The second evening of the Sanremo Festival is the one that really measures the temperature of the Festival. After the debut entrusted to the Press Room alone, televoting and radio come into play on Wednesday 25 February. Translated: the Ariston stops being just a stage and becomes an arena.
Carlo Conti knows it. And it creates an evening that alternates lightness, pop memories and a marked attention to the story of the country, between music and sport.
The co-hosts: lightness, cinema and pop provocation
Alongside Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini, the second evening relies on three very different energies.
Lillo brings the rhythm and the comic break, Pilar Fogliati adds an elegant and contemporary cinematic style, while Achille Lauro represents unpredictability. Not just stage presence: we talk about the possible interpretation of “Perdutamente”, a song that has become a symbol of the Crans-Montana tragedy. If it happens, it will be one of the most intense moments of the entire edition.
New Proposals: direct challenge, without appeal
The New Proposals competition gets underway with two dry duels. No long times, no dilutions: direct comparison, immediate tension.
Blind, El Ma & Soniko against Nicolò Filippucci.
Angelica Bove against Mazzariello.
The two winners will advance to the final. A formula that focuses on impact, rather than gradualness.
Musical guests: memory and present
The second evening is not just about competition.
Max Pezzali returns from the ship moored off the coast of Sanremo, transforming the Festival into a widespread show. In Piazza Colombo it will be Bresh’s turn, an expression of the new scene.
There will also be recognition for Fausto Leali, who brings a powerful and timeless vocal memory to Ariston.
Ariston meets Milan-Cortina
2026 is the Olympic year and the Festival incorporates this into its narrative. The Olympic champions Francesca Lollobrigida and Lisa Vittozzi will take to the stage, fresh from gold at the Milan-Cortina Games. Arianna Fontana was absent due to fever.
With them also the Paralympic athletes Giacomo Bertagnolli and Giuliana Turra. Not a simple catwalk, but a signal: Sanremo as a reflection of the year that Italy is experiencing.
How to vote
After the exclusive vote of the Press Room in the first evening, three juries enter the field:
Televoting (34%)
Radio jury (33%)
Jury from the press room, web and TV (33%)
At the end of the evening, only the top five positions will be announced, in random order. Translated: tension to the end.
The Big 15 competing on Wednesday 25 February
Below is the official list of the fifteen artists of the second evening (alphabetical order):
- Rag Dolls – Stay with me
- Chiello – I always think of you
- Dargen D’Amico – Ai ai
- Sore Finger – How annoying!
- Elettra Lamborghini – Voilà
- Enrico Nigiotti – Every time I don’t know how to fly
- Ermal Meta – Stella Stella
- Fedez & Masini – Necessary evil
- Thunderbolts – Stupid bad luck
- J-Ax – Italy Starter Pack
- LDA & Aka 7even – Clandestine poems
- Levante – It’s you
- Nayt – Before that
- Patty Pravo – Opera
- Tommaso Paradiso – The romantics
The second evening is always the one that reshapes the balance of power. As the public enters, the inertia changes. And in Sanremo one performance is enough to overturn everything.
