Bulgaria’s Dara wins Eurovision contest, beating out Israel for top spot

The usually good-natured competition has faced a boycott by five countries over the Gaza conflict Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time on Saturday in a final overshadowed by five countries’ boycott over Gaza, claiming a dramatic ‌victory despite another big public vote for Israel that secured it second place. The garish and usually good-natured competition involving pop acts from countries across Europe and beyond, now in its 70th year, has been plunged into crisis by a dispute over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, a response to ⁠the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. The public broadcasters of heavyweights Spain, the Netherlands ‌and Ireland, as well as Iceland and Slovenia, are not taking part in protest against Israel’s participation. Its performance at the final was not, ⁠however, marred by ⁠any obvious protests, unlike Tuesday’s semi-final. “This is unbelievable. I don’t even know what’s going on right now,” Bulgaria’s entrant Dara told a press conference after winning with her thumping, crowd-pleasing dance track “Bangaranga” that avoided politics altogether. The song touches on themes of empowerment and surrendering to the night. ⁠It also left many puzzled as to its meaning.

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