'Welcome to the Riot': Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026 as Dara's Bangaranga stuns Europe — UK finishes last

17 May 2026 | Vienna, Austria

VIENNA, Austria – Chaos wins. Eurovision once again looked at subtlety, nuance and restraint and said "absolutely not."

Bulgaria has won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in its history, as 27-year-old singer Dara swept to victory with the pulsating party anthem Bangaranga. The song, described by its performer as "pop music with folklore bones," is inspired by kukeri – an ancient Bulgarian ritual where men roam through villages dressed in furry costumes with bells and animal masks.

The precise meaning of "bangaranga" became one of the running jokes of the night. Dara said: "Bangaranga is a special energy that everyone has got in themselves, a feeling that everything is possible."

A song that sounded like three different bangers fighting in a nightclub toilet somehow united juries, televoters and the continent at large. WELCOME TO THE RIOT turned out not to be a lyric, but a mission statement.

A First Victory for Bulgaria After 21 Years

Bulgaria's surprise win means the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and other participating broadcasters will be spared a major headache. Had second-placed Israel won, organisers would have faced difficult questions over where to host the song contest's 2027 edition.

Bulgaria only joined Eurovision in 2005 and sat out the last three editions. This is their first victory in the 70-year history of the contest – a triumph that will see Eurovision 2027 heading to Bulgaria for what can only be assumed will be the most "bangaranga" contest in human history.

"Honestly, this feels like a very Eurovision result," one commentator noted. "Chaos wins."

Israel Finishes Second Amid Protests and Boycotts

Israel's entry Michelle – a romantic pop song about a toxic relationship performed by Noam Bettan – came in second place after performing strongly in the public vote. About 2,000 people turned out for a protest against Israel's inclusion in Vienna's city centre earlier on Saturday.

Five countries boycotted the event over Israel's participation while attacks continue in Gaza. Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland all declined to participate after the EBU changed voting rules but stopped short of preventing Israeli broadcaster Kan from taking part.

In December, Nemo – the Swiss singer who won the 2024 contest – said they were handing back their trophy in protest over Israel's presence in Vienna.

There was some booing during the read-out of Israel's public vote, in response to a group of fans continuing to chant Israel's name. But the crowd reaction to Bettan taking to the stage was warm compared to singer Yuval Raphael's reception in 2025.

UK Finishes Last: Nul Points from the Public

The United Kingdom finished last with Look Mum No Computer, AKA Sam Battle. The YouTube star makes his own synthesisers, but failed to win over neutral voters with song Eins, Zwei, Drei. The song received nul point in the public vote, meaning it did not make it into the top ten in any of the voting countries.

With the exception of Sam Ryder's Space Man in 2022, the UK has enjoyed poor fortune in the competition over the last decade or so, including picking up the dreaded nil points with James Newman in 2021. Belgium and Germany also received zero points in the public vote.

As is now essentially a protected Eurovision tradition, the United Kingdom has received precisely zero points from the public and will finish last. But honestly, at this stage merely making it through three minutes without a catastrophic staging malfunction or an international incident counts as a kind of victory for the UK.

Australia Shines: Delta Goodrem Finishes Fourth

Australia's entry, sung by Delta Goodrem, came fourth – a strong result for the perennial Eurovision fan-favourite. Goodrem, known to UK TV fans for her role in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, gave a stunning performance of her power ballad Eclipse.

Another UK-based act, Boy George of Culture Club, failed to appear in the grand final after the San Marino entry that he had a cameo role in – Senhit's Superstar – failed to qualify from the first semi-final.

The Final Scores: Bulgaria Triumphs

All the juries voted, and the top five were: Bulgaria, Australia, Denmark, France, Finland. But when the public vote was added, the final top five remained: Bulgaria first, Israel second, Ukraine third, Australia fourth, and France fifth.

Finland didn't do nearly as well as expected, and it was a shocker for France – they only got 14 votes from the public. Malta did unexpectedly well – the last time leather trousers had this much electoral success was Måns Zelmerlöw in 2015.

The Interval Acts: A Beautiful Hot Mess

Interval act time! Erika Vikman sang a happy hardcore version of Dana's All Kinds Of Everything. She was joined by Lordi and then the ceremonial annual appearance of Alexander Rybak's violin.

By the time Verka Serduchka arrived to perform Puppet On A String, this felt like the sort of thing you hallucinate after twelve consecutive hours of Eurovision. Then Lordi started singing Save Your Kisses For Me and the entire concept of reality finally collapsed in on itself.

Do we love this hot mess? Yes, obviously. This is what Eurovision was invented for. Lordi Schlager Hits album immediately, please.

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