Twenty-one years of trying. One night of absolute dominance.

Bulgarian pop star Dara swept the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Saturday, winning her country’s first ever title with “Bangaranga” — a thunderous dance anthem that crushed the field by a record 173-point margin.

The 27-year-old topped both the jury and public vote, finishing on 516 points. Israel’s Noam Bettan took second with 343, Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu third with 296. Australia’s Delta Goodrem and Italy’s Sal Da Vinci rounded out the top five.

Not since 2017 has a winner claimed both the jury and audience votes. Dara earned it. Her performance drew on the ancient Bulgarian Kukeri tradition — masked performers chasing away evil spirits — paired with a chorus that proved irresistible across the continent. Even the UK, which finished dead last, awarded her its maximum 12 points in the public vote.

Ah, the UK. Look Mum No Computer’s synth-driven “Eins, Zwei, Drei” mustered a single point from the Ukrainian jury. The public gave it nothing. It is the third time since 2020 that the UK has placed last — a grim run the artist saw coming, admitting beforehand that the song was “Marmite.”

The contest’s platinum anniversary was dimmed by politics. Five countries — Spain, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia — boycotted over Israel’s participation, reducing the field to 35 entries, the fewest since 2003. Hundreds of protesters marched through Vienna ahead of the final, accusing organizers of hypocrisy for excluding Russia in 2022 while permitting Israel to compete amid the war in Gaza.

Next year, the circus moves to Sofia. Bulgaria’s capital has never hosted — and after two decades of near-misses, the country looks ready to throw a party worth the wait.

Sources