Benidorm International Song Festival
| Benidorm Song Festival Festival de la Canción de Benidorm | |
|---|---|
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Spanish music |
| Dates | Variable |
| Locations | Benidorm, Spain |
| Inaugurated | 1959 |
| Most recent | 2006 |
The Benidorm Song Festival (Spanish: Festival de la Canción de Benidorm), known as the Benidorm International Song Festival (Spanish: Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm) in its last three editions, was an annual song contest held in Benidorm, Spain. The contest, based on the Italian Sanremo Music Festival, was created to promote the city as a tourism destination and Spanish music.
The festival, which used to take place in the summer, ran for 39 editions between 1959 and 2006. It was not held in 1979, 1984, and 1986–1992. Starting in 2022, a revamped version of the festival, under the name Benidorm Fest, has been held by Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) and the Generalitat Valenciana; it served to select the Spanish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest up to 2025.
The festival underwent considerable modifications over the years, such as in the prizes. In 2004, it went from national to international. The contest was usually broadcast on radio or television by Red de Emisoras del Movimiento (1959), Televisión Española (1960–1985, 1997–2005), Telecinco (1993–1996), or Canal Nou (1997–2006).