In Italy, February isn’t just the month of love and carnival—it’s Sanremo time! Il Festival di Sanremo, officially known as Il Festival della Canzone Italiana, is the nation’s biggest music event —the one show that can glue the entire country to their TVs (even the haters will be watching it, they just won’t admit it!).
Held every February in the charming coastal town of Sanremo, Liguria, this festival is unique because it’s all about brand-new songs that have never been heard before. Sure, you can read the lyrics in TV guides or online beforehand, but no one knows what the music will actually sound like until the artists step onto that stage. And amid future tormentoni (massive hit) and songs that spark endless debates, one thing is for sure: Sanremo never fails to deliver drama, surprises, and plenty of meme-worthy moments!
A bit of Sanremo history
Il Festival di Sanremo didn’t start off out as the iconic event we know and love today. It all began as a way to bring new customers to the local casino! The first edition kicked off in 1951, lasting three days and featuring just three artists. Yep, three—Nilla Pizzi, Achille Togliani, and Duo Fasano—who performed 20 songs between them.
Despite the humble beginnings, Sanremo quickly gained popularity, even becoming the inspiration for the Eurovision Song Contest. As its fame grew, so did the festival itself. The competition expanded from three to five days, the number of artists increased to 30 (each singing just one song instead of several), and in 1976, the event moved to its current home, the Teatro Ariston, due to renovations at the casino.
Over the years, Sanremo has been the launchpad for some of Italy’s biggest stars like Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, and, more recently, the Måneskin. The festival has also welcomed iconic superospiti (super guests) like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, David Bowie, U2 and even the Queen.
Who is performing at Sanremo 2025?
This year, Sanremo is bringing back a classic: the Nuove Proposte (New Proposals) category, where four fresh faces get their chance to shine. Meanwhile, the big names of Italian music (called the “Big”) will compete for the win. All in all, 33 artists will take the stage. There was supposed to be 34, but Emis Killa pulled out due to some legal troubles —I told you, there’s always a bit of drama at Sanremo!
Here’s how the event breaks down:
- First Evening: All the Big artists perform for the first time.
- Second Evening: Half of the Big artists perform, plus two Nuove Proposte
- Third Evening: The other half of the Big artists perform, plus the two other Nuove Proposte
- Fourth Evening: It’s time for the legendary cover night, which, this year, is a standalone contest and won’t affect the final votes. The Nuove Proposte winner will be crowned
- Fifth Evening: All the Big artists are back on stage for one last performance before the winner is revealed.
And here’s the full list of artists who’ll be performing at Sanremo 2025:
Big
- Achille Lauro – Incoscienti giovani
- Bresh – La tana del granchio
- Brunori Sas – L’albero delle noci
- Clara – Febbre
- Coma_Cose – Cuoricini
- Elodie – Dimenticarsi alle 7
- Fedez – Battito
- Francesca Michielin – Fango in Paradiso
- Francesco Gabbani – Viva la vita
- Gaia – Chiamo io chiami tu
- Giorgia – La cura per me
- Irama – Lentamente
- Joan Thiele – Eco
- Lucio Corsi – Volevo essere un duro
- Marcella Bella – Pelle diamante
- Massimo Ranieri – Tra le mani un cuore
- Modà – Non ti dimentico
- Noemi – Se t’innamori muori
- Olly – Balorda nostalgia
- Rkomi – Il ritmo delle cose
- Rocco Hunt – Mille vote ancora
- Rose Villain – Fuorilegge
- Sarah Toscano – Amarcord
- Serena Brancale – Anema e core
- Shablo feat. Guè, Joshua & Tormento – La mia parola
- Simone Cristicchi – Quando sarai piccola
- The Kolors – Tu con chi fai l’amore
- Tony Effe – Damme ‘na mano
- Willie Peyote – Grazie ma no grazie
Nuove proposte
- Alex Wyse – Rockstar
- Maria Tomba – Goodbye (Voglio good vibes)
- Settembre – Vertebre
- Vale LP and Lil Jolie – Dimmi tu quando sei pronto per fare l’amore
Duet Acts at Sanremo 2025 Cover Night
Sanremo’s fourth night is Cover Night, one of the most beloved evenings of the festival. This is when the competing artists take a break for their own songs to perform legendary Italian and international hits, teaming up with special guests. And this year, there’s a twist: their duet partners can also be fellow contestants. Get ready for unexpected pairings, fresh takes on classics, and some truly memorable moments on stage.
