RAI, the Italian national broadcaster has confirmed the dates for the forthcoming 2017 Sanremo Song Festival.

The 2017 Sanremo Song Festival will run for 5 nights from 7-11 February at the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo and will be once again conducted by Carlo Conti.

• 07/02- Notte 1
• 08/02- Notte 2
• 09/02- Notte 3
• 10/02- Notte 4
• 11/02- Grand Final

RAI is yet to determine the mechanism it will use to select its Eurovision entry and act for Kyiv. It is very likely that the broadcaster will use the Sanremo Song Contest platform to deliberate its Eurovision act for 2017, as has been the tradition since the country’s return to the contest in 2011 with the exception of 2014 when Italy went internal and selected Emma Marrone.

RAI has opened the period of submssion for artists wishing to compete in the Sanremo 2017 Giovanni Category to register and send in their applications by 7 October. The rules and regulations for the Sanremo 2017 Campioni Category are yet to be released.

In 2016 the runner up of the 2016 Sanremo Song Contest represented Italy at the 2016 ESC in Stockholm with her entry No degree of separation.