Back in June, we learned that Sanremo 2022 will take place in its usual early February slot following its move to March this year. Last night, Rai confirmed that the festival will be held from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 February 2022. In addition, Amadeus will indeed be hosting once again, after confirming in a press conference last month that he had entered talks.
Last month, Sanremo 2020 and 2021 host Amadeus revealed that he was in talks with the broadcaster about next year’s edition. Rai have now confirmed that Amadeus will indeed return next year as the host and Artistic Director.
The musical journey undertaken two years ago by Amadeus marked an important cultural change in the history of the Festival which led the Maneskin, winners of the last edition, to also win the Eurovision Song Contest, important international recognition for the Italian song. It is in this direction of innovation, one of the objectives of the Public Service, that Rai intends to continue to enhance the musical talent in an ever greater way through the most popular television event in the country
Stefano Coletta, the Director of Rai 1
In last month’s press conference, Coletta also suggested that Sanremo and Eurovision will likely be hosted by different people. As we reported, early rumours suggest that former X Factor Italy host Alessandro Cattelan is a favourite to host Eurovision 2022.
About Sanremo 2021
The 71st edition of Sanremo Music Festival took place between the 2nd and 6th March 2021. This was later than usual, having been pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic, which also caused other changes for the festival. For one, after weeks of exchanges between Sanremo’s Artistic Director Amadeus, the CTS and Rai, the festival did not have a live audience.
Despite the protocols, the festival went ahead with 26 participating artists. Alongside Amadeus and Floriello, the shows were co-hosted by Matilda De Angelis, Elodie, Vittoria Ceretti, Barbara Palombelli and Beatrice Venezi. Night one was opened with a performance of “Fai Rumore” by Diodato, who won the 2020 edition.
On night five, 26 became three, with Måneskin, Michielin and Fedez and Ermal Meta advancing to the superfinal. Ultimately, Måneskin triumphed with a staggering 53.5% of the vote. This success translated to Eurovision victory, winning the contest in Rotterdam with 524 points.
Are you looking forward to Sanremo 2022? Who would you like to see host/participate? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!