The famous Ariston Theatre in Sanremo Photo: stock.adobe.com/ Izanbar photos
From our editorial team
Sanremo - When people in Italy talk about the "Festival di Sanremo", the whole country is watching. Last year, the audience rating for the final was 74.1 per cent! For decades, the glamorous music festival in the small town on the Italian Riviera has been more than just a competition - it is a national cultural asset, drama and entertainment. From 11 to 15 February In 2025, everything will be at stake again.
Millions in front of the screens comment, cheer and are outraged - families usually watch together. For unknown artists, Sanremo is a springboard into the limelight, and many have made a name for themselves nationally here. Even Italian superstars such as Adriano Celentano, Milva and Eros Ramazzotti got their start in Sanremo. Since its premiere in 1951, the event has evolved from what was initially just a music competition into a major social event. This year, the "Teatro Ariston" will once again be the centre of Italian show business.
The "Sanremo" list of participants 2025
Whoever is on stage in Sanremo has made it or is well on the way to doing so. The participants are hand-picked by a jury of experts and the competition is fierce every year. The winner of the festival gets to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest. A total of 30 artists are on the list of participants for 2025, reflecting the diversity of the Italian music scene.
Elodie and Giorgia are the focus of many viewers this year. Both artists represent different generations of Italian pop music. The ballad legend meets her successor. On the other hand, acts such as Fedez, Achille Lauro and Rkomi ensure that modern genres such as rap and hip-hop are prominently represented. These artists represent a younger target group that Sanremo has increasingly tapped into in recent years. The 2025 festival also offers strong names for fans of traditional music. Massimo Ranieri, a living legend of Italian music, and Modà, the popular representatives of Italian pop-rock, will provide nostalgic moments and emozioni grandi.
The festival is organised by the Italian public broadcaster Rai. Carlo Conti is hosting the festival for the fourth time in total and is also the artistic director of the event, as he was from 2015 to 2017. Each of the five evenings, he has a different presenter at his side - from pop diva Elletra Lamborghini to R&B artist Mahmood.
This is how the competition works
All songs are presented for the first time on the first evening. Only the press jury then votes. The songs are then presented again on the second and third evening, with 15 artists performing on each evening. Now the radio jury and the audience vote via tele-voting. The four finalists of "Sanremo Giovani" will also perform on the second and third evenings. Two newcomers will compete against each other and will be voted on. On the fourth evening, the remaining artists will perform with a guest and a cover song, which will not be taken into account in the evaluation. On the final evening, the press, radio and audience jury will decide who will represent Italy at the ESC in Basel in 2025.
Scandals and controversies
No Sanremo without drama! Whether it's spontaneous stage escapes, political statements or verbal battles - the festival always makes the headlines - and that's part of it too:
- 2009The singer Povia performs the song "Luca era gay", in which a homosexual man becomes heterosexual after a night of love with a woman. Marco Masini, meanwhile, sang in his song "Italia" about Italy "going on his genitals".
- 2010: Controversial singer Morgan was disqualified after admitting to drug use in an interview.
- 2003: "Nothing is sacred any more" complains the tabloid press when a major corruption scandal is revealed. Places at the festival were awarded for up to 20,000 euros, sometimes a Rolex was enough.
- 2020: The argument between Morgan and Bugo on stage escalated live and became a viral hit. In the middle of the performance, Morgen changed his lyrics and attacked his duet partner - who left the stage in the middle of it. In the end, both were disqualified.
- 2024: On the second evening of the song competition, celebrity guest John Travolta was surprised by the two Italian show hosts Amadeus and Rosario Fiorello with a "duck dance". Travolta became a laughing stock on social media. On Rai, the clip was taken down online for other reasons: Travolta had been doing surreptitious advertising for Italian trainers.
