Benidorm Fest 2026
| Benidorm Fest 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Dates and venue | |
| Semi-final 1 |
|
| Semi-final 2 |
|
| Final |
|
| Venue | Palau Municipal d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm (Benidorm, Valencian Community, Spain) |
| Organisation | |
| Executive supervisor | María Eizaguirre |
| Broadcaster | Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) |
| Artistic director | César Vallejo Sergio Jaén |
| Presenters | |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 18 |
| Number of finalists | 12 |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Professional jury (50%), demoscopic jury (25%) and televote (25%) |
Benidorm Fest 2026 is the upcoming fifth edition of the annual Benidorm Fest, a television song contest held in Benidorm, organised and broadcast by Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE). The show is scheduled to take place between 10 and 14 February 2026.[2]
Format
The competition will consist of two semi-finals and a final. In total, 18 candidate songs will compete divided between the two semifinals, that is, nine will participate in each one. In each semifinal, the six songs with the most votes among a professional jury (50%), a demoscopic panel (25%) and the televote (25%), will qualify to the final. During the final, the twelve qualified songs will be performed again and the winner will determined following the same voting system as in the semi-finals.[3] Starting from 2026, RTVE announced new features for the festival, such as a prize of €100,000 for the winning act and €50,000 for the songwriters.[4]
Though the competition was initially announced as the method for selecting the Spanish representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria, on 16 September 2025, RTVE announced that it would not participate in Eurovision if Israel is allowed to compete, although it assured that the Benidorm Fest will be held regardless.[5][6] On 4 December 2025, after Israel was approved to participate, RTVE announced its non-participation at Eurovision. As a result, this will mark the first time in the festival's modern history that the winner is not given the chance to represent Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest.[7] In addition to Spotify sponsoring a eponymous prize awarded to one of the participants, RTVE also announced a similar arrangement with TelevisaUnivision.[8][9] Likewise, the main trophy design will be revamped, returning to the Golden Mermaid used in the original Benidorm International Song Festival.[10][9]
Artistic director and creative team
On 26 June 2025, RTVE announced the appointment of Sergio Jaén, who served as artistic director of Austria's winning entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 and Finland's UMK festival that same year, as artistic director of Benidorm Fest. The team also includes Finnish visual designer Ari Levelä as visual and lighting director, and Borja Rueda as choreographer.[11][12]
Presenters
On 5 December 2025, Jesús Vázquez, Javier Ambrossi, Inés Hernand and Lalachus were announced as the hosts of the competition. In addition, each show will be preceded by an introductory segment on RTVE Play, titled Benidorm Calling and hosted by Lalachus, Ángela Fernández and Juanjo Bona, and the finale will be followed by a commentary show, titled La noche del Benidorm and hosted by Lalachus and Inés Hernand.[1]
Participants
RTVE published the rules and regulations for Benidorm Fest 2025 on 4 June 2025, opening a submission window lasting until 24 September 2025. In order for an entry to qualify to compete, performers and at least one songwriter must be Spanish citizens or permanent residents over the age of 16 (at least 50% of Spanish citizens or permanent residents in the case of groups), and songs must contain at least 60% of the lyrics in one of the official languages of Spain.[13][14] On 26 September 2025, RTVE revealed that 870 entries had been received, including 350 that arrived on the last day of submissions.[13][15]
The 18 participants, selected by a professional panel, were announced by María Eizaguirre on 9 October 2025 at Prado del Rey.[16] The songs were announced on 18 December 2025.[2][17]
| Artist | Song | Composer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Asha | "Turista" |
|
| Atyat | "Dopamina" |
|
| Dani J | "Bailándote" | Rafael Vergara Hermosilla |
| Dora and Marlon Collins | "Rakatá" |
|
| Funambulista | "Sobran gilipo**as" |
|
| Greg Taro | "Velita" |
|
| Izan Llunas | "¿Qué vas a hacer?" |
|
| Kenneth | "Los ojos no mienten" |
|
| Kitai | "El amor te da miedo" |
|
| Ku Minerva | "No volveré a llorar" |
|
| Luna Ki | "Bomba de amor" |
|
| María León feat. Julia Medina | "Las damas y el vagabundo" |
|
| Mayo | "Tócame" |
|
| Mikel Herzog Jr. | "Mi mitad" |
|
| Miranda! and Bailamamá | "Despierto amándote" |
|
| Rosalinda Galán | "Mataora" |
|
| The Quinquis | "Tú no me quieres" |
|
| Tony Grox and Lucycalys | "Te amaré" |
|
References
- ^ a b Zárate, Pedro (5 December 2026). "RTVE, a por todas con el Benidorm Fest: Jesús Vázquez, Ambrossi, Inés Hernand y Lalachus presentarán su edición sin Eurovisión". RTVE.es (in Spanish).
