FantaSanremo 2023: what it is, how it works and how to win

Of the FantaSanremo talks started as early as December, when Amadeus unveiled the names of the 28 Big names who would take part in the race, setting in motion an initiative born out of lightheartedness that has become a real business over the years: but what is really the FantaSanremo? To be clear, it is a mechanism very similar to that of Fantasy Football: each player has the opportunity to form a team choosing 5 of the 28 artists in the competition. Each artist has a price which, in the case of FantaSanremo, is quantified in «Baudi», the fantasanremo coin which is also a tribute to the longest-lived conductor in the history of the Festival. After that, what happens? We explain it to you.

The rules

Once your team has lined up – the last useful deadline for doing so is today February 7th by 3 pm – and you have chosen your captain among the selected artists, all that remains is to wait for Sanremo to come alive to understand if the chosen artists whether or not they will give the player satisfaction because the purpose of FantaSanremo is almost this: hope that the members of your team buy many bonuses that help them climb the rankings and occupy the winner’s step. But what Bonus, and above all, what Malus are we talking about?

What are Bonuses and Malus?

As specified by the FantaSanremo regulation set out by the FIF (Italian FantaSanremo Federation), “which will evaluate the incident in a professional, unconditional and objective way”, the assignment of Bonuses and Maluses applies to artists starting from the first minute of the Sanremo Festival until the end of the live broadcast of the final evening (everything that takes place before and after the Festival will not be counted). Together with the “Jolly bracelet” which, if worn by a given artist, could lead to the doubling of the points obtained from his placement in the standings, it is logical to explain that the Bonuses and Maluses, beyond the position, will be assigned on the basis of actions performed by the artist or at events that will involve him on stage – in the case of the evening of the cover, the guests who will perform together with the artist will also end up in the middle.

Ad Personam Bonuses and the funniest Evening Bonuses

The Bonuses, we said, represent the scores that will end up in the pockets of the artists if they obtain certain results. Along with the Awards – The Mia Martini Critics Award, for example, is worth 50 points, that of the Lucio Dalla 50 Press Room, and the rest -, the FantaSanremo also attributes the so-called Bonus ad Personam, and here it’s funny. “Tananai ranks last” is, say, 100 points, while «I Cugini di Campagna 22esimi» is worth 22 points. To these are added the Evening Bonuses which count, among others: the first artist to perform for the evening (10 points); the artist introduced by a co-host (5 points) or a guest (10 points); high five with Gianni Morandi (10 points); the Bonus Dargen, i.e. if an artist wears sunglasses (5 points); the Pelù Bonus, i.e. if an artist steals a handbag or personal effect from a member of the public (20 points); the scapple (10 points); the presence of the dancers (10 points); the flowers in the hair (10 points); words of thanks after the performance (5 points); the declarations pro feminism (10 points) and pro Lgbtq+ community (10 points); and the navel in sight (5 points).

The baddest Malus

Along with the points that each artist can grab, however, there are also the Malus that could take them away. If, for example, a Big says FantaSanremo on stage, he loses 10 points; if a presenter gets the song title wrong during the pre-performance presentation, they lose 15. The Malus, however, will also crash: if the artist does not go down the Ariston steps (-5 points); if he stumbles (- 30 points); if he forgets the lyrics of the song (- 10 points); if he wears a hat (-5 points); if his dress is torn off (-20 points); if his toupee falls off (-25 points); if he runs into technical problems that cause the piece to be interrupted (-50 points); and, of course, if he incurs a disqualification (-100 points).

Who wins the FantaSanremo?

Whoever, after the last episode of the Festival, has scored the most points, wins. We remind you that you can participate in FantaSanremo both with your own team and within one of the thousands of leagues set up by the organization.

All clear? Well, now all that’s left is to play and, above all, enjoy the Festival.