Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival
The widespread contemporary arts festival of Catania
About Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival
A festival spread across the heart of Catania
Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival is one of the most vibrant cultural events in Eastern Sicily. The acronym FIC stands for «Focolaio di Infezione Creativa» (Hotbed of Creative Infection), a name that perfectly captures its mission: to spread art pervasively, infecting the city of Catania with dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. For about two weeks every spring, historic theatres, churches, squares, parks, and unexpected urban spaces are transformed into places of creation and encounter.
Directed by Roberto Zappalà
The festival is promoted by Scenario Pubblico, a Centre of Relevant National Interest for dance recognized by the Ministry of Culture, and is led by the artistic direction of choreographer Roberto Zappalà, a leading figure in Italian contemporary dance and founder of the Compagnia Zappalà Danza. A steering committee gathers around him, networking the city's cultural excellences: Teatro Stabile di Catania, Istituto Musicale Vincenzo Bellini, Fondazione OELLE, Associazione Musicale Etnea, and the University of Catania.
Dance, music, theatre, and visual arts
The heart of the FIC Festival is contemporary dance, which engages in dialogue with live music, experimental theatre, and visual arts. Each edition brings Italian and international companies and artists to Catania, alongside new creations by the Compagnia Zappalà Danza. The program alternates evening shows in theatres with site-specific performances, installations, concerts, meetings, and urban actions designed to involve the public in a direct and participatory way.
Art that inhabits the city
More than just a festival, Catania Contemporanea is a project that rethinks the relationship between art and public space. Performances step out of theatres and reach parks, churches, courtyards of historic palaces, and even unusual locations like prisons, asserting the idea of art as a common good and a practice of citizenship. It is an immersive experience that invites both locals and visitors to rediscover their city through the eyes of artists.
Catania, cultural capital of the Etnean Sicily
At the foot of Mount Etna, in the province of Catania, the UNESCO-listed Baroque city offers the ideal setting for a festival that combines contemporaneity with Mediterranean roots. Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival is now a highly anticipated date on the Sicilian cultural calendar, capable of attracting a wide audience and placing Eastern Sicily on the map of contemporary artistic creation.
Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival — edition 2026
FIC Festival 2026: kindness as a radical practice
The seventh edition of Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival, staged from April 29 to May 10, 2026, chose the theme of kindness, understood as a radical practice of encounter, listening, and responsibility, capable of redefining the way of experiencing art and inhabiting the city. Under the direction of Roberto Zappalà, the program brought together about 40 events and over 150 Italian and international artists across dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.
Opening and closing
The inauguration, on April 29 for World Dance Day, featured the Bloom's Parade, an urban parade from Villa Bellini to Piazza Duomo with over 200 artists and the Banda di Avola, followed by «body teaches». The closing, on May 10 at the Cortile Platamone, saw «Brother to Brother – from Etna to Fuji» by the Compagnia Zappalà Danza with Japanese munedaiko drums.
Highlights
- May 1st, Parco Gioeni transformed into a «living museum» with non-stop performances and «Il convivio dei sensi»
- «Corpi Liturgici» by Roberto Zappalà, a performative itinerary through the churches of the historic centre
- International dance with ICK Dans Amsterdam, Samir Calixto, and Sofia Nappi/Komoco
- Shows at Teatro Verga, concerts, and daily «poetic consultations»
A widespread edition that confirmed Catania as the capital of contemporary arts in Etnean Sicily.
Programme Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival 2026
2026 Program (selection)
- April 29 – Bloom's Parade from Villa Bellini to Piazza Duomo; «body teaches» (World Dance Day)
- May 1 – Parco Gioeni «living museum»: non-stop performances, «Il convivio dei sensi»
- May 2-3 – ICK Dans Amsterdam «WE, the BREATH»; Orchestra Sinfonica del Conservatorio Bellini
- May 5 – Samir Calixto «Raiz»; Giovanna Velardi «Autobiografia»
- May 7 – Sofia Nappi/Komoco «The Fridas»; «Virdimura» at Teatro Verga
- May 3-8 – «Corpi Liturgici» by Roberto Zappalà through the churches of the historic centre
- May 8 – inauguration of the «AperOELLE» exhibition
- May 10 – «Brother to Brother – from Etna to Fuji» with munedaiko drums (Cortile Platamone)
Highlights Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival 2026
Prices Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival 2026
Practical information — Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival
When
The festival takes place in spring, between late April and early May, with a calendar spanning approximately two weeks.
Where
The main venue is Scenario Pubblico (via Gulli, Catania), but events are spread across numerous locations in the city: Teatro Massimo Bellini, Teatro Verga, Cortile Platamone / Palazzo della Cultura, Piazza Duomo, Villa Bellini, Parco Gioeni, churches in the historic centre, and other urban spaces.
How to get there
Catania is served by Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, Catania Centrale railway station, and numerous motorway connections (A18 and A19). The historic centre, where many events are concentrated, is easily walkable and served by the FCE underground.
Tickets
Many widespread activities and urban actions are free of charge; tickets are required for theatre performances. It is recommended to check the official website and Scenario Pubblico's channels for the full program and booking details.
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Where does it take place — Catania Contemporanea / FIC Festival
Scenario Pubblico e spazi diffusi della città