De Martino opens Sanremo 2027 song selection
Italian host and dancer Stefano De Martino, appointed artistic director of the Sanremo Music Festival, has begun the song-listening phase for the 2027 edition. He marked the milestone on July 24 with two Instagram stories showing himself wearing silver and black wireless headphones at his laptop, a post picked up by Italian outlets including Leggo.
Trimmed Big lineup and format overhaul
De Martino's first Sanremo will feature 24 Big artists in the main competition, six fewer than the 30-artist edition previously run by Carlo Conti. Italian press has floated a roster including Elodie, Mahmood, Blanco, Emma, Achille Lauro, Anna and Tiziano Ferro, with Ferro's appearance described as a long-rumoured debut. The Nuove Proposte section has been scrapped, with the winner of Sanremo Giovani now moving directly into the Big competition.
'Italia 2027' European tour and Eurovision link
A new international push called 'Italia 2027' will pair broadcaster Rai with Italy's Foreign Ministry under Antonio Tajani, the Tourism Ministry under Gianmarco Mazzi, FIMI's Enzo Mazza and Assoconcerti's Bruno Sconocchia. A four-stop European arena tour is planned for the winter following the Sanremo festival, featuring the overall winner, the Sanremo Giovani winner and the winner of a dedicated Performance evening. The Performance victor will represent Italy at Eurovision 2027 in Bulgaria. Former Måneskin manager Fabrizio Ferraguzzo has been recruited as music director for the festival.
Notte dei Fiori lights up Sanremo this weekend
Ahead of the main festival, Sanremo will stage its annual Notte dei Fiori concert on Saturday July 25 at the Pian di Nave stage, hosted by Nicola Savino and Elenoire Casalegno. The event will be broadcast on Rai 1 on August 29 and is described as the first project under a renewed Rai-Comune di Sanremo collaboration. The lineup features Tosca, Marco Masini, Anna Tatangelo, Fabrizio Moro, Maria Antonietta & Colombre, Nicolò Filippucci, Angelica Bove, Roshelle, Cristina D'Avena and Sabrina Salerno, with a tribute to Ligurian songwriters including Fabrizio De André, Luigi Tenco, Umberto Bindi, Bruno Lauzi, Ivano Fossati and Gino Paoli. Tourism councillor Alessandro Sindoni said a maxi screen installed at Pian di Nave will let residents and visitors outside the 300-seat venue area follow the show.
Next milestones
The Notte dei Fiori concert on Saturday July 25 is the next verifiable event, followed by its Rai 1 broadcast on August 29. The full Sanremo 2027 lineup is expected to emerge as the song-selection phase progresses, with the festival itself scheduled for early 2027 in Sanremo.
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