Narra-Zone – Neighborhood Stories Festival

A festival that tells the story of Palermo through its neighborhoods

narraZONE – Neighborhood Stories Festival is a multidisciplinary urban storytelling event held in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, transforming the city's streets, squares, and public spaces into a vast open-air theater. The festival puts the communities of five neighborhoods – Kalsa, Sant'Erasmo, Zisa, Noce, and Danisinni – at the center, making them the true protagonists and giving a voice to those who inhabit these places every day.

Neighborhood stories at the heart of the scene

Through research, study, reconstruction, and the sharing of fragments of collective memory, artists bring to life stories of characters, events, and anecdotes linked to the involved neighborhoods. Storytelling thus becomes a tool to preserve the memory of places and people, weaving together past and present, popular tales, and contemporary creation.

A widespread and multidisciplinary program

The festival calendar spans several days, each hosted in a different neighborhood, offering a mosaic of artistic languages:

• Narrative walks that traverse the city, turning cracks and weathered walls into small daily wonders;
• Urban dance performances, aerial silks, and community theater;
• Narrative circles, readings, and recitals, including anti-racist themes;
• Participatory cinema screenings created together with the residents;
• Urban games and team challenges that lead the public to discover both known and hidden corners of the neighborhoods;
• Street art interventions and workshops dedicated to the city's civic memory.

Iconic city landmarks

The venues hosting the festival include the Ecomuseo Mare Memoria Viva in the Sant'Erasmo district, the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, Piazza Magione in the heart of Kalsa, and the open spaces of Noce and Danisinni. These are cultural and social hubs that, during the festival, become meeting points for artists, residents, and visitors.

A community project

narraZONE was conceived by the associations that created Traiettorie Urbane, a project focused on youth participation and the social use of public spaces, supported by the social enterprise Con i Bambini and co-funded by the Fondazione EOS – Edison Orizzonte Sociale ETS. The goal is to make the inhabitants of Palermo's neighborhoods the protagonists and to activate an exchange between the involved communities, enhancing the suburbs and their narratives.

A free event open to all

All festival shows and initiatives are free and open to the public, designed to engage residents and visitors of all ages. narraZONE is an invitation to rediscover Palermo away from the most beaten tourist paths, letting yourself be guided by the voices, memories, and stories of its neighborhoods.