Benidorm Fest

Benidorm Fest
GenrePop, Latin pop, rock, R&B, etc.
Created by
Based onBenidorm International Song Festival
Presented byJesús Vázquez (2026–)
Javier Ambrossi (2026–)
Inés Hernand (2022–2023, 2025–)
Lalachus (2026–)
Paula Vázquez (2025)
Ruth Lorenzo (2024–2025)
Marc Calderó (2024)
Ana Prada (2024)
Mónica Naranjo (2023)
Rodrigo Vázquez (2023)
Màxim Huerta (2022)
Alaska (2022)
Theme music composerPepe Herrero
Opening theme"Vita est"[1]
Country of originSpain
Original languageSpanish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes15
Production
Production locationsPalau Municipal d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm
Benidorm, Valencian Community
Production companiesRTVE (2022–)
Sould Out (2026–)[2]
Boomerang TV (2022–2025)[3]
Original release
NetworkLa 1
Release26 January 2022 (2022-01-26) –
present
Related
Eurovision Song Contest

Benidorm Fest[a] is an annual Spanish song contest organised by the Spanish public broadcaster Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), in collaboration with the Generalitat Valenciana. Beginning in 2022, it is held in Benidorm, Valencian Community, at the Palau Municipal d'Esports l'Illa de Benidorm.[4] Inspired by the Benidorm International Song Festival, the contest consists of two semi-finals and a final, with the winner jointly determined through teams of judges and a public vote.[5] From 2022 to 2025, it served to select Spain's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

History

Background

Main article: Benidorm International Song Festival

The event is loosely based on the Benidorm International Song Festival, an international song contest created in 1958 and modelled on the Italian Sanremo Music Festival. The competition was held intermittently until 2006, interspersed with several hiatuses and various changes to the format.

Return of a competition to Benidorm

Fifteen years after the final edition of the Benidorm International Song Festival, Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) broadcast a conference from the city on 22 July 2021, in which the president of the Generalitat Valenciana Ximo Puig, mayor of the city Antonio Pérez, and president of the broadcaster José Manuel Pérez Tornero announced the revival of a song competition held in Benidorm, which would also become a new Spanish pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, starting with the 2022 edition. During the broadcast, viewers were assured that there would be changes and updates to the contest's format, as well as a "double contest" in which both famous and upcoming singers would take part, whose prize would be the chance to represent Spain at Eurovision.[6]

On 29 September of the same year, the rules and mechanics were published, revealing the name of the revamped competition to be "Benidorm Fest" and that the first edition was scheduled to air at the end of January 2022.[7] It was subsequently announced that a contract had been signed to hold the event for four editions.[8] The Generalitat Valenciana invested around €968,000 in the event.[9]

Following the 2024 edition of the competition, representatives of Benidorm's municipal council (including mayor Toni Pérez), the Department of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism of the Generalitat Valenciana, and RTVE travelled to the 74th Sanremo Music Festival, which also served as the Italian national final for Eurovision; municipal councillor Jesús Carrobles revealed that the aim was to start a collaboration between the two events.[10][11] The format was thereby confirmed for 2025.[12]

In response to criticism for the low televoting figures in 2024, attributed to the relatively high costs of telephone calls and SMS messages, RTVE managers stated the goal to make the public voting free by means of a mobile app from 2025.[13]

In 2026, RTVE decided not to participate in that year's Eurovision Song Contest due to the inclusion of Israel amidst the Gaza war, though it continued to organise Benidorm Fest independently of the European contest. Thus, whether or not Spain is represented in subsequent Eurovision editions, the Benidorm-based contest would continue to function as a platform for promoting the Spanish music industry.[14] Among the novelties introduced that year were a cash prize awarded to the performers and composers of the winning song, as well as other additional recognitions open to all participants. These included a prize sponsored by Spotify, which allowed one of the artists to record a Spotify Single in Stockholm, and an international promotion initiative that offered another participant the opportunity to travel to the United States to promote their musical project and record a single with a well-known producer under an agreement with TelevisaUnivision. These latter prizes were not necessarily linked to the winner of the competition.[15]

Format

The contest consists of two semi-finals and a final, in which a number of candidates – soloists, duos, trios or groups – perform their songs live. In the first edition there were seven entries for each semi-final and eight in the final; for the second edition there were nine songs in each semi-final (for a total number of eighteen entries) and eight in the final.[16][17] The third and fourth edition featured a reduced number of sixteen entries, eight in each semi-final and final.[18] Since the fifth edition, there are eighteen entries, nine in each semi-final and twelve in the final.

