Italy's longest-running comedy festival, by the sea in Grottammare
Cabaret, Amoremio! is Italy's longest-running national comedy festival. Founded in the summer of 1985, it has enlivened the summer nights of Grottammare, a gem on the Adriatic coast in the Province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche, for over forty years. The event takes place on the evocative stage at the Foce del Tesino, a green space on the seafront where music, satire, and laughter meet under the summer sky.
The festival's format combines two complementary souls. On one hand, the biggest names in national comedy, stars of theatre, television, and cinema, who are honored each year with the Golden Orange, a lifetime achievement award that has become a symbol of the event. On the other, the Nuovi Comici competition, the true creative engine of the event: a technical jury selects young talents from all over Italy who compete live during the final evenings, with a cash prize provided by the Municipality of Grottammare for the winner.
Throughout its editions, Cabaret, Amoremio! has hosted some of the most beloved faces of Italian comedy, from monologists to actors, from historic groups like Gialappa's Band to new stand-up comedy performers. The festival has managed to reinvent itself while preserving its popular spirit and its focus on the most innovative languages of contemporary comedy.
The event is promoted by the Municipality of Grottammare in collaboration with AMAT and the Pro Loco Lido degli Aranci. Admission to the evenings is free, in line with the event's popular appeal. The festival is part of the rich program of the Grottammare summer, which offers music, theatre, historical re-enactments, and local traditions from June to September.
The 41st edition of Cabaret, Amoremio! is scheduled for July 31 and August 1, 2026, at the Foce del Tesino in Grottammare. The Municipality has confirmed the dates and venue; the Nuovi Comici competition has already published its call for entries, with a prize of €2,000 for the winner provided by the municipal administration. The full lineup of major guests for the evenings will be announced in the weeks preceding the festival. Artistic direction is entrusted to Luca Sestili. Admission, as per tradition, will be free.
Program to be defined. The two evenings of July 31 and August 1, 2026, at the Foce del Tesino are confirmed, featuring the final of the Nuovi Comici competition and the awarding of the Golden Orange. The names of the major guests will be announced by the organization in the weeks preceding the event.
By car: A14 motorway, Grottammare exit; the Foce del Tesino is located along the northern seafront. By train: Grottammare station on the Bologna-Lecce Adriatic line, a few minutes from the center and the seafront.
Admission to the festival evenings is free.
Culture Office of the Municipality of Grottammare, tel. +39 0735 739238. Official website: www.cabaretamoremio.it
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Foce del Tesino