy Giorgio and Dias. A further 50 metres in this direction will also feature a red carpet,” he said.
The Chair of the Sofia Municipal Council, Tsvetomir Petrov, has proposed that DARA, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, be awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Sofia.
He has also proposed that Virginia Records, the company behind her production and management, receive the Honorary Badge of Sofia Municipality.
The proposals are expected to be reviewed and voted on by the Sofia Municipal Council at its meeting on 28 May.
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