The public (consisting of the televote plus a panel of judges made up of a sample of the Spanish population selected by statistical and demoscopic criteria) and a national and international jury vote for their preferred songs, with the final result determined by a split vote between the public and the juries. At the end of the programme, the song with the most points is declared the winner.[7]

Voting

Voting during the three shows occurs through a combination of the following methods:[7][19]

  • Expert jury (50%) – heads of delegation, artists, musicians and/or other professionals, involving both national and international members.
  • Demoscopic panel (25%) – composed of a statistically-selected sample of the Spanish population.
  • Public voting (25%) – via telephone and SMS.[20]

Presenters

Year Presenter(s) Ref(s)
2022 Alaska, Inés Hernand and Màxim Huerta [21]
2023 Mónica Naranjo, Inés Hernand and Rodrigo Vázquez [22][23][24][25]
2024 Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Calderó and Ana Prada [26][27]
2025 Paula Vázquez, Ruth Lorenzo and Inés Hernand [28]
2026 Jesús Vazquez, Javier Ambrossi, Inés Hernand and Lalachus [29]

Recurring presenters

Presenter Year
2022
 2023
 2024
 2025
 2026
Inés Hernand 4 ● ● ● ●
Ruth Lorenzo 2 ● ●

Visual design and participants

Year Logo Participants Finalists
2022 13[b] 8
2023 18 8
2024 16 8
2025 16 8
2026 18 12

Identity

Theme music

The theme music of Benidorm Fest, entitled "Vita est", was composed by the musician Pepe Herrero and it is performed by the RTVE Orchestra and Choir. It is a symphonic piece inspired by classic themes such as "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff, combining it with modern compositions by composers such as Hans Zimmer. The lyrics, composed in Latin, highlight the value of music as a means to unite peoples and make them free.

The author produced 15 variations of the piece, of different durations and instrumental templates, for different purposes.[1]

Trophy

From 2022 to 2025, the winner of Benidorm Fest received a Bronze Microphone, made by Madrid sculptor José Luis Fernández. It is a 30 centimeters tall piece, cast in bronze and made with lost-wax casting method.[30] Beginning with the 2026 edition, the Golden Mermaid trophy from the Benidorm International Song Festival is reused.[31]

Selection of participants

RTVE opens a period of submissions[32] for artists, authors and composers to send their proposals to the public radio and television corporation, while the broadcaster itself reserves the right to invite renowned singers and authors from the current music scene directly. Both the evaluation of submissions and the invitations are carried out in collaboration with external musical advisers.[33] The contest is open to performers, groups and authors who are at least 16 years old before May of the current year, and who must be Spanish nationals or have permanent residence in Spain (in the case of duos or groups, at least 50% of the members must meet this condition).[7][34]

Songs must be original and not have been published, performed or distributed, in whole or in part, before September of the previous year to the Eurovision Song Contest (in accordance with Eurovision rules). In addition, the song must be between 2 and a half and 3 minutes long, and must include at least 60% of the lyrics in Spanish and/or co-official languages of Spain.[7][34]

Recurring artists

Artist(s) Year Song Place
Blanca Paloma 2022 "Secreto de agua"[35] 5th place[36]
2023 "Eaea"[37] 1st place[38]
Luna Ki 2022 "Voy a morir"[39] Withdrew[40]
2026 "Bomba de amor"[41] Failed to qualify[c]

Winners

Year Song Genre Artist Songwriter(s)
2022 "SloMo" Latin pop, reggaeton Chanel
2023 "Eaea" New flamenco Blanca Paloma
  • Álvaro Tato
  • Blanca Paloma Ramos
  • José Pablo Polo
2024 "Zorra" Synth-pop Nebulossa
2025 "Esa diva" Latin pop Melody
2026 "T amaré" Electronic Tony Grox and Lucycalys
  • Antonio Ramírez Bernal
  • Carlos Prieto Cornejo
Finalists
# 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
1 "SloMo"
Chanel		 96 "Eaea"
Blanca Paloma		 169 "Zorra"
Nebulossa		 156 "Esa diva"
Melody		 150 "T amare"
Tony Grox
Lucycalys		 166
2 "Ay mama"
Rigoberta Bandini		 91
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 –
10
11
12

Ratings

Viewers in millions
Semi-final 1 Semi-final 2 Final
Year Viewers Share (%) Viewers Share (%) Viewers Share (%)
2022 1.534[42] 11.8% 1.728[42] 14.2% 2.966[42] 21.0%
2023 1.044[43] 10.0% 1.020[44] 09.4% 1.887[45] 14.7%
2024 1.005[46] 10.8% 1.039[47] 10.5% 1.977[48] 16.6%
2025 1.215[49] 13.1% 1.030[50] 11.7% 1.938[51] 17.1%
2026 0.850 11.1% 0.857 11.1% 1.085 12.1%

Notes

  1. ^ Pronunciation of Benidorm Fest:
    Valencian: [beniˈðɔɾm ˈfest]
    Spanish: [beniˈðoɾ ˈfest]
  2. ^ Before Luna Ki withdrew there were originally 14 participating artists in 2022.
  3. ^ Placed 7th in Semi-Final 1.

