The 2026 edition of Festival di Sanremo will be held later than usual in February due to the Winter Olympic Games.
Italian broadcaster RAI will face a busy period in February 2026 due to two major events to broadcast; the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina and the 76th edition of Festival di Sanremo.
The Winter Olympics will take place from February 2 to February 26 and RAI will broadcast the Games in Italy. In order to avoid having to manage two events at the same time, RAI decided to postpone the Festival di Sanremo.
The 76th Festival di Sanremo will take place from February 24 to February 28, right after the end of the Winter Olympic Games. These are the latest dates for the Festival since 2021, when it was held in early March.
A confirmation is expected by RAI as to whether or not Sanremo will be used to determine the Italian representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Lucio Corsi represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with “Volevo essere un duro”. He finished fifth in the final with 256 points.
Image source: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU | Source: Quotidiano
Italy debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 and has participated a total of 50 times to date. The country has withdrawn from the contest on a number of occasions in the past, most notably between 1998 and 2010. Italy has won the contest three times, in 1964, 1990 and 2021. Italy’s hosting of the contest in 1991 has been remembered as one of the most chaotic contests to date. Since their return in 2011, Italy has finished in the top 10 every year except 2014 and 2016.
