Festival da Canção 2026 officially began its public season today with the presentation of the 16 competing songs and performers, revealed during a press event held at LAV – Lisboa ao Vivo.
The launch brought together artists, composers and the production team, marking the formal start of one of RTP’s flagship music formats and a long-standing reference in contemporary Portuguese music.
This year’s hosting team will include Vasco Palmeirim, Filomena Cautela, Catarina Maia and Alexandre Guimarães. Vasco Palmeirim will present the first semi-final and the final, while Filomena Cautela will host the second semi-final and the final. Catarina Maia and Alexandre Guimarães will take part across all three shows. The presenters will jointly lead the studio broadcasts, green room coverage and digital content throughout the season.
A total of 16 original and previously unreleased songs were introduced, written by both invited composers and authors selected through open submission.
All songs were released online as lyric videos on the official Festival da Canção YouTube channel and on major streaming platforms. Listen to all of them here:
Songs in competition:
AGRIDOCE – “Onde Quero Estar”
André Amaro – “Dá-me a Tua Mão”
Bandidos do Cante – “Rosa”
Bateu Matou – “Nos Teus Olhos”
Cristina Branco / João Ribeiro – “Canção do Querer”
Dinis Mota – “Jurei”
Djodje / Mário Mata – “Pertencer”
EVAYA – “Sprint”
Francisco Fontes – “Co-Piloto”
Gonçalo Gomes – “Doce Ilusão”
Inês Sousa – “Um Filme ao Contrário”
Jacaréu & Ana Margarida – “O-pi-ni-ão”
Marquise – “Chuva”
Nunca Mates o Mandarim – “Fumo”
Rita Dias / Silvana Peres – “Não Tem Fim”
Sandrino – “Disposto a Tudo”
The first semi-final will take place on 21 February, followed by the second semi-final on 28 February. The grand final is scheduled for 7 March. This year, the contest moves to a new venue, with all shows held at the Valentim de Carvalho studios in Paço de Arcos.
For the first time in the history of the competition, online voting will be introduced. Viewers will be able to vote through the official Festival da Canção website, with online votes carrying the same weight and cost as telephone votes.
Audience members will be able to attend the live shows by registering in advance online. Places are limited, with registrations opening on 1 February.
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