Express Festival

Express Festival, twenty years of visionary music in Bologna

Born in 2007 along with the opening of the Locomotiv Club, Express Festival has become one of the most recognizable events in the independent music scene of Bologna and the entire Emilia-Romagna region. The review, built around three keywords — visionary music, returns, trajectories — offers a curated selection of concerts each year that focuses on sonic research and international artistic quality, far from the logic of large commercial events.

A history of cult names

In almost twenty years of activity, Express Festival has hosted artists on the Locomotiv stage and in other venues in the city who later became absolute references: from James Blake to Caribou, from Fontaines D.C. to 2manydjs, up to Sunn O))), Mudhoney, and even Grandmaster Flash. This constant attention to projects capable of charting new sonic routes has built the festival's reputation over time as a privileged observation point on the present and future of music.

The 2026 edition: twenty years forward

For 2026, the review celebrates its twentieth anniversary with a program spread from spring to early summer, between April 16 and June 29. The lineup alternates major returns and new discoveries: the German band The Notwist (sold out date), the refined nocturnal songwriting of Puma Blue, the raw American sound of Califone, the electronic experiments of Lucrecia Dalt, the Middle Eastern psychedelia of Sanam, and the unmistakable voice of New Zealander Aldous Harding.

Locomotiv Club, home of the festival

The heart of the event is the Locomotiv Club, a historic club on Via Sebastiano Serlio, in the Navile district (Bolognina area) of the Municipality of Bologna. A reference point for live music since 2007, the club offers the intimate and direct dimension ideal for concerts designed for those who truly listen. The review is made with the contribution of the Emilia-Romagna Region.

Why it's worth it

• An international and curated program, hard to find elsewhere in Italy
• Concerts in an intimate club, with a direct relationship between artists and audience
• A mix of cult names, anticipated returns, and new proposals
• A festival spread throughout the spring, not concentrated in a single weekend