On Thursday 26 February the Sanremo Festival will come to life with the third evening. Live on Rai 1 from the Ariston Theater starting at 8.40pm, the event will bring with it the final of the New Proposals, the performances of the last 15 Big names in the competition and a series of prominent guests.
The hosting: Irina Shayk and Ubaldo Pantani alongside Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini
Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini return to lead the evening, this time supported by two exceptional co-hosts. The Russian top model Irina Shayk will take the stage at the Ariston for the first time, while the comedian and imitator Ubaldo Pantani will take on the role of one of his most recognizable characters, Lapo Elkann (in the video below we can appreciate an intervention by the Tuscan comedian on “Quelli che il calcio” in 2017).
Presenting the section dedicated to New Proposals will be Gianluca Gazzoli, former host of Sanremo Giovani.
The Big 15 on stage
After the performances of the first half of the competitors which took place on Wednesday evening, it is the turn of the remaining fifteen artists to present their unreleased song. They will go on stage at the Ariston, in the following (provisional) order:
Voting will take place via Televoting and Radio Jury, each with a weight of 50%. At the end of the evening a partial ranking will be announced: only the top five positions will be communicated to the public, without a precise order of merit.
The final of the New Proposals
At the beginning of the evening there will be space for the decisive challenge between the two finalists of the New Proposals: Angelica Bove and Nicolò Filippucci will compete for the victory of the category, and the verdict will be determined by three juries: Televoting (34%), Press, TV and Web Jury (33%) and Radio Jury (33%).
The guests: Eros Ramazzotti and Alicia Keys duet “L’Aurora”
Perhaps the most awaited moment of the evening is the duet between Eros Ramazzotti and Alicia Keys. The two artists will meet together to perform “L’Aurora”, Ramazzotti’s historic song dedicated to his daughter born from his marriage to Michelle Hunziker. The song is part of the album “Una Storia Importante / Una Historia Importante” published on 21 November 2025 on the occasion of the 40-year career of the Roman singer.
The actors Virginia Raffaele and Fabio De Luigi will also arrive on stage. Laura Pausini will perform with the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano singing “Heal the World” by Michael Jackson.
The evening will also include the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mogol, one of the most important lyricists of Italian song, and a moment dedicated to the theme of bullying through the story of Paolo Sarullo, a boy who in 2024 was the victim of a vile attack.
Outside the Ariston: The Kolors in Piazza Colombo, Max Pezzali on the ship
The musical events do not end inside the theatre. The Kolors, already protagonists at Sanremo 2025, will perform in Piazza Colombo, from the Suzuki Stage. The daily appointment with Max Pezzali will also return, on board the Costa Toscana ship moored off the coast of the city, with a live connection that will accompany the Festival until the final on Saturday.
