Sanremo 2026 Confirms Dates, Conti Returns, and the Olympics Get in the Way

Italy’s biggest musical soap opera will air later than usual next year, with RAI confirming that the 76th Festival di Sanremo will run from 24 to 28 February 2026. Blame the Olympics. With RAI also handling broadcast duties for Milan-Cortina 2026 (2–22 February), something had to give—and it wasn’t going to be curling.

Carlo Conti, who fronted the festival between 2015 and 2017, is back in the driving seat as both artistic director and presenter—though some corners of the press continue to wonder whether he’ll eventually pass the mic for at least one of those duties. For now, it’s being sold as a comeback. And Conti’s promising tweaks to the formula.

He’s reportedly keen to avoid the annual cries of “why am I still awake at 2 a.m. watching Italian songwriters cry?” by bringing the grand final to a close by 1:45 a.m. at the latest. He’s also pushing to only announce the Top 10 in the final standings—no full list of losers. The idea, Conti says, is to protect younger and more fragile artists from the social media piranhas who devour anyone outside the Top 5.

The format stays the same

The format remains broadly intact—five nights at the Teatro Ariston in Liguria, full RAI coverage, lots of posturing, and at least one oddball moment that goes viral for reasons unrelated to music. But the legal backdrop this year is more complicated than usual. Thanks to a recent ruling, RAI was forced to submit a public bid to retain the Sanremo brand and rights through 2028. So far, no other broadcaster seems mad enough/willing to take on the job, and RAI was the only serious contender.

Meanwhile, the rumour mill is already overheating. Names in the frame for 2026 range from previous winners like Diodato and Marco Mengoni to chart acts like Elodie, The Kolors, and Irama. There’s even talk of a Maneskin reunion (because of course there is) and the usual semi-ironic clamour for Bugo or Jalisse to finally have their moment.

Eurovision refusual

Eurovision? Nothing’s confirmed, but let’s be honest—it’s still Italy. The Sanremo winner will be offered the ticket to Austria 2026, and if they say no (as Olly did this year), RAI will pass it to someone equally telegenic and willing. The system might be informal, but it works. Italy rarely disappoints.

Financially, it’s a no-brainer. Sanremo 2025 raked in around €65 million in advertising revenue for RAI against costs of €20 million. Not bad for a week of heartfelt warbling and very slow envelope openings.

So: new dates, familiar face, and a few changes on the horizon. If Conti gets his way, Sanremo 2026 might just be a slightly tighter, more humane spectacle. But don’t worry—it’ll still be gloriously chaotic. This is Italy. Nothing ends on time.