Tue, Feb 24, 2026
How to watch the Italian song contest Festival di Sanremo 2026 for free from the US
The Festival di Sanremo is Italy’s most iconic music event — a week-long celebration of Italian pop music, culture, and spectacle that has been captivating audiences since 1951. The winner represents Italy at Eurovision. Whether you’re an Italian learner, a music lover, or just curious, it’s a fantastic experience!
It is also a great opportunity to expose the kids to the Italian language and culture: whether you like it or not, Sanremo is iconic!
The 76th edition runs from today Tuesday February 24th to Saturday February 28th, hosted by Carlo Conti and Laura Pausini. The show streams live on RAI 1 from about 12pm to 4:30pm Pacific Standard Time (each night is really long, about 4 hours!) at:
If you missed a night, RAI posts recordings of previous nights at:
Just for Sanremo the Italian television removes geographical restrictions, so you do not need a VPN.
You can watch it on a TV or smartphone by installing the Raiplay app, opening a browser and going to raiplay.it (for example Amazon Silk on Firestick or “Internet” on Samsung TVs), or by streaming it on your laptop and casting the tab to the TV.
If you own a Chromecast, the easiest option is to install the Raiplay app on your phone and then “cast” it to the Chromecast to watch it on a TV.
Note about accounts: If you watch using the Raiplay app on your TV or phone, you will need to create an account. The easiest way is to sign up with your Google or Facebook account, so you don’t need to provide any personal data. If you watch on a laptop browser or a TV browser (like Amazon Silk), no account is needed.
Buon ascolto!
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