“Rai has chosen the new name of the 2026 event by Carlo Conti”

Sanremo Festival, Rai, Municipality of Sanremo, Ariston Theater. Similarly, And then: Torino, Sorrento, Viareggio, Gargano, Rimini. Consequently, History changes direction. Consequently, Today is 2 July 2025and a question weighs like a boulder on the future of Italian music: Will Sanremo. Therefore, really change its name?

Rai would seem to have filed three new brand registration applications. For example, They are names that make noise: “Rai Festival of Italian music”. However, “The Rai Festival” e above all “Italian Song Contest Rai”. Furthermore, That Third name knows of revolution. Therefore, An international turn. Consequently, A festival that sounds different. Furthermore, Almost a Eurovision all’italiana. Therefore, Yet there is much more behind.

The knot is historical and symbolic. Meanwhile, Sanremo is not just a place: it is an idea, a collective identity. Consequently, Changing its name means rewriting a part of our cultural DNA. Moreover, But for weeks the “rai chosen new name 2026 tension between Rai e Municipality of Sanremo It is to the stars. For example, And the signs that something is changing multiply.

Rai-Sanremo: a love in crisis and now the name is also at risk – "rai chosen new name 2026

The figures do not return. The Municipality asked Rai a doubled economic contribution: one million euros more and a share on advertising revenues. Not only that. The Ariston Theatersymbol of the event, is considered inadequate today. Too small, not very flexible, logistically complex. Sanremo struggles to keep up with the exponential growth of the event. Rai, for his part, no longer wants to stay firm. And it takes time.

He participated in the only public announcement organized by the Municipality for the editions 2026, 2027 and 2028. No “rai chosen new name 2026 one else has come forward, despite the initial interests of Mediaset e Discovery. The Council of State clarified: a public tender is needed to entrust the brand and organization. And the format remains exclusive Rai, by sentence.

But what happens behind the scenes is even more interesting. Why record other names? Why do it right now? According to internal sources, Rai would like to keep ready for every scenario. Also to an exit from Sanremo. And to a change of identity. Total.

There are many cities in the running to welcome the new location. Sorrentosponsored by the Campania Region. Viareggio e Riminitwo symbols of summer music. Torinowho has already hosted Eurovision in 2022. And even the Garganoin the heart of Puglia. There is even talk of an itinerant formula: a festival that changes city every two years. A more dynamic and modern modelbut which would break with a tradition long over seventy “rai chosen new name 2026 years.

For now, the 2026 edition will be held regularly in Sanremo, from 11 to 15 February, as announced. But after that date, everything can change. Including the very name of the Festival. “Italian Song Contest Rai” is not any title. It is a project. A new hypothesis, perhaps already written in the highest rooms in viale Mazzini. More inclusive, more international, younger. Perhaps less linked to the past. But even further from that magical word that every Italian recognizes: Sanremo. Time holds. The agreements with the Municipality are not yet there. The negotiations remain complicated. And every silence makes noise.

One thing is certain: Rai would not seem to have any intention of losing control of the event. The announcement says so, the documents confirm it, the facts reiterate it. But Sanremo, that Sanremo there, may never be the same again. Whether it’s called “Rai Festival” or “Italian Song Contest”, the “rai chosen new name 2026 music continues. But the heart changes stage.