The Eurovision winner has been added to the festival lineup featuring Russian artists
Bulgarian singer Dara, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, has declined to participate in the Dream Fest music festival in Azerbaijan.
The artist made this decision following a wave of outrage among Eurovision fans over the presence of Russian performers and collaborators in the lineup.
The organizers of this large-scale event had loudly announced the Bulgarian star’s performance as one of the main highlights of the opening ceremony, scheduled for July 23 at the Sea Breeze resort in Baku.
The singer was set to perform her winning hit “Bangaranga.” However, immediately after the official program was released, a major international scandal erupted surrounding the event.
Social media users and European fans of the contest expressed deep disappointment over the singer’s management’s decision to share the stage with representatives of the Russian entertainment industry.
Among the announced festival participants were former Ukrainian artists who betrayed their homeland—Ani Lorak, Artik & Asti, as well as Regina Todorenko as the host.
In addition to them, the list includes Russian performers who have repeatedly participated in the Kremlin’s propaganda events: Stas Mikhailov, Irina Dubtsova, Jigan, Egor Creed, and Alsou.
The Ukrainian Eurovision fan community reacted particularly strongly to the situation, directing a powerful wave of criticism at the singer’s team.
Although the singer’s management initially ignored the criticism and continued the promotional campaign, the wave of outrage and calls for a boycott proved too strong.
Given the serious reputational risks for the newly crowned winner of the prestigious contest, the team made the final decision to completely withdraw her application.
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