Folklore in Festa – Friendship Award

The Messina Folk Festival

Every summer, the Arena di Villa Dante, the great green lung in the heart of Messina, hosts Folklore in Festa – Friendship Award, an international festival dedicated to folk traditions. The event brings Italian and international folk groups to the stage, creating an evening where music, dance, and traditional costumes become a universal language capable of uniting peoples and cultures.

A celebration of friendship between peoples

The festival was born with the stated goal of promoting and fostering meetings, mutual understanding, and brotherhood among peoples, while helping to value and safeguard diverse cultures, folk traditions, and ethnicities. It is no coincidence that it carries the "Friendship Award" in its title: every edition is an opportunity for twinning and dialogue, with guest groups in past editions arriving from Poland, Turkey, and Ecuador, alongside Italian ensembles.

Organizers

The event is conceived and organized by Santino Merrino, president of the I Cantustrittu Cultural-Musical Association and provincial president in Messina of the F.I.T.P. (Italian Federation of Folk Traditions). The festival benefits from the collaboration of the F.I.T.P. and the CIOFF (International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts), organizations that protect and promote the heritage of folk traditions worldwide.

At Villa Dante, in the heart of Messina

The event is held at the Arena di Villa Dante, a historic green area in the "City of the Strait," and is included in the summer program promoted by the Municipality of Messina (the "Estate in Villa" and "E-state Messina" festivals). It is an evening event with free admission, designed as a gathering point for both locals and the tourists who flock to the Province of Messina and all of Sicily in August.

A tribute to the city of folklore

Messina boasts a long tradition linked to folklore and popular festivals, from the famous Vara and the Giants of Ferragosto to numerous traditional singing and dancing associations. Folklore in Festa fits into this tradition, helping to keep the local cultural identity alive while opening it up to dialogue with the traditions of other countries.