The Netherlands will skip the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027. Dutch public broadcaster NPO announced the withdrawal this week, citing the divisions caused by Israel's continued participation in the songfest while the war in Gaza continues.
It's the end of a messy few months of backtracking. In August, AVROTROS — the broadcaster that normally picks and promotes the Dutch act — pulled out, saying Eurovision could no longer be seen as neutral. A month later NPO stepped in to save the Dutch entry, only to reverse itself entirely. NPO media director Jurre Bosman acknowledged that Israel's involvement has stirred real division in Dutch society, while executive chairman Jet de Ranitz admitted the decision will disappoint fans, but said it is simply too early to take part. The contest will still be broadcast on Dutch public television.
The Netherlands is not alone. Ireland has already confirmed a boycott of the 2027 edition, the head of Spanish public broadcaster RTVE has backed a pull-out, and the Czech Republic withdrew earlier this month, officially blaming budget cuts rather than politics. Five countries — the Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia — already sat out the 2026 contest, and audiences noticed: viewership dropped by 35 million year-on-year to 131 million.
Meanwhile the show itself rolls on. The 2027 contest lands on May 15 in Burgas, a Black Sea port city in Bulgaria — the country's first time hosting. Bulgarian singer Dara (Darina Yotova) earned the right by winning this year's edition in Vienna with the upbeat track Bangaranga. Organisers have ruled that no country involved in an armed conflict can host, a rule designed to sidestep the current controversies, though it hasn't stopped broadcasters from walking.
For the traveller, Eurovision remains one of the biggest single-city tourism events on the calendar — tens of thousands of fans descend on the host city for a week of parties, fan zones and national-culture events, and hotel rooms go fast. Burgas is a new name on that list, and it changes the picture for anyone who already books trips around the contest. It's also a handy excuse to explore the Bulgarian coast: Sunny Beach is next door, and UNESCO-listed Nessebar's old town sits just across the lagoon.
Whether you'll be watching with a Dutch entry involved is another matter. The Netherlands has competed since the very first contest in 1956 and has won five times, most recently with Duncan Laurence's Arcade in 2019 — the first Eurovision song to hit a billion streams on Spotify. Fans there will have to cheer from the couch in 2027.