Here’s the lineup for Friday, February 14:
- Achille Lauro with Elodie – “A mano a mano” by Riccardo Cocciante and “Folle città” by Loredana Bertè
- Bresh with Cristiano De André – “Creuza de mä” by Fabrizio De André
- Brunori Sas with Dimartino and Riccardo Sinigallia – “L’anno che verrà” by Lucio Dalla
- Clara with Il Volo – “The sound of silence” by Simon & Garfunkel
- Coma_Cose with Johnson Righeira – “L’estate sta finendo” by Righeira
- Fedez with Marco Masini – “Bella stronza” by Marco Masini
- Francesca Michielin with Rkomi – “La nuova stella di Broadway” by Cesare Cremonini
- Francesco Gabbani with Tricarico – “Io sono Francesco” by Tricarico
- Gaia with Toquinho – “La voglia, la pazzia” by Ornella Vanoni
- Giorgia with Annalisa – “Skyfall” by Adele
- Irama with Arisa – “Say something” by A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera
- Joan Thiele with Frah Quintale – “Che cosa c’è” by Gino Paoli
- Lucio Corsi with Topo Gigio – “Nel blu dipinto di blu” by Domenico Modugno
- Marcella Bella with Twin Violins – “L’emozione non ha voce” by Adriano Celentano
- Massimo Ranieri with i Neri per caso – “Quando” by Pino Daniele
- Modà with Francesco Renga – “Angelo” by Francesco Renga
- Noemi with Tony Effe – “Tutto il resto è noia” by Franco Califano
- Olly with Goran Bregović and the Wedding & Funeral Band – “Il pescatore” by Fabrizio De André
- Rocco Hunt with Clementino – “Yes I know my way” by Pino Daniele
- Rose Villain with Chiello – “Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco” by Lucio Battisti
- Sarah Toscano with gli Ofenbach – “Overdrive” by Ofenbach feat. Norma Jean Martine
- Serena Brancale with Alessandra Amoroso – “If I ain’t got you” by Alicia Keys
- Shablo feat. Guè, Joshua and Tormento with Neffa – “Amor de mi vida” by Sottotono and “Aspettando il sole” by Neffa
- Simone Cristicchi with Amara – “La cura” by Franco Battiato
- The Kolors with Sal Da Vinci – “Rossetto e caffè” by Sal Da Vinci
- Willie Peyote with Tiromancino and Ditonellapiaga – “Un tempo piccolo” by Franco Califano
How is the Sanremo winner picked?
This year, the festival is keeping the mixed voting system, but with a few tweaks. The scores will come from three sources: a press jury, a radio jury, and the public televote, with each vote having a different weight depending on the night:
- First Evening: 100% press jury voting
- Second Evening: 50% public televoting; 50% radio jury voting
- Third Evening: 50% public televoting; 50% radio jury voting
- Fourth Evening: 34% public televoting; 33% press jury voting, 33% radio jury voting
- Fifth Evening: 34% public televoting; 33% press jury voting, 33% radio jury voting
The votes of this final night are added to the scores from all previous evenings, except the cover night. Then, the top five songs are revealed (in no particular order), and those artists perform one more time before the final round of voting. The combined scores will determine the winner.
Unlike previous editions, there won’t be daily updates on the overall rankings. That means we’ll be kept in suspense until the final night when the top five artists are revealed (or at least this is the intention of the organizers). For sure, this is going to spark all sorts of predictions and speculations!
And the winner? Well, aside from the glory of taking home the top prize, the lucky artist gets to represent Italy at Eurovision. And we all know how big of a deal that can be. Take the Måneskin, who became global superstars after winning both Sanremo and Eurovision in 2021.
How to Watch Festival di Sanremo 2025 Online (Live Stream)
If you are interested in watching the Festival di Sanremo via live streaming but don’t live in Italy, never fear! RAI is streaming all five nights of Sanremo, including the final, on RAIPlay. (Normally, the RAI player is geo-blocked for viewers outside Italy, but during the Sanremo live shows, all restrictions will be lifted.) You can access the RAIPlay website here or you can download the app on your phone.
The festival takes place from February 11th to 15th. All five evenings will start at 20:40 CET and end at 01:30 CET, except the final, which is expected to last a bit longer until 02:00 CET.
Of course, you don’t have to watch the festival live. If you’d rather watch the highlights, you can do so on the RAIPlay website or YouTube.
This year’s favourite to win is Giorgia. With 2025 marking the 30th anniversary of her first Sanremo win with Come saprei, a victory would surely be even more meaningful!
Watching Sanremo, or any Italian television program for that matter, can be a great way to improve your listening skills as a learner of the language. We highly suggest you check it out!
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
