The beloved festival of Italian song returns to Teatro Aristo in Sanremo in a matter of months, but we can already start getting exciting about those performance-packed evenings of entertainment that are ahead of us.
On Sunday 30 November, the host of the 2026 edition, Carlo Conti announced to Italy’s press and media, the thirty artists who will compete in the Big category of the Festival di Sanremo 2026.
The announcement came on TG1 on Rai 1, with Carlo Conti revealing the names. The participants revealed are:
- Tommaso Paradiso
- Chiello
- Serena Brancale
- Fulminacci
- Ditonellapiaga
- Fedez e Marco Masini
- Leo Gassmann
- Sayf
- Arisa
- Tredici Pietro
- Sal Da Vinci
- Samurai Jay
- Malika Ayane
- Luchè
- Raf
- Bambole di Pezza
- Ermal Meta
- Nayt
- Elettra Lamborghini
- Michele Bravi
- J-Ax
- Enrico Nigiotti
- Maria Antonietta e Colombre
- Francesco Renga
- Mara Sattei
- LDA & Aka7even
- Dargen D’Amico
- Levante
- Eddie Brock
- Patty Pravo
The lineup also includes Ermal Meta, who represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
As has been the case in previous years, the winner of Festival di Sanremo will receive the right to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. Should the winner decline to go to Eurovision, then it will be offered to the runner-up. Should they choose to decline, it will continue to be offered in order of the final results.
The runner-up of Sanremo 2025, Lucio Corsi, ended up opting to represent Italy at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in May.
His song Volevo Essere Un Duro gave Italy a fifth-place finish in Basel.
Source: Eurovision & Eurovoix
