Fai la Differenza C'è - The Festival
In search of sustainability: art, creative recycling, and social commitment in Rome
About Fai la Differenza C'è
A widespread festival for the culture of sustainability
Fai la Differenza, c'è… In search of Sustainability – The Festival is a Roman event that, since 2020, has taken the themes of sustainable development out of classrooms and conferences, transforming them into direct experiences: art, design, play, cooking, music, and workshops. Organized by the association Percorsi di Crescita APS and promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture, the event spans over three months, from July to mid-October, with a calendar that crosses multiple city districts.
The format is that of a widespread festival: not a single stage, but a network of very different locations. The Domus Shopping Center on Via Vittorio Ragusa, in the VII Municipality, and the Euroma2 Shopping Center, in the IX Municipality, host the exhibitions and weekend workshops; the Parco degli Scipioni, as part of the «La Città in tasca» event, welcomes outdoor activities; the Spazio Field Brancaccio concludes the journey with a final workshop. Bringing the festival into shopping centers is not a random choice: it is an attempt to reach an audience that does not habitually frequent environmental culture venues.
Contesteco, the artistic heart of the event
The core of the festival is Contesteco, an international art and design competition for sustainability that has accompanied the event since its inception and has now surpassed its fifteenth edition. Professional artists and amateurs create works using recycled and waste materials, following a different theme each year: from urban regeneration to peace, and gender equality. The selected works make up a traveling exhibition that remains open for months, accompanied by non-competitive exhibitions of nature photography and urban installations.
Workshops, cooking, and creative recycling
Alongside the exhibitions, the program offers a dense calendar of free activities:
- Creative recycling and upcycling workshops for children, teenagers, and adults, often led by artisans and artists who show live how to transform waste into useful objects;
- Cooking labs and multicultural cuisine, with chefs working on anti-waste, seasonality, and the meeting of different gastronomic traditions;
- the Recycled Car Race, a race of zero-impact small cars built with recycled materials: it is the most photographed and beloved event for families;
- talks and educational formats dedicated to new generations, career guidance, and the professions of the ecological transition;
- collective online writing initiatives, which collect public proposals in a shared document.
Art, social commitment, and inclusion
Over the years, the festival has expanded its scope from environmental protection alone to a broader reading of sustainability, which includes social justice, inclusion, and rights. Educational projects aimed at refugees, collaborations with local schools and associations, artistic performances, and choirs: the event brings worlds that rarely meet into dialogue, and it does so with an accessible and deliberately lighthearted language.
Rome, Lazio, and a local audience
Although it takes place in the Municipality of Rome, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, and in the heart of Lazio, the festival does not have the structure of a major historic center event. It is rather a local event that chooses neighborhoods, municipal parks, and commercial spaces frequented by Romans every day. Those arriving from outside the city will find an opportunity different from the usual tourist itinerary: a way to see the Capital from the perspective of its neighborhoods, associations, and schools.
Admission to all activities is free, although some workshops and the final workshop have limited spots and require booking. The updated calendar, with times and locations for every single appointment, is published on the official event website.
Fai la Differenza C'è — edition 2026
7th edition: gender equality at the center
The seventh edition of the festival, promoted by Roma Capitale – Department of Culture as part of Roma Creativa 365, chooses as its main theme gender equality and the fight against gender-based violence and femicide. Around this thread, exhibitions, talks, training workshops, and sports and musical initiatives are built, distributed over three months and four city locations.
The event opens on July 11 and 12 with the Eco-Festival at the Euroma2 Shopping Center and closes on October 15 at Spazio Field Brancaccio with the final workshop and the Contesteco awards ceremony. In between, a calendar that alternates long-term exhibitions and specific appointments, all with free admission.
Programme Fai la Differenza C'è 2026
July
- July 11-12, 10:00-19:00 – Festival Eco-Festival at Euroma2 Shopping Center: labs, workshops, exhibitions, the «Da Venti a Trenta» format, «Wild Roots», storytelling, readings, and show cooking by chef Alessio Guidi.
