Balena Festival 2026

A widespread festival in the heart of Genoa

Balena Festival is now one of the most anticipated events of the Genoese summer. Born as an independent music review, it has built a precise identity over the years: not concentrating in one place, but spreading across the neighbourhoods and symbolic spaces of Genoa, the capital of Liguria and its Metropolitan City. The slogan for the seventh edition, "Until it becomes a galaxy", perfectly captures this vocation: a constellation of concerts that traverses the city.

The festival venues

The pulsating heart of the event is the Axpo Arena del Mare, the arena overlooking the water within the Old Port, which hosts the main week of concerts at the end of July. But Balena also lives elsewhere: the Giardini Luzzati, a vibrant and multicultural square in the historic centre, the Maddalena district, the Piazza delle Feste. This choice to scatter the events is an integral part of the festival's philosophy, which aims to make music dialogue with the urban fabric.

The musical offering

The programme favours Italian singer-songwriters and the indie scene, alternating established names with young promises. Among the artists announced for 2026 are Caparezza, The Zen Circus, Emma Nolde, I Cani, TonyPitony, and many others, in a balance that has been the festival's hallmark since its inception.

An event for the city

Organised by Aluha S.r.l., Balena Festival has established itself as a reference point for audiences seeking proposals outside the mainstream commercial circuits. It is music for those who want to discover, listen to, and experience Genoa from a different perspective, that of a city that transforms into a stage in the summer.