It is barely the end of Eurovision 2022 season, but details about Italy’s Festival Di Sanremo 2023 have already come to light. What will the 73rd edition of the festival have in store after a memorable edition in 2022 with an extensive list of familiar faces? Will we be heading to Italy for Eurovision in the near future?
Official dates
Earlier this month, Italian broacaster, RAI revealed that Sanremo will take place from 7 to 11 February 2023. The decision to publish these dates so early is an indication that Italy is once again ready to create a memorable show that demonstrates the talent and diversity in the Italian musical scene.
Amedeo Umberto Rita Sebastiani, more commonly known as Amadeus, is always a familiar face during the February weekend. Earlier this month, he reported that work is already underway to create a radio-friendly show that gives a voice to new musical talents.
“The goal is to have a longer preparation time available to transfer an exciting story of today’s Italian music … to the homes of viewers, giving voice to new talents and already established artists. The cast … will be chosen … giving weight to the value of the songs and their potential compared to the market, with particular attention to their ‘radio appeal”.
Amadeus, via RAI
Format
In the 2023 edition, there will be 25 participants. Established artists will take up 22 out of the 25 places. The remaining 3 places will be reserved for the lucky artists selected through the Sanremo Giovani selection. This will take place in December. The latter is a pre-contest designed for newcomers to compete as Sanremo contestants. In the 2022 edition, the three artists selected to compete from Sanremo Giovani were Tananai, Matteo Romano and Yuman.
The general format of Sanremo 2023 will be largely the same as the 2022 edition. The traditional ‘covers’ night will take place on 10 February, and artists, alongside a special guest, must cover a song that was released between 1 January 1960 and 31 December 1999. These covers have always been one of the most memorable parts of the festival, especially for fans of Italian music.
Voting
Voting procedures are fairly similar to 2022. On the first and second nights, votes will be decided by a jury comprised of TV, radio and web representatives. In addition, on the third evening, the public will be able to have a say through televoting. Their opinions will have an equal weighting alongside the jury. Finally, on the fourth and fifth evenings, televoting, an opinion poll and jury will determine the winner.
Who’s hosting?
At the moment, there isn’t official confirmation as to who will have the honour of hosting Sanremo 2022. Going by previous years, we can assume that Amadeus will feature. However, Amadeus did reveal on TG1, Italy’s flagship television channel last week that Chiara Ferragni, renowned Italian fashion designer, model and blogger, would take part in the hosting process. Chiara will open and close the festival on 7 and 11 February.
Chiara herself recently took to Instagram to express her enthusiasm about the news.
“Thanks to Amadeus for wanting me by his side to open and close Sanremo 2023.”
Chiara Ferragni, via Instagram
Are you looking forward to Sanremo 2023? 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 for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 contest in Turin!