- July 11 - September 9 – Euroma2 (10:00-21:00): Contesteco 2026 exhibition, 16th edition of the sustainable art and design contest on the theme «Art, Voices and Visions for Gender Equality and for a culture of Contrast to Gender-Based Violence and femicide»; Obiettivo Terra photo exhibition and urban installation.
- July 24 - October 15 – Domus Shopping Center (10:00-22:00): O POST MIO exhibition by Francesca Leonardi.
- July 25, 18:30-20:30 – Itinerant walking-workshop «Donne al Centro» by GoTellGo (Municipality II, Piazzale Tiburtino).
September
- September 1-12, 17:00-19:00 – Recycled Car Race – Gruppo Porcarelli Trophy at Parco degli Scipioni (Via di Porta Latina 10), within «La Città in tasca».
- September 1-4 and 7-11, 17:00-19:00 – Cooking lab with chef Alessio Guidi, Parco degli Scipioni.
- September 5, 6, 12 and 13, 17:00-19:00 – «Le mani in pasta» workshops, Parco degli Scipioni.
- September 13 - October 15 – Domus Shopping Center (9:00-21:00): second stage of the Contesteco 2026 exhibition.
- September 19, 18:30-20:30 – Second appointment of «Donne al Centro» (Municipality I).
- September 26-27 – Festival Weekend at Domus: «Natura si fa Arte!» with Norberto Cenci (10:00-13:00), «Make Love Not Violence» performance by Rocco Lancia (15:00-18:00), ARTALO upcycling workshops (10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00), K-POP show (15:00-18:00).
October
- October 3-4 – Festival Weekend at Domus: «La Donna è Mobile» workshop (10:00-13:00), robotics lab with MindSharing Tech (15:00-18:00), ARTALO workshops, John Coltrane Choir concert (15:00-18:00).
- October 10-11, 10:00-19:00 – Festival Eco-Festival at Domus, with «Da Venti a Trenta» talks, «Wild Roots», storytelling workshops; October 11 flash mob by Vocal Oddity (15:00-18:00).
- October 15, 10:00-13:00 – Final workshop «Le Buone Re-Azioni» at Spazio Field Brancaccio (max 100 spots), followed by the Contesteco awards and the presentation of the «Charter of the Possible Future» (15:00-19:00).
Online
From July 11 to October 15, the crowdwriting initiative for the collective drafting of the «Charter of the Possible (preferably sustainable) Future» is active.
Highlights Fai la Differenza C'è 2026
- Contesteco 2026, 16th edition of the sustainable art and design contest dedicated to gender equality
- Recycled Car Race – Gruppo Porcarelli Trophy: the race of small cars built with recycled materials at Parco degli Scipioni
- The two Eco-Festivals, in July at Euroma2 and in October at the Domus Shopping Center
- The workshop weekends at Domus, featuring ARTALO upcycling, robotics, and live music
- The Obiettivo Terra photo exhibition and the solo show «O POST MIO» by Francesca Leonardi
- The final workshop «Le Buone Re-Azioni» and the awards ceremony on October 15
Prices Fai la Differenza C'è 2026
Practical information — Fai la Differenza C'è
How to get there
The Domus Shopping Center is located at Via Vittorio Ragusa 120, in the south-east quadrant of Rome (Municipality VII), reachable by car from the Grande Raccordo Anulare and served by urban bus lines. The other festival venues are easily accessible by public transport: the Euroma2 Shopping Center is located in the EUR district, while the Parco degli Scipioni (Via di Porta Latina 10) is a few steps from the Circo Massimo metro B station and the Aurelian Walls. The Spazio Field Brancaccio is in the Esquilino area, near the Vittorio Emanuele metro A station.
Rates
Free admission to all exhibitions, workshops, and shows. Some workshops have limited capacity: booking via the official website is recommended.
Tips
The festival lasts over three months: always check the calendar before leaving, as each venue has its own dates and times. The workshop weekends are the best opportunity for those traveling with children. For accommodation, the Esquilino area and the EUR district offer facilities well-connected to the event venues.
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Where does it take place — Fai la Differenza C'è
Centro Commerciale Domus (Municipio VII) e altre sedi diffuse
Centro Commerciale Domus, Via Vittorio Ragusa 120, 00174 Roma