References

  1. ^ a b "Himno del Benidorm Fest: Así es "Vita est", compuesto por Pepe Herrero e interpretado por la Orquesta y Coro de RTVE". 10 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  2. ^ García Hernández, José (21 July 2025). "RTVE trabajará para Benidorm Fest 2026 con la productora de Eurovisión Junior 2024". Eurovision-Spain.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  3. ^ Fernández, Juan Manuel (9 December 2021). "Boomerang, la productora de 'La Voz', colaborará con RTVE en las galas del Benidorm Fest". El Español (in European Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  4. ^ Fuster, Luis (11 November 2021). "Spain: Benidorm Fest will take place during the last week of January". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. ^ "RTVE pone nombre a su 'Benidorm Fest' y anuncia las bases para elegir canción y representante de Eurovisión 2022". VerTele! (in European Spanish). 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ^ "RTVE lanza un festival en Benidorm para elegir al representante de Eurovisión 2022 y "abandonar los malos resultados"". VerTele! (in European Spanish). 22 July 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Macías, Fernando (29 September 2021). "Eurovisión 2022: Ya puedes inscribirte para representar a España en Eurovisión 2022, a través del Benidorm Fest". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  8. ^ Fuster, Luis (5 November 2021). "Spain: Benidorm Fest signed for four years, it may not include a voting sequence". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  9. ^ Fuster, Luis (8 November 2021). "Spain: Valencian government to invest almost a million euros in Benidorm Fest". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  10. ^ Mancheño, José Miguel (10 January 2024). "El Benidorm Fest busca iniciar una colaboración con el Festival de Sanremo" [Benidorm Fest is trying to start a collaboration with the Sanremo Festival]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  11. ^ Solano, Cristhian (8 February 2024). "La Generalitat Valenciana viaja a Sanremo en busca de colaboración con el Benidorm Fest" [The Generalitat Valenciana travels to Sanremo booking for a collaboration with Benidorm Fest]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  12. ^ Bautista, Fran (1 February 2024). "¡Habrá Benidorm Fest en 2025!" [There will be Benidorm Fest in 2025!]. eurovision-spain.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  13. ^ Mancheño, José Miguel (18 February 2024). "¿Voto gratuito en el Benidorm Fest 2025? Así votan los espectadores en otros países de Europa" [Free vote in Benidorm Fest 2025? Here is how viewers vote in other European countries]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Benidorm Fest volverá en 2027 independientemente de si España participa o no en Eurovisión" [Benidorm Fest will return in 2027 regardless of whether Spain participates in Eurovision or not]. EuropaFM (in European Spanish). 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  15. ^ Borrego, Daniel (18 December 2025). "Descubre todas las novedades del Benidorm Fest 2026: premio, orden de semifinales y puesta en escena". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  16. ^ "Benidorm Fest: Estos son los 14 artistas y canciones de la preselección de España para Eurovisión 2022". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Conoce las fechas y los cambios que habrá: presentadores y jurado". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  18. ^ "RTVE publica las bases del Benidorm Fest 2024, con dos participantes menos y regulando promoción y Youtube". eldiario.es (in European Spanish). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  19. ^ "BASES QUE REGULAN LA SELECCIÓN DE LA CANCIÓN Y REPRESENTANTE/S DE ESPAÑA EN EL FESTIVAL DE EUROVISIÓN 2022" (PDF). RTVE (in European Spanish). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  20. ^ Bautista, Fran (18 January 2022). "¡Esta será la mecánica de votación en el Benidorm Fest!". Eurovision-Spain (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Ya tenemos fechas del Benidorm Fest: ¿cuándo se elegirá la canción de Eurovisión?". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Mónica Naranjo será la presentadora del Benidorm Fest 2023". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  23. ^ López Martín, Sergio (14 September 2022). "Máximo Huerta e Inés Hernand repetirán como presentadores en el 'Benidorm Fest 2023'" (in European Spanish). El Periódico de Catalunya. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Máximo Huerta y Alaska se caen del Benidorm Fest pero "seguirán ligados" al certamen con programas paralelos". Redacción verTele (in European Spanish). eldiario.es. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  25. ^ Paredes, Mónica (18 November 2022). "Estos son los tres presentadores del 'Benidorm Fest 2023'" (in European Spanish). La Vanguardia. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  26. ^ Solano, Cristhian; Mancheño, José Miguel (9 January 2024). "Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Calderó y Ana Prada serán los presentadores del Benidorm Fest 2024" [Ruth Lorenzo, Marc Calderó and Ana Prada will be the presenters of Benidorm Fest 2024]. ESCplus España (in European Spanish). Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  27. ^ Farren, Neil (9 January 2024). "Spain: Benidorm Fest 2024 Stage, Presenters and Jurors Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  28. ^ Campos, Patri (15 January 2025). "Paula Vazquez, Ruth Lorenzo e Inés Hernand: las presentadoras del Benidorm Fest 2025". RTVE.es (in Spanish).
