There are places where music not only resounds, but also energises you. The Festival di Sanremo, celebrating its 76th edition this year, is just such a place.
When the curtain rises on the Teatro Ariston every year in late winter, the whole of Italy, and an audience of millions beyond the country’s borders (available worldwide as a live stream on RaiPlay), shares more than just melodies. It shares emotions. Joy, lightness, defiance, melancholy. Perhaps it is precisely this emotional polyphony that makes the Festival di Sanremo one of the most important competitions in Italian pop culture. One that, right after Italian cuisine, could easily be included in the list of intangible cultural heritage.
Sanremo is a huge bonfire of choruses and opinions. Families and groups of friends gather in front of the TV, bars turn up the volume, discussions about favourite songs and questions of style are just as much a part of it as applause or shaking heads. Music is lived here.
Photo courtesy and © Ingo Guerges
Singing has been taking place in the Ligurian coastal town since 1951, for 75 years now. Far away from the big metropolises, the festival is a tribute to the power of the voice, the craft of melody and the art of performance. Sanremo stands for a Mediterranean idea of lightness: for songs of an endless summer and for catchy tunes that sneak casually into everyday life – over a cappuccino in the morning, on the way to work, in the midst of a flow of thoughts.
But Sanremo was never just cheerful. Between orchestral elegance and contemporary pop, the festival has always dealt with the big questions of its time: anger about political grievances, the absurdity of war, the injuries caused by sexism and racism. Many contributions take a clear stance – in favour of democracy, diversity and an open society. And then there are the songs about pain, loss and sadness. Because singing carries us even when words alone are not enough. Music touches us because it reminds us that we feel together. This is precisely where its social power lies and perhaps singing not only strengthens the sense of community in the hall, but also in a figurative sense!
The 2026 Sanremo Festival
Photo courtesy and © Ingo Guerges
Due to the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, the 76th Festival di Sanremo will take place from 24 to 28 February 2026, slightly later than usual. As always, the iconic Teatro Ariston will host the event. The festival will once again be presented by Carlo Conti, who assumed artistic direction in 2025. Joining him on stage throughout all five evenings is Italian superstar Laura Pausini, returning to the very place where her extraordinary career began. Her presence adds both emotional depth and international allure to Sanremo – a refined duo that bridges legacy and modern glamour with effortless ease.
30 established acts will compete in the main category, supplemented by the Nuove Proposte competition for young talent. The participants include big names and familiar voices: Arisa (winner in 2014), Ermal Meta (winner in 2018), Raf, Malika Ayane, Elettra Lamborghini and Fedez – as well as artists taking to the legendary stage for the first time. Sanremo thrives on precisely this tension: between experience and curious freshness.
Video via Angelica Bove YouTube channel
Special attention will also be paid to the young voices that bring new perspectives to the festival: Angelica Bove with ‘Mattone’, Nicolò Filippucci with the dreamy ‘Laguna‘, Mazzariello with his poetic ‘Manifestazione d’amore’ and the dynamic trio Blind, El Ma & Soniko, who bring urban esprit to the Ariston with ‘Nei miei DM’.
Five Evenings, One Musical Narrative
Festival di Sanremo takes place over five evenings, each with its own dramaturgy:
- Evening 1: All artists present their songs, judged exclusively by the press jury.
- Evenings 2 & 3: 15 acts each perform, the audience and the radio jury decide together.
- Evening 4: The legendary Cover Night – an evening of tributes, where classics and international hits are reinterpreted.
- Evening 5: The grand finale of the Top 5, in which the jury and audience choose the winner.
Winning means glory and the chance to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest.
A Celebration of Voice and Solidarity
Sanremo is not just a competition. It is a cultural resonance chamber. When people sing, there is a closeness between the stage and the audience, between generations, between tradition and the present. The festival is a reminder of how beneficial it can be to listen together.
Singing makes you happy. And Sanremo shows us why year after year.
Video via ESC Papão on YouTube
The special guest stars are traditionally only revealed shortly before the event to heighten the excitement, and the organisers are keeping a lid on the announcement. But, as in previous years – with performances by Elton John, Laura Pausini, Sting and Will Smith – we can expect international highlights and iconic moments that will carry on the glamour and magic of the Teatro Ariston.
VENUE DETAILS
Teatro Ariston Sanremo
Via Giacomo Matteotti, 212
18038 Sanremo IM
Italy
Tel: +39 01 84 50 60 60
Web: https://www.aristonsanremo.com/
PHOTO CREDITS
- Lead image courtesy and © Ingo Guerges
- All other photos and videos as credited
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