Periferica Festival

A festival that turns the suburbs into a centre

Periferica is a free music festival that brings live concerts and performances to the heart of Rome's north-eastern suburbs every year. The event takes place in the Municipality of Rome, in the Lazio region, and is hosted at the Gabriella Ferri Cultural Centre in the Fourth Municipality, in the Pietralata area: a symbolic venue that the festival aims to establish as a cultural landmark for the entire neighbourhood. The title itself challenges a prejudice: the suburbs are not a margin, but a creative centre where music becomes a universal language between peoples and cultures.

History and artistic direction

The festival was founded in 2024 by the Accademia Italiana del Flauto, a historic Roman institution active since 1988, with the support of the Fourth Municipality. The artistic direction is entrusted to Alessandra Evangelisti and Stefano Cioffi, who have built a project capable of combining artistic quality with social roots. After an initial edition held across various municipal venues, from 2025 onwards, Periferica has been concentrated in a single location, the Gabriella Ferri Cultural Centre, for a full month of programming.

The programme

The heart of Periferica is music in its many forms: Roman folk songs, jazz, Mediterranean sounds, and world traditions meet on stage in a continuous dialogue. Alongside the evening concerts, the festival offers musical theatre performances and storytelling, where words and sounds intertwine to share stories and memories.

• Evening concerts featuring artists from the Roman and national scene;
• Musical theatre shows and musical storytelling;
• Radio Periferica, interactive concerts designed for children;
• Morning workshops on percussion, creative music, and writing for children and teenagers.

A project for the community

What sets Periferica apart is its participatory and inclusive spirit. Admission to all events is free, breaking down economic barriers to bring live music to a broad, intergenerational audience. The workshops for children and families, the focus on accessibility, and the choice of a working-class neighbourhood make the festival a permanent cultural presence rather than an isolated event.

Why attend

Periferica is an opportunity to discover a side of Rome beyond the usual tourist circuits: the side of neighbourhoods that live, tell their own stories, and create culture. Between a Roman folk concert and a jazz night, or Mediterranean sounds and children's workshops, the festival offers a month of high-quality events where the suburbs take centre stage.