Written by: Ginevra Urey Vidal, Gursirat Kaur, Rebecca Capelletti II From Italy

 The Sanremo Festival was founded in 1951 as a strategy for winter tourism and the local economy, in the Sanremo Municipal Casino. The first edition was on January 29,  1951, hosted by three artists and broadcast via radio.

After 26 editions, due to its growing popularity, the festival needed larger spaces, so in 1977 it moved to the Ariston Theatre.

How does Sanremo work?

The competition usually involves 30 artists.

Prime evening: Usually on the first evening, the 30 artists perform their songs from the previous summer and fall. There are no judges, but there is a televoting system where viewers vote for the best song (paying a fee of 0.51 cents). The show ends at 1:45 a.m.

Second evening: The 30 competing artists perform, introduced by their 15 colleagues (special guests), with voting via televoting and a radio panel. Sanremo also features the «Newcomers» semifinals, featuring musical guests and external connections such as Costa Toscana and the Suzuki Stage, which are often linked to Fanta Sanremo.

Third evening: Featuring the announcement of the winner of the Newcomers category and the performance of the remaining 15 big names in the competition.

Fourth evening: The artists perform with singers who are not participating in Sanremo, singing very famous songs that have made history in Italian music. These singers, known as special guests, are only seen on cover night.

Fifth evening (the final): The artists perform their song, and viewers present at the show and those at home cast their final vote for their favorite. The host counts the votes; the one with the most votes wins Sanremo and delivers a thank-you speech.

Fanta Sanremo: Fanta Sanremo is a free online fantasy game based on the Italian Song Festival. Participants create virtual teams of five competing artists (plus substitutes), managing a budget of 100 «Baudi» to accumulate points based on bonuses and penalties related to events on stage.

Teams and Captain: Each user can create up to five teams, choosing five artists each and nominating a captain, whose score is doubled on the final night.

Baudi: Artists are purchased with «Baudi,» a virtual currency whose value depends on the singer’s success.

Bonuses and Penalties: Points are awarded or deducted based on performances, looks, statements, or unexpected events (e.g., a kiss on camera, falls, key words spoken).

Goal: The goal is to achieve «Eternal Glory» by winning your league, challenging friends, or participating in the world rankings.

This is the Sanremo theatre, the Ariston

Sal Da Vinci won Sanremo this year