Sanremo, a city on the Italian Riviera, hosts a major cultural event each February: the Sanremo Music Festival. This long-running contest, which began in 1951, showcases new Italian songs and has become Italy’s largest television show, deeply embedded in the nation’s cultural fabric.
Think of Sanremo as more than just a song competition; it’s a week-long celebration of Italian creativity, entertainment, and identity, all unfolding in a beautiful coastal setting. It’s an event you can dip in and out of, but the more you immerse yourself, the richer the experience becomes.
Understanding the Festival
The festival typically spans five nights, usually from Tuesday to Saturday. Each evening kicks off around 8:35 PM Central European Time. For those in Italy, RAI1 is the primary broadcaster. International viewers can catch it on RAI International, a cable channel available globally. Streaming is also an option via the broadcaster’s website, rai.it, and the RAI Player, with geo-blocking usually lifted for the event.
The Sanremo Music Festival is not Italy’s official national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in the traditional sense. However, since 2015, the winner of Sanremo is offered the first opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision. If they decline, RAI, the Italian national broadcaster, may select another performer from within the festival.
The festival showcases 25 songs in total. The first two nights are dedicated to introducing halves of the competing songs. By Thursday, all 25 tracks have been performed, setting the stage for Friday’s themed night. This year, artists will perform iconic songs from the 1960s, 70s, or 80s, with a notable inclusion of non-Italian language songs. Saturday night features all 25 songs again, alongside a high-profile lineup of guest stars, culminating in the crowning of the winner.
The structure of the festival is designed to build anticipation and engagement throughout the week.
Navigating the Voting Process
Understanding the voting is key to following the festival’s progression. Voting mechanisms vary across the week, involving a combination of jury and public votes.
| Night | Voting Method | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday & Wednesday | Jury Vote | Split among print/TV media, radio, and online media representatives. Rankings are announced, but exact scores are not published. |
| Thursday | Public Vote Integration | Combines previous jury votes with a new ranking from a public vote composed of 50% televote and 50% demoscopic jury (a demographically balanced panel of public members). |
| Friday (Covers Night) | Combined Voting | One-third televote, one-third press jury, and one-third demoscopic jury. All votes from previous nights are averaged in. |
| Saturday (Final) | Two Stages: Top 3 Superfinal | First stage: Televote determines the top three. Voting resets for the superfinal, which is decided by a vote comprising one-third televote, one-third press jury, and one-third demoscopic jury. |
For those who enjoy immersing themselves fully, the festival offers a substantial viewing experience, with the first four nights scheduled for five hours, and the final night extending to five hours and fifteen minutes. This extended duration allows for a comprehensive showcase of Italian talent and culture. You can expect a variety of acts beyond the musical competition, including acknowledgments of national achievements, such as the Euro 2022 winning team, and performances by renowned artists. The presence of a live orchestra and a full house band adds to the grand atmosphere.
The songs themselves are kept under wraps until their debut on stage. The first night of the festival presents 12 new songs, with the remaining 13 debuting on the second night. A unique aspect is the emphasis on the grandeur of the Ariston Theatre stage, which demands a certain flair from performers. Even the iconic stairs where presenters and guests make their entrance have seen their share of memorable moments, sometimes involving a misstep or a caught heel, adding a touch of unscripted reality to the polished production.
The visual elements of the festival are as important as the music itself.
Experiencing Sanremo’s Atmosphere
Sanremo is famously known as the “City of Flowers,” and this botanical theme is visibly integrated into the festival. The local flower market, Mercato dei Fiori, is one of the country’s largest, and elaborate floral arrangements are a consistent feature around the stage and are presented as bouquets to performers and guests.
If you’re planning to visit Sanremo during the festival, book accommodation and flights well in advance, as demand is very high.
While the Ariston Theatre itself has a capacity of around 2,000, Sanremo did propose the Mercato dei Fiori di Sanremo as a potential venue for Eurovision 2022, which could accommodate approximately 5,000 guests. For context, Turin ultimately hosted Eurovision 2022, featuring a stage design team that had previously worked on Sanremo stages, suggesting an evolution of that aesthetic.
The length of the songs is also a point of interest. Sanremo allows for a maximum song length of four minutes, which is one minute longer than the Eurovision Song Contest. This longer duration can sometimes necessitate significant edits for Eurovision. Beyond the musical performances, the festival is a broad celebration of Italian life, encompassing diverse achievements and contributions. Michael found it fascinating how they sometimes weave in recognition for national sporting triumphs, like the Euro 2022 win, into the televised event.
For those who can’t be in Sanremo, following the festival online is straightforward. The RAI Player at raiplay.it offers live streams and access to full episodes after they air. Clips of individual song performances and notable guest appearances are also made available on the RAI YouTube channel, though these are typically accessible for only a few weeks after the festival concludes.
The word ‘allora’, often translated as “so” or “well,” became a recurring motif on social media during past festivals. Its frequent use by hosts to fill silences helped it become an expressive punctuation mark for online discussions about the show, stemming from past Eurovision broadcasts hosted in Italy.
Following the daily discussions online is also a popular way to engage with the festival. Mainstream Italian media extensively cover Sanremo, with hundreds of articles often published on the day of the first show. Social media platforms light up with hashtags like #sanremo2022 and #sanremo. Fan accounts and Eurovision-focused social media groups provide real-time updates and commentary, making it easy to stay connected even if you’re not watching every minute.
The scale of media attention and online conversation highlights the festival’s broad cultural impact.
Tips for Enjoying the Show
Deciding how much of the festival to watch is a personal choice. Many viewers enjoy the entire marathon, while others prefer to tune in for specific nights or segments. Watching just the Saturday night show offers a good overview of all the songs, a chance to experience the Italian culture, and the final results. Alternatively, you could watch Thursday to hear the songs for the first time, followed by Saturday for the winner announcement.
Friday night’s cover song performances offer a different facet of the artists’ styles and can be a fun lead-in to the final show. The key is to find a viewing rhythm that suits you. The festival’s structure lends itself to a relaxed approach, much like watching a sporting event where enjoyment comes in bursts of activity interspersed with casual conversation and refreshment. Lily often just enjoyed the music when it happened to be on, and we’d chat about the costumes.
The festival’s lengthy broadcast schedule means that rehearsals might not be as polished down to the second as in some shorter national finals. This can lead to a more fluid, live experience, with a greater need to react to external influences. If you’re accustomed to tightly produced, hour-long heats, the five-hour, five-night format of Sanremo might feel leisurely and different, but that’s part of its unique charm.
Articles published daily in Italian press during the festival
The Sanremo Music Festival is more than just a competition; it is a cultural phenomenon that encapsulates Italian music, artistry, and national pride. Whether you’re following online or through television broadcasts, it offers a window into a significant aspect of contemporary Italian culture, firmly rooted in the beauty of the Ligurian coast.
Enjoy the show!