Le Serre d'Estate

An open-air cultural season in the heart of Bologna

Le Serre d'Estate is the summer event organized by Kilowatt at Le Serre dei Giardini Margherita, the hybrid space born from the regeneration of the old municipal greenhouses within Bologna's most famous park. Every year, from May to September, this green corner of the Emilia-Romagna capital transforms into a large open-air stage: five months of largely free programming, spread across music, cinema, festivals, markets, and talks.

The music program

The backbone of the event is live music. The Live in Serre section features over twenty projects selected through an open call that in 2026 received more than 120 applications, with a lineup alternating local artists, returning acts, and new presences on the independent and experimental scene. Alongside Live in Serre, the Volo Vivace format, curated by No Glucose Collective, offers evenings dedicated to sound research and improvisation.

Cinema, design, and festivals

Cinema returns with SEMI – Il cinema alle Serre, an event held in collaboration with the MUBI platform and dedicated to debut films, with screenings under the stars and the participatory project Semi Film Club. Among the collateral events are Capsula, the Serre's design market with dozens of exhibitors featuring crafts, illustration, and contemporary design, and thematic festivals like *Oltre la Terra* (Beyond the Earth), dedicated to soilless cultivation, and *Architexture*, which intertwines cinema and architecture.

A place, a community

More than just an event series, Le Serre d'Estate reflects a project of urban and cultural regeneration. The space, managed by Kilowatt, combines a bar-restaurant with tables in the shade of the gardens, vegetable patches, workshops, and programming also designed for children and families. The result is a place where Bolognese residents and visitors meet for an aperitif, a concert, or a screening, experiencing the city's most relaxed and creative dimension.

Why it's worth it

• Free admission to almost all events.
• Multidisciplinary program: music, cinema, festivals, markets, and talks.
• A green and evocative location within the Giardini Margherita.
• Five months of continuous programming, from May to the end of September.