Folkest

The world's curious festival

Folkest is one of the longest-running and most prestigious folk music festivals in Southern Europe. Born in 1979, just three years after the earthquake that devastated Friuli — the Orcolat of 1976 — the festival has grown as a symbol of rebirth for a land that chose music and the meeting of peoples to rebuild itself. Organized by the Associazione Culturale Folkgiornale, every summer Folkest intertwines folk, world music, and singer-songwriting in a widespread calendar that touches dozens of municipalities in Friuli Venezia Giulia, from Gemona to Tolmezzo, from Gorizia to Cervignano.

San Daniele, heart of the festival

The pulsating heart of the event is San Daniele del Friuli, the city of DOP prosciutto nestled on Colle Massimo, between the morainic hills and the Tagliamento river. During the central days, the town transforms into a large music village: concerts multiply in the alleys, taverns, and bars of the historic center, in the squares, in the churches — from the Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo to the church of Madonna di Strada — up to the castle park and the spaces of the renowned Guarneriana Library. Artists perform in multiple evening sets, creating an intimate and festive atmosphere where great music can be heard just a short distance away.

A stage that looks to the world

Over the years, Folkest has hosted absolute protagonists of author music and popular traditions: Angelo Branduardi, Nomadi, New Trolls, Lou Dalfin, Omar Pedrini, Peppe Voltarelli, the American violinist Scarlet Rivera (historic collaborator of Bob Dylan), Vincenzo Zitello, and many others. The international heart of the festival is the Folkest Showcase / UpBeat section, dedicated to emerging European artists: every year, a dozen artists selected from Estonia, Finland, Poland, Romania, Luxembourg, Spain, and other countries bring new sounds to San Daniele. The Premio Alberto Cesa, one of the most coveted awards in the sector, recognizes the best Italian act.

Music, memory, and territory

Folkest is much more than a concert series: it is a journey into the roots and contaminations of folk music, supported by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Ministry of Culture, and the Fondazione Friuli, with the patronage of UNESCO. Singing and dance seminars, sensory workshops, exhibitions, and meetings accompany the concerts, while the historic train that reaches Friuli from Trieste ideally unites the region in the spirit of celebration. For lovers of authentic music and the villages of Friuli, it is an unmissable event.