RAI, the Italian national broadcaster has revealed the stage for the 2016 Sanremo Song Festival. The traditional Italian musical extravaganza will kick off tomorrow and will run for 5 days, concluding on Saturday 13 February.

The winner of the 2016 Sanremo Song Festival – Campioni category will be eligible to represent Italy at the forthcoming 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm.

The 2016 Sanremo Song Festival will be held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo and will be aired live from 9-13 February on Rai 1. The 66th Festival Della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo will be hosted by Carlo Conti, Gabriel Garko, Madalina Ghenea e Virginia Raffaele.

Rai has unveiled the Sanremo 2016 stage

A total of 20 acts will battle for the grand prix in the Campioni category of the coveted Italian songfest during the semifinal on Friday 12 February. Only 16 acts will proceed to the grand final scheduled to be held on Saturday 13 February.

The participants of the Campioni Group are:

1. Debora Iurato & Giovanni Caccamo – Via da qui
2. Noemi – La borsa di una donna
3. Alessio Bernabei – Noi siamo infinito
4. Enrico Ruggeri – Il primo amore non si scorda mai
5. Arisa – Guardando il cielo
6. Rocco Hunt – Wake up
7. I Dear Jack – Mezzo respiro
8. Gli Stadio – Un giorno mi dirai
9. Lorenzo Fragola – Infinite volte
10. Annalisa – Il diluvio universale
11. Irene Fornaciari – Blu
12. Neffa – Sogni e nostalgia
13. Zero Assoluto – Di me e di te
14. Dolcenera – Ora o mai più
15. Clementino – Quando sono lontano
16. Patty Pravo – Cieli immensi
17. Valerio Scanu – Finalmente piove
18. Morgan & Bluvertigo – Semplicemente
19. Francesca Michielin – Nessun grado di separazione
20. Elio e le Storie Tese – Vincere l’odio

Italy is one of the founder members of the Eurovision Song Contest having debuted in the very first contest in 1956. The country has won the competition twice (1964, 1990) and successfully hosted the hosted on home soil in 1965 in Naples and in 1991 in Rome.

Stay tuned to ESCToday for the latest news on Sanremo 2016, Italy and the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.