Eurovision organizers announced Thursday that next year’s competition will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria, on May 11, 13 and 15 — which is expected to prompt Israel to request to perform in the second semifinal.

The first semifinal of the annual song contest is slated to be held on the evening between Israel’s Memorial Day and Independence Day. Israel has in the past been granted such requests to avoid performing or rehearsing on Memorial Day — most recently in 2016 in Stockholm. The overlap is not uncommon since the competition is always held in May.

Burgas is a popular vacation destination for Israelis, and both Israir and Bluebird Airways operate direct flights to the city from Tel Aviv. The city edged out capital Sofia to stage next year’s contest following a “complex” evaluation, “covering all EBU requirements,” Bulgarian National Television (BNT) general director Milena Milotinova told a press conference.

It will be the first time that Bulgaria has hosted the contest after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year’s contest in the Austrian capital Vienna with the catchy........

© The Times of Israel