Italy is preparing for the return of its most iconic music event — Festival di Sanremo. The 30 artists competing in the Big Artists category for 2026 have been revealed.
Next year’s event will once again be hosted by Carlo Conti, who took over responsibilities for 2025.
Sanremo 2026: 30 competing artists
The list of artists includes a few former winners of the festival — such as Arisa from 2014 and Ermal Meta from 2018, who went on to represent Italy at Eurovision together with Fabrizio Moro. Another Eurovision alum in the line-up is Raf, who competed in 1987 alongside Umberto Tozzi.
There are numerous others who have previously graced the Sanremo stage (Fedez, Elettra Lamborghini, Serena Brancale, Ditonellapiaga to name a few), a former winner of the “New Proposal” category (Leo Gassmann), as well as many artists who will debut on the iconic stage for the first time.
You can check the complete list below:
- Arisa
- Bambole di pezza
- Chiello
- Dargen D’Amico
- Ditonellapiaga
- Eddie Brock
- Elettra Lamborghini
- Enrico Nigiotti
- Ermal Meta
- Fedez & Masini
- Francesco Renga
- Fulminacci
- J-Ax
- LDA & Aka 7even
- Leo Gassmann
- Levante
- Luchè
- Malika Ayane
- Mara Sattei
- Maria Antonietta & Colombre
- Michele Bravi
- Nayt
- Patty Pravo
- Raf
- Sal Da Vinci
- Samurai Jay
- Sayf
- Serena Brancale
- Tommaso Paradiso
- Tredici Pietro
The format of the festival
Festival di Sanremo will take place, as always, at Teatro Ariston in Sanremo, between 24–28 February 2026, across five nights dedicated to celebrating Italian music.
Night 1: All artists will perform their entries and a top 5 of the night will be revealed in random order. (100% press jury)
Night 2: 15 artists will perform. At the end of the night, a top 5 will be revealed in random order. (50% radio jury, 50% televote)
Night 3: The remaining 15 artists will perform. Again, a top 5 will be revealed in random order at the end of the night. (50% radio jury, 50% televote)
Night 4 — Cover Night: Artists perform a cover—duets are allowed, and many choose to invite fellow artists on stage, while others prefer to perform solo. The covers are usually songs from Italian music history, but international hits also appear. Last year, Giorgia won the cover night in a duet with Annalisa, performing Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain.” A winner will be announced at the end of the night (33% radio jury, 33% press jury, 34% televote).
Night 5 — The Final: All artists will perform their songs once more. A top 5 will be determined by the combined points from Nights 1, 2, 3 & 5, and those five artists will move into the superfinal. In the superfinal, the winner will be decided by 33% radio jury, 33% press jury, and 34% televote. The winner will then have the opportunity to choose whether or not to represent Italy at Eurovision—participation is not mandatory. Last year, Olly won the festival with “Balorda Nostalgia,” but declined to compete at Eurovision, leading runner-up Lucio Corsi to represent Italy with “Volevo Essere Un Duro,” placing fifth in the Eurovision 2025 final.
So who are you most excited to see in Sanremo 2026? Who do you think stands the best chance of winning? Let us know down below…
