The first evening of the 2026 Sanremo Festival ended with a provisional ranking which already says a lot about the atmosphere of this 76th edition. Leading – in random order – the Top 5 voted by the Press Room, TV and Web are Arisa with Magical fairy tale, Thunderbolts with stupid bad luck, Serena Brancale with Here with me, Toe in the sore with How annoying! and the couple Fedez – Marco Masini with Necessary evil.
A heterogeneous group across generations, styles and artistic paths: from the intense vocality of Arisa to the pop-indie writing of Fulminacci, from the soulful elegance of Serena Brancale to the pop irony of Ditonellapiaga, up to the meeting between different worlds represented by the Fedez-Masini partnership. It’s only a first response, but it gives back the image of an XXL format Festival that tries to keep different sensibilities together.
The tribute to Pippo Baudo and memory as a common thread
The opening was entrusted to the voice of Pippo Baudo, honored by Carlo Conti in a moment that set the tone for the evening: a grateful look at the history of Italian television and at those who made the Ariston stage great. The audience responded with long applause, as if to seal an ideal passing of the baton.
Next to Conti, Laura Pausini and Can Yaman. The singer from Romagna chose the measure of irony and authenticity, between gags on “zetas” and light skits, while the Turkish actor – awaited above all for the call to the new Sandokan – sipped his appearances until the key moment.
The two Sandokans: nostalgia that becomes entertainment
Late at night, the meeting between Can Yaman and Kabir Bedi, historical actor of the drama directed by Sergio Sollima, sparked the public’s enthusiasm. Two generations compared, two faces of the same television icon: the “Malaysian tiger” is roaring again, between nostalgia and curiosity for the remake. A moment that united families in front of the screen, making grandparents and grandchildren talk in the name of a shared imagination.
The competition: thirty songs, few frills
Thirty artists in close succession gave life to a musical marathon without major breaks. Among the most intense moments, Serena Brancale’s emotion with a song dedicated to her deceased mother; the energy of Ditonellapiaga, first to perform; the solidity of Arisa; the standing ovation for Sal Da Vinci; the return to the stage of Olly, winner of 2025, almost closing a circle. There was no shortage of signs of the times: Ermal Meta brought to the stage a message of attention to the little girls who were victims of war, sewing names on their clothes that become symbols. A sober but eloquent gesture, which reminds us how music can still become a civil conscience.
Tiziano Ferro, friendship and the proposal for 2027
Among the guests, Tiziano Ferro offered a medley of his hits and a new song. More than the surprise effect, what was striking was the emotional dimension: the hug with Laura Pausini, the tears, the joking proposal to host the 2027 Festival together. In an edition that seems to focus on reassurance rather than risk, this too is a signal: the Festival as a home, a place of bonds and shared memory.
An all-inclusive Festival
Carlo Conti, on the eve of the Festival, had defined his Festival as “Christian and democratic”: Christian due to the references to his personal faith, democratic because it is open to all. The first evening showed above all the second dimension: an inclusive stage, where pop, songwriting, rap, melodic tradition, civil commitment and pure entertainment coexist.
It remains to be seen whether, in addition to the speed and solidity of the system, that spark capable of leaving its mark will emerge in the coming days.
