Sanremo 2026: Stefano De Martino named new artistic director and host for 2027. The handover took place live during the final

For weeks his name had been the frontrunner to succeed Carlo Conti at the helm of the Sanremo Festival. And the handover played out live on air during the final of the 76th edition, in a kind of public investiture. Stefano De Martino — already a familiar face from “Affari Tuoi” — will host and serve as artistic director of the next edition of Sanremo.

“It's a great honour — for the first time in the history of the Sanremo festival, I can officially announce that Stefano De Martino will be the host and artistic director of the next Sanremo festival,” said Carlo Conti, joining De Martino in the audience at the Ariston. “It's a genuine honour, an act of generosity that isn't a given and that I'll remember forever. I want to thank Rai, and now it's head down and get to work,” De Martino remarked, visibly moved.

In previous press conferences, Carlo Conti had reiterated that he'd made his position clear to the company from the very start: this edition of the Sanremo Festival would mark the end of his run, regardless of the event's outcome, whether positive or negative.

Conti had ruled out any friction with Rai, stating that he had never felt undermined or put in a difficult position. He pointed to a forty-year professional relationship built on clarity and mutual respect, stressing that he had always tried to safeguard the company in his public choices. His remarks came in response to a question about the endorsement expressed by undersecretary Gianmarco Mazzi in favour of Stefano De Martino as the reference figure for the festival's future.

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