Despite requests on social networks, a protest in front of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) building in Sofia did not take place. The event was supposed to start at 6:00 p.m., but for an hour after the agreed time, there were only journalists and media representatives in the space in front of the building, writes GlasNews.
The event was organized on social networks, and the reason was the choice of Burgas as the host city of "Eurovision" next year.
The organizers did not insist on BNT publishing the criteria, their weight and the ratings of the two final cities on social networks, so that it would be clear how the decision was made. The demonstration is not directed against Burgas, but aims for more transparency and an answer to the question of why Sofia was neglected despite its greater transport, infrastructure and organizational capacity.
"It is increasingly difficult to hide the feeling that Sofia is being punished because it is not governed by the “right“ people. That even Eurovision can be turned into a tool for political positioning before the presidential and local elections," says the event's announcement on Facebook.
There were two police cars in front of the building, which left half an hour after the agreed start of the protest.
We recall that on Thursday, public television announced that the seaside city would host the 71st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. With this, the final phase of selecting the host city ended. Plovdiv and Varna were eliminated at an earlier stage.
The news immediately caused sharp reactions on social networks in our country. Even today, the topic finds echoes on Threads, Facebook and TikTok, where users argue whether the choice was the right one.
Some have hinted that political games are behind it. According to allegations, including those of former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who yesterday concluded in a post on social networks that the choice was made for the "gerbadjiites".
"The interest is clear: that Vasil Terziev should not get the opportunity to organize a major European event in Sofia right before the local elections. If the capital had done Eurovision the way it did with the Giro d’Italia — modern, European and with international visibility — the positives for the mayor would be obvious", wrote Petkov.
Similar accusations were expressed by other users on social networks, and today the general director of BNT Milena Milotinova announced that Burgas was chosen because it "presented the strongest candidacy".
"This includes a place to hold the event, a very strong commitment from the municipality, transport connectivity, good infrastructure, a good base for hotel accommodation and also a vision of how to make the overall experience so that it becomes a memorable event. The assessment is complex, the documents are dozens of pages", she said today on the air of the oldest television in our country.
Another part of the argumentation of some why Burgas is not the right place for "Eurovision" is connectivity. According to users, guests will have to land at the airport in the capital anyway before going to Burgas, as "Burgas airport has no connectivity and capacity". Traveling from Sofia to the sea is also absurd.
"Will foreigners travel with BDZ? Poor people!", some pointed out.
The prices of accommodation in the area also became a reason for comments. As GlasNews detailed on Thursday, the prices of accommodation are astronomical, and their number is very limited.
The cheapest of the remaining accommodations on AirBnB costs 4,800 euros for six nights, while the most expensive reaches 18,000 euros, which means that the most affordable one costs 800 euros per night, and the most expensive one costs an impressive 3,000 euros per night.
On Booking.com, the lowest price for the entire six-day stay is 3,000 euros, and the highest reaches 25,645 euros. This means that even the cheapest offers cost around 500 euros per night, while the most expensive one costs more than 4,270 euros per night, our check showed on the day the decision for "Eurovision" was announced. 2027.
However, the data represents a snapshot of the market. Prices and availability on Booking.com and Airbnb are subject to constant change, and the amounts are set by the accommodations and hosts themselves. The offers shown do not mean that they will actually be booked at these prices. Nor do they mean that these are the only places that will be available.