Italy: Tonight the Prima Serata of the Sanremo Music Festival 2024!

The curtains rise tonight at Teatro Ariston for the 74th Sanremo Festival with the Prima Serata, marking the beginning of Italy’s journey to select its representative for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, just three months away. Until Saturday, February 10, all eyes and ears across Europe will be on Sanremo!

The Show

The anticipation ends today as the small town of Liguria prepares for the grand celebration of Italian music, the 74th Sanremo Festival! Amadeus will serve as the host and artistic director for the festival for the fifth consecutive year, following his remarkable success in the past four editions. This year’s festival, barring unforeseen circumstances, will be his “swan song” in directing and hosting the event.

On the Ariston stage, Amadeus won’t be alone. Each night, he will be joined by different co-hosts. For Prima Serata, Marco Mengoni, last year’s winner and Italy’s representative at Eurovision 2023, securing the fourth position, will stand by his side.

Guests at Ariston include Edoardo Leo, presenting the TV series “Il clandestino” airing on the first channel of Italian public television. On Piazza Colombo (via connection), Lazza, who ranked second last year, will perform. On the Costa Smeralda ship (off the coast of Sanremo), Tedua, one of Italy’s recognized rappers, will make an appearance.

Tonight’s Program

During the first night of Sanremo 2024, we will have the opportunity to hear the songs of all 30 festival candidates for the first time. The artists participating in the 74th edition of the festival and whose songs we will hear tonight are as follows:

• Alessandra Amoroso – “Fino a qui”
• Alfa – “Vai!”
• Angelina Mango – “La noia”
• Annalisa – “Sinceramente”
• BigMama – “La rabbia non ti basta”
• Bnkr44 – “Governo punk”
• Clara – “Diamanti grezzi”
• Dargen D’Amico – “Onda alta”
• Diodato – “Ti muovi”
• Emma – “Apnea”
• Fiorella Mannoia – “Mariposa”
• Francesco Renga and Nek – “Pazzo di te”
• Fred De Palma – “Il cielo non ci vuole”
• Gazzelle – “Tutto qui”
• Geolier – “I p’ me, tu p’ te”
• Ghali – “Casa mia”
• Il Tre – “Fragili”
• Il Volo – “Capolavoro”
• Irama – “Tu no”
• La Sad – “Autodistruttivo”
• Loredana Bertè – “Pazza”
• Mahmood – “Tuta gold”
• Maninni – “Spettacolare”
• Mr. Rain – “Due altalene”
• Negramaro – “Ricominciamo tutto”
• Ricchi e Poveri – “Ma non tutta la vita”
• Rose Villain – “Click Boom!”
• Sangiovanni – “Finiscimi”
• Santi Francesi – “L’amore in bocca”
• The Kolors – “Un ragazzo una ragazza”

Event Format

Sanremo 2024 introduces some changes compared to previous years. According to the festival rules, the event will unfold as follows:

1. First Day – Tuesday, February 6, 2024:
   • All 30 songs will be heard for the first time, and the results of the day will be determined 100% by the press, the journalist committee of television, and internet without exclusions.
2. Second Day – Wednesday, February 7, 2024:
   • The first 15 songs will be heard again, and the results will be determined by a double voting system: 50% tele-voting and 50% radio committee without exclusions.
3. Third Day – Thursday, February 8, 2024:
   • The last 15 songs will be heard again, and the results will be determined by a double voting system: 50% tele-voting and 50% radio committee without exclusions.
4. Fourth Day – Friday, February 9, 2024:
   • Cover Day: The 30 participants will perform a cover of an Italian or non-Italian song with results determined by triple voting: 34% tele-voting, 33% television and internet critic committee, and 33% radio critic committee without exclusions.
5. Fifth Day – Saturday, February 10, 2024:
   • All 30 songs will be heard again, and the results will be determined 100% by tele-voting. The results of this day will then be combined with those of the previous 4 days. The sum of all these results will then determine the top 5.

After this, the results of the day will be added to those of the previous 4 days. The sum of all these results will then determine the top 5 (even the 4th day will count, despite the fact that the participants will perform covers instead of their original songs). During each broadcast, they reveal a part of the results from those days shortly before the end of the current broadcast, showing only a part of the provisional general results either shortly before the end of the current broadcast or at the beginning of the next broadcast.

Post Sanremo 2024 – Eurovision Song Contest

• Any of the 30 contestants (and their respective record labels) interested in participating in Eurovision 2024 must fill out a specific form for this purpose.
• The winner of Sanremo 2024 is automatically considered Italy’s representative in Eurovision 2024. In case the winner declines to go to Eurovision, the organizational committee of Sanremo will then choose the artist to represent Italy in Malmo according to its criteria from those contestants who have filled out the expression of interest form for Eurovision.

How to Watch Sanremo 2024

You can watch the Sanremo 2024 Festival live onE Rai1 and on the RaiPlay website at 20:40 Central European Time. If you are a fan of Italian music, stay tuned to EurovisionFun for the most comprehensive coverage of the 74th Sanremo Festival.

Last year, Italy was proudly represented for the second time by Marco Mengoni, following his victory in Sanremo 2023 with the song “Due Vite.” The track, accumulating 350 points, secured an impressive fourth place in the grand final!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6IiOSut_4M