  29. ^ 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).
  30. ^ "El ganador del Benidorm Fest recibirá un Micrófono de Bronce, obra del escultor José Luis Fernández". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  31. ^ Suena, C. (18 December 2025). "Adiós al micrófono, vuelve la Sirenita: el Benidorm Fest 2026 mira a su pasado para definir su futuro". Información. Prensa Ibérica.
  32. ^ "RTVE amplía hasta el 10 de noviembre el plazo de presentación de canciones para Eurovisión 2022". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  33. ^ "J Cruz, Tony Sánchez-Ohlsson y Zahara son los asesores musicales de RTVE para Eurovisión 2022". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Cómo participar en el Benidorm Fest 2023: Consulta las bases de la preselección para Eurovisión". rtve.es (in European Spanish). RTVE. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  35. ^ RTVE (10 December 2021). "Benidorm Fest: Blanca Paloma interpretará "Secreto de Agua"". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  36. ^ "Spain: Benidorm Fest 2022". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  37. ^ Campos), Equipo Eurovisión (Daniel Borrego Y. Patri (18 December 2022). "Blanca Paloma cantará "Eaea" en el Benidorm Fest 2023". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  38. ^ Escot, Daniel Borrego (5 February 2023). "Blanca Paloma gana el Benidorm Fest 2023 y representará a España en Eurovisión con la canción "Eaea"". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  39. ^ "Benidorm Fest: Luna Ki will perform "Voy a Morir"". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  40. ^ RTVE, PRENSA (23 January 2022). "Luna Ki se retira del Benidorm Fest". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  41. ^ "Luna Ki sings "Bomba de amor" at Benidorm Fest 2026". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  42. ^ a b c Pérez, Laura (17 May 2022). "Las audiencias que demuestran que Eurovisión (y su preselección) tiene potencial... si se apuesta por ello". eldiario.es. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  43. ^ Zárate, Pedro (1 February 2023). "El Benidorm Fest 2023 (10%) arranca con menos fuerza que el año pasado con su primera semifinal en La 1". eldiario.es. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  44. ^ Urrea, Isaac (4 February 2023). "¡La segunda semifinal del Benidorm Fest mantiene el nivel con un 9,4% y 1.020.000 espectadores!". eurovision-spain.com (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  45. ^ Romero, Gabriel Arias (5 February 2023). "La final del Benidorm Fest 2023 (14.7%) lidera e impulsa las audiencias de TVE con menos 'vuelo' que su primera edición". Vertele (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  46. ^ Zárate, Pedro (31 January 2024). "El Benidorm Fest 2024 (10.8%) pierde contra 'Hermanos' pero gana a 'GH Dúo' con su primera semifinal en TVE". verTele. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  47. ^ Zárate, Pedro (2 February 2024). "El Benidorm Fest 2024 (10.5%) es tercera opción con su segunda semifinal, y 'Entre tierras' (13.7%) sigue líder". verTele. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  48. ^ Zárate, Pedro (4 February 2024). "La final del Benidorm Fest 2024 (16.6%) siente el subidón de 'Zorra' y gana audiencia tras la bajada del año pasado". verTele. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  49. ^ Zárate, Pedro (29 January 2025). "El Benidorm Fest 2025 (13.1%) aprovecha al 'telonero' Broncano para liderar y firmar un récord con su primera semifinal". verTele! (in European Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2025 – via eldiario.es.
  50. ^ Zárate, Pedro (30 January 2025). "El Benidorm Fest 2025 (11.7%) lidera por la mínima en coincidencia ante 'GH Dúo' con su segunda semifinal en TVE". verTele! (in European Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2025 – via eldiario.es.
  51. ^ Carabaña Menéndez, Hugo (2 February 2025). "La final del Benidorm Fest 2025 lideró la noche del sábado subiendo respecto a 2024 y marcando el segundo mejor dato histórico (17,1%)". escplus.es (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2 February 2025.
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