Canada will participate in Eurovision Song Contest 2027

Canada will be the newest participant of the Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria next May.

Participation is open to all members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and is not confined solely to countries within geographic Europe. Canada joined the EBU last week, becoming the first new Eurovision participant since Australia in 2015.

The EBU and the Canadian public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada announced the news on Canada Day, July 1.

"Our participation in the Eurovision Song Contest," says Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO of CBC, "starting next year in Bulgaria, will allow Canadian talent to be showcased on one of the most storied music stages in the world."

This will not be the first time that Canadian acts have competed in Eurovision. Céline Dion famously competed under the Swiss flag in 1988.

The competition is to be held in Bulgaria next May, as a result of Bulgarian singer Dara winning the 70th Eurovison contest in Vienna last May.

This year, longtime participants such as Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands withdrew from the competition as a result of the EBU's failure to exclude Israel from the contest.

In a statement, RTÉ said Ireland's participation in the competition "would be unconscionable given the ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza."