Festival Aperto

Festival Aperto, contemporary arts in Reggio Emilia

Festival Aperto is the autumn exhibition dedicated to contemporary arts organized by the Fondazione I Teatri of Reggio Emilia. Every year, between September and November, the festival brings some of the most important names on the international scene to the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, weaving together music, dance, theatre, contemporary circus, performances, installations, and multimedia languages in a deliberately cross-cutting and multidisciplinary program.

The XVIII edition in 2026

In 2026, the festival celebrates its XVIII edition, scheduled from September 10 to November 15, with the title "Welcome to Interesting Times." The program includes over thirty shows, more than sixty performances, about fifteen productions and co-productions, as well as numerous world premieres and Italian premieres. Reggio Emilia thus becomes a capital of contemporary arts for two months, capable of engaging with major European institutions and bringing creations to the province that are otherwise difficult to see.

Unmissable events

• The opening concert by Les Amazones d'Afrique at the Teatro Municipale Valli.
• Einstürzende Neubauten, legends of German sound experimentation.
• International dance with Kidd Pivot by Crystal Pite and the Nederlands Dans Theater and with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.
• Hourvari, a masterpiece of contemporary circus by the French company Rasposo, hosted in collaboration with the Dinamico Festival under a large tent set up at Parco Innovazione.
• Creations by the Reggio dance company Aterballetto and the piano review PianIstmi.

Festival venues

The shows take place in the city's main cultural venues: the Teatro Municipale Romolo Valli in Piazza Martiri del 7 luglio, the Teatro Ariosto in Corso Cairoli, the Teatro Cavallerizza in Viale Allegri, the Sala Verdi, as well as unconventional spaces like Reggiane Parco Innovazione (former Officine Meccaniche Reggiane) and the Collezione Maramotti. Festival Aperto is part of the larger Reggio Parma Festival project, which networks the two Emilia cities around music and live performance.

A festival rooted in Emilia-Romagna

A benchmark for the contemporary scene in Emilia-Romagna, Festival Aperto has built a precise identity over the years: an author-driven festival, attentive to research and commissioning new works, which engages with the themes of the present each edition. It is a valuable opportunity for the Reggio Emilia audience and for visitors wishing to discover contemporary art in a compact and welcoming urban setting like that of Reggio Emilia.