- ^ a b "Las canciones del Benidorm Fest 2026 serán anunciadas en diciembre". Cadena SER. 5 October 2025.
- ^ Solano, Cristhian (4 June 2025). "RTVE publica las bases del Benidorm Fest 2026. Repasa el reglamento, el mecanismo y los plazos de inscripción". ESCplus España (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Rodriguez, Gabriel (29 May 2025). "El ganador del Benidorm Fest 2026 recibirá un premio de 150.000" [The winner of Benidorm Fest 2026 will receive a prize of €150,000.]. eurovision-spain.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "El Consejo de Administración de RTVE retirará a España de Eurovisión si Israel participa y tampoco emitirá el certamen". RTVE.es (in Spanish). 16 September 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Grace, Emily (16 September 2025). "🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE Will Not Participate in Eurovision 2026 if Israel Participates". Eurovoix. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "RTVE se retira del Festival de Eurovisión" [RTVE withdraws from the Eurovision Song Contest]. RTVE.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 4 December 2025.
- ^ "De Asha a MAYO: Estas son las 18 canciones del Benidorm Fest 2026 que no irán a Eurovisión, pero que optarán a tres premios". El País. 18 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Adiós al micrófono, vuelve la Sirenita: el Benidorm Fest 2026 mira a su pasado para definir su futuro". Información. Prensa Ibérica. 18 December 2025.
- ^ "Los premios del Benidorm Fest 2026: sin Eurovisión, pero con un "superproductor" en Miami y con Spotify". Alicante Plaza. 18 December 2025.
- ^ RTVE, PRENSA (26 June 2025). "Sergio Jaén será el director artístico del Benidorm Fest 2026". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "🇪🇸 Spain: Benidorm Fest 2026 Dates & Artistic Director Announced". Eurovoix. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ a b RTVE, PRENSA (4 June 2025). "Arranca el Benidorm Fest 2026: comienza el plazo de envío de canciones para la quinta edición" [Benidorm Fest 2026 kicks off: the deadline for submitting songs for the fifth edition begins]. RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (4 June 2025). "🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE Releases Rules for Benidorm Fest 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ "🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE Releases Rules for Benidorm Fest 2026". Eurovoix. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ Albert, María (9 October 2025). "Concursantes Benidorm Fest 2026: lista de cantantes confirmados para la nueva edición del festival de RTVE". ABC.
- ^ a b Robles, Daniel (18 December 2025). "Estas son todas las canciones del Benidorm Fest 2026: así suenan las candidatas a ganar el concurso de TVE (sin ir a Eurovisión)". El Confidencial.
- ^ "Presentación del Benidorm Fest 2025: lista completa de los 18 concursantes". El Periódico de Catalunya. 9 October 2025.
- ^ "Estos son los 18 participantes del Benidorm Fest: Funambulista, Luna Ki, Álvaro Mayo, Julia Medina, Mikel Herzog..." 20minutos.es. 9 October 2025.
- ^ "RTVE presenta las 18 canciones del Benidorm Fest 2026". rtve.es. 18 December 2025.