Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini opened the second night of the 76th Sanremo Music Festival on Thursday, February 26, 2026, following a first evening that saw Ditonellapiaga receive a 7 out of 10 rating from critics, according to the Corriere dell’Umbria.
The evening commenced with an audio clip featuring Pippo Baudo, a former host of the festival, before Conti introduced the previous year’s winner, Olly, who performed “Balorda Nostalgia.” Conti then welcomed Pausini as co-host for the evening. The first performer of the night was Ditonellapiaga with “Che fastidio!”
Michele Bravi followed, performing “Prima o poi,” a song the Corriere dell’Umbria noted did not reach the emotional heights of his 2017 hit, “Il diario degli errori.” Sayf then took the stage with “Tu mi piaci tanto,” although Mara Sattei performed “Le cose che non sai di me,” described by the same publication as reminiscent of a Disney film soundtrack.
Dargen D’Amico’s performance of “AI AI” was characterized as a likely viral hit, while Arisa performed “Magica Favola,” drawing comparisons to the character Anna from Disney’s Frozen, according to the Corriere dell’Umbria.
The evening also included an homage to composer Peppe Vessicchio, presented by Conti and Pausini, and featured appearances by Can Yaman and Tiziano Ferro, as previously announced. Can Yaman presented Arisa, Luchè performed “Labirinto”, and Tommaso Paradiso sang “I romantici”. Elettra Lamborghini followed with “Voilà”.
Patty Pravo performed “Opera” and Samurai Jay presented “Ossessione”. The evening continued with performances by Raf, J-Ax, Fulminacci, Levante, Fedez & Masini, Ermal Meta, Serena Brancale, Nayt, Malika Ayane, Eddie Brock, Sal Da Vinci, Enrico Nigiotti, Tredici Pietro, Bambole Di Pezza, Chiello, Maria Antonietta & Colombre, Leo Gassmann, and Francesco Renga. Lda & Aka 7even closed out the first set of performances.
The festival, which began on Tuesday, February 24th, and will conclude on Saturday, February 28th, features thirty artists competing for the top prize. The Corriere dello Sport reported the festival opened with the voice of Pippo Baudo.
