Ea-ea-ea-eaah! The excitement in Spain has boiled over after RTVE unveiled the 18 artists who will participate in Benidorm Fest 2026. That’s up from the 16 we’ve seen since the contest relaunched in 2022. The festival, now a cornerstone of Spain’s pop culture calendar, will once again decide who carries the country’s flag to Eurovision. Whether that opportunity will materialize remains unclear: Spain has already stated that it will withdraw from the contest should Israel be allowed to participate. The ongoing hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas has paved the way for a ceasefire — so we’re all watching this space.
Back in September, RTVE confirmed that Benidorm Fest would return in 2026 regardless of Spain’s participation in Vienna. At the time, the broadcaster emphasized that the show has developed its own identity and consolidated its place in the national music scene — ensuring its continuity beyond Eurovision itself this year.
This year, Benidorm Fest received 870 song submissions between June 5 and September 24 — 32 fewer than in 2025, with 350 of them arriving within the final 24 hours before the deadline. For the 2026 edition, a renewed selection committee composed of music and radio professionals reviewed all entries and chose the final lineup through a quorum-based process rather than a traditional point system, reaching decisions collectively. The full list of participants was unveiled earlier today during a special press event broadcast live from Madrid.
What’s more, the competing songs will be released on December 18. As we wait to discover what Spain has in store for Benidorm Fest 2026, here’s a closer look at the artists ready to bring their unique sounds and styles to the Benidorm stage:
Benidorm Fest 2026: The participants
- Asha
- Atyat
- Dani J
- Dora & Marlon Collins
- Funambulista
- Greg Taro
- Izan Llunas
- Kenneth
- Kitai
- Ku Minerva
- Luna Ki
- María León (ft. Julia Medina)
- MAYO
- Mikel Herzog Jr.
- Miranda! & bailamamá
- Rosalinda Galán
- The Quinquis
- Tony Grox & LUCYCALYS
If the contest really goes to hell, at least there’s the NFs. Good on all the countries who don’t give up on those.
Holy smokes, TVE must be really strapped for quality entries if Luna Ki got invited back after quitting right before the semifinals in ’22.
How extraordinary that Izan Llunas is Marcus Llunas’ son (Spain 1997) and Mikel Herzog Jr. is Mikel Herzog Sr.’s son (Spain 1998)? Not only the sons of two consecutive past years’ participants, but also selected out of 870 submissions. I don’t recall a case where you have two offsprings of past contestants competing in the same preselection.