PARMA 360 – Contemporary Creativity Festival
The widespread contemporary art festival that rewrites Parma
About PARMA 360
A widespread museum in the heart of Parma
PARMA 360 – Festival della Creatività Contemporanea is the major spring exhibition that, since 2016, has enlivened the historic center of the Emilia-Romagna capital. The idea is simple and powerful: instead of concentrating art in a single space, the festival disseminates it among the city's most evocative locations — Palazzo Pigorini, Galleria San Ludovico, Torrione Visconteo, Casa del Suono, and other historic palaces — transforming a walk downtown into a continuous exhibition path.
Promoted by the associations 360 and Art Company with the support of the Municipality of Parma, the festival has established itself in just a few years as one of the most anticipated contemporary art events in Emilia-Romagna. Each edition revolves around a central theme that serves as a common thread for exhibitions, meetings, and workshops.
Artistic Direction and Format
The artistic direction is entrusted to Chiara Canali and Camilla Mineo, who each year build a program capable of creating a dialogue between major international masters and emerging research. Alongside the official exhibitions, the festival offers the Circuito Off (Off Circuit): about fifty city spaces — shops, bookstores, restaurants, studios, and private galleries in the center — that open their doors to artistic interventions, extending the festival well beyond the main venues.
Art that Dialogues with the City
The value of PARMA 360 lies in its site-specific vocation: the works are not simply exhibited but enter into a relationship with the architecture, history, and identity of the places that host them. Deconsecrated churches, noble palaces, and medieval towers become unprecedented settings that invite visitors to rediscover Parma from a different perspective. In ten editions, the festival has involved over 200 artists, more than 70 official exhibitions, and over twenty venues, intertwining contemporary art and urban regeneration.
An Event for All of Emilia-Romagna
Capital of the Food Valley and one of Italy's most elegant art cities, Parma offers the ideal setting for a festival that speaks to a broad audience: art enthusiasts, families, schools, and cultural tourists. The exhibitions can be visited with a single ticket, and the festival offers guided tours, meetings with artists, and educational programs designed for schools in the province of Parma and the entire region.
PARMA 360 — edition 2026
For its tenth anniversary, PARMA 360 chose light as the absolute protagonist. The theme «LUX. Visions of Light», curated by Chiara Canali and Camilla Mineo, spanned photography, illustration, fluorescent painting, and artificial intelligence, transforming Parma's historic venues into sensory experiences. There were eight official exhibitions, 25 artists involved, six workshops, and over fifty Off Circuit spaces spread throughout the historic center.
Programme PARMA 360 2026
Official Exhibitions
- «Morphology Light. Journey into the Form of Light» — solo exhibition by Antonio Barrese, curated by Chiara Canali, at Galleria San Ludovico: approximately 90 works including lightboxes and electroluminescent structures, focusing on light as a generative structure.
- «Michael Kenna. The Po River. Writings of Light» — on the main floor of Palazzo Pigorini, 70 black and white photographs dedicated to the Po River, taken between 2007 and 2019.
- «Quadrifluox» — at Palazzo Pigorini, a project experimenting with fluorescent inks activated under Wood's light.
- «A New Light» — French illustrators Jean Mallard, Clément Thoby, and Florian Pigé at Galleria Caracol in Palazzo Pigorini.
- «DEL SUBLIME» — the Duo ES (Nicola Evangelisti and Silvia Serenari) at Torrione Visconteo, an immersive multimedia project.
- «Synthetic Horizons. New Geographies of Artificial Intelligence» — six artists under 35 at Casa del Suono.
- «Fiori di Luce» (Flowers of Light) — the photographic series by Caterina Orzi on nature and light.
Off Circuit and Activities
Over fifty collateral exhibitions spread across shops, bookstores, restaurants, studios, and private galleries in the historic center. Also scheduled are meetings with artists and curators, guided tours, and educational programs for schools.
Highlights PARMA 360 2026
Prices PARMA 360 2026
Practical information — PARMA 360
How to Get There
The festival venues are located in the historic center of Parma, all within walking distance. By train: Parma station is served by the Milan–Bologna high-speed line and is a few minutes from the center. By car: from the A1 motorway (Parma exit), you can reach the center, where it is advisable to use the peripheral parking lots due to the Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL).
Tickets
A single ticket grants access to all official exhibitions. Physical ticket office at Palazzo Pigorini and online sales on Vivaticket. Reduced prices are available for students, under 26s, and schools, with free entry for children up to 13 years old.
Opening Hours
The exhibitions are generally open from Wednesday to Sunday; it is recommended to check the updated hours for each venue on the official website before your visit.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Where does it take place — PARMA 360
Palazzo Pigorini
Strada della Repubblica 29, 43121 Parma