Filuzzi in Piazza

Filuzzi, the Musical Soul of Bologna

Filuzzi is much more than a musical genre: it is the soul of Bolognese popular dance, a tradition of virtuosic ballroom dancing born in the city's taverns and dance halls and passed down through generations. With Filuzzi in Piazza, the Municipality of Bologna brings this heritage back to the heart of public spaces, transforming squares into open-air dance floors where waltzes, polkas, and mazurkas take center stage again.

An Event in Two Parts

The festival is divided into several stages throughout the summer. The opening evenings are held in Piazza della Pace, with free workshops Let's Learn Filuzzi at 7:30 PM and dancing evenings at 9:15 PM, while a refreshment area is open from 6 PM. The grand finale arrives on August 14th in Piazza Maggiore, when the Crescentone comes alive to celebrate Ferragosto with a grand party of music and dance open to all.

Orchestras and Maestros

The evenings are hosted by Mauro Malaguti and enhanced by performances from top-tier Filuzzi ballroom dance ensembles: the Davide Salvi Filuzzi Quartet and the Massimo Tagliata Trio, featuring accordion, guitar, mandolin, and double bass. The dance floor serves as a true transmission school: the dance workshops are coordinated by Carlo Pelagalli and offered by the city's dance schools, so that even those who have never danced ballroom can take their first steps.

Tradition and Memory

In addition to dancing, Filuzzi in Piazza is a tribute to the city's musical memory: hits from the Bolognese popular tradition are performed live while archival images scroll across the big screen, in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna. It is a way to make the past and present dialogue, placing dialect, Filuzzi, and musical craftsmanship at the center of a still vibrant language.

Part of Bologna Estate

Filuzzi in Piazza is part of the rich program of Bologna Estate, the festival that animates the capital of Emilia-Romagna every year with over four hundred events, largely free. Among concerts, puppet shows, dialect songs, and popular traditions, Filuzzi represents one of the city's most authentic identity markers: a celebration where the community truly comes together, outdoors, to the rhythm of the accordion.

Why Participate

• Free live ballroom dancing in the heart of Bologna
• Orchestras and accordionists from the best Filuzzi tradition
• Workshops to learn waltzes, polkas, and mazurkas
• Popular and intergenerational atmosphere in Piazza Maggiore