Muschin Festival - A Summer of Events in the Rice Fields

A summer of events in the heart of the rice fields

The Muschin Festival is the summer event series through which the Municipality of Crescentino, in the Province of Vercelli and the agricultural heart of Piedmont, accompanies residents and visitors from the summer solstice until September. It is not a single event, but a true widespread program that brings together music, literature, open-air cinema, performances, sports, nature, and popular traditions, distributed across parks, squares, and iconic locations in the city.

The meaning of the name

The name «Muschin» comes from the Piedmontese dialect and means mosquito, the insect that has always populated the rice fields surrounding Crescentino. The administration chose this term with irony and self-deprecation to flip the stereotype: in the land of rice fields, there are not only mosquitoes, but also culture, music, history, books, cinema, sports, nature, and agriculture. An affectionate way to describe the identity of a territory deeply linked to rice cultivation.

The typical program

The festival traditionally opens on June 21st with the Festa della Musica, the international event celebrating the summer solstice, and continues throughout the season with diverse appointments:

• Summer Book Festival: the literary series on Friday evenings in July, hosted at Parco Rita Levi Montalcini, featuring author meetings and themed nights;
• Concerts and tribute shows dedicated to the great names of Italian music;
• Crescentino under the stars: the summer white night with shops open, markets, music, and food and wine;
• Open-air cinema during summer evenings;
• Festa della Madonna del Palazzo, the religious and popular event at the end of August with a funfair.

An appointment for the whole community

Designed for families, young people, and enthusiasts of all ages, the Muschin Festival enhances the public spaces of Crescentino and the unique landscape of the Vercelli rice plains. The free entry policy for many events makes the festival an occasion for social interaction and rediscovery of the territory, in one of the most characteristic areas of Piedmont.