Pericolo Imminente! Every year in February, it's the same ritual: for a week, you curl up under a blanket, turn on the TV and prepare for five evenings of drama, XXL Italian ballads and suspended moments. Sanremo is a bit like the mamma of all the competitions. A landmark. An institution. And perhaps soon... a memory?
Car oui, l’impensable est en train de s’écrire : la RAI envisagerait sérieusement d’arracher le festival à sa terre natale de Ligurie à partir de 2027. Attenzione, pas un petit lifting, pas une scénographie en forme de gondole… Non, un vrai déménagement. Nouveau look pour nouvelle ville. La raison ? Un bras de fer financier qui tourne au vinaigre d’olive entre le diffuseur public Rai et la municipalité.
Sanremo, ciao ciao?
Le torchon brûle entre la municipalité de Sanremo et la RAI. La ville exigerait une contribution financière bien plus conséquente pour accueillir l’événement, ainsi qu’une part des revenus publicitaires de la Rai. Ce qui ne passe, mais alors, pas du tout, du côté du diffuseur public italien, lequel évalue ouvertement des alternatives. Mamma Mia! On sent la tension monter, et l’odeur du changement planer sur la Riviera !
As a result, the Italian public service is playing the "fine, we'll look elsewhere »" card. Coincidentally or opportunistically, Rai also seems to want to transform Sanremo into a travelling festival to combine the best of Italian music with the promotion of the country as a tourist destination. According to several Italian media, towns such as Sorrento, Viareggio, Rimini and others on the Adriatic are in talks to host the festival from 2027.
How about moving Christmas around?
Il est vrai que sous l’impulsion de Carlo Conti, nouveau Directeur Artistique du Festival, Sanremo seems to be looking for a touch of modernity. Behind this idea of a Sanremo on Tour, there's something very appealing. Each year (or even each week?), a new city. New atmospheres, a new setting, regional identities brought to the fore. A dolce vita version of Eurovision, and on paper : we buy.
But in reality? That's a completely different story. Sanremo is an institution! A monument to Italian popular culture, firmly established since 1951. Tampering with it is like postponing Christmas: you can do it... but you break something. You lose this little street in the centre of Sanremo, and the mythical Ariston Theatre, which has been playing host to Italy's crème de la crème since 1977. The town of Sanremo is well aware of this, and is clearly playing the tradition card, as if to challenge the RAI: "Vediamo se hai il coraggio... » (Go on, if you've got the guts!)
So, Sorrento 2027?
We're not there yet. The soap opera has only just begun. Maybe RAI is bluffing, just to apply pressure. Maybe Sanremo will manage to keep its jewel by reaching an agreement. Or maybe, in two years' time, we'll be watching the festival from a terrace on the Adriatic, sipping a spritz...