Pianeta Vivente – Biodiversity Festival

Pianeta Vivente, the Biodiversity Festival in Palermo

Pianeta Vivente – Biodiversity Festival is the city's first event entirely dedicated to biodiversity, taking place in Palermo, across the municipal and metropolitan area of the city in Sicily, from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, 2026. The initiative is born from a collaboration between the University of Palermo, the NBFC – National Biodiversity Future Center (of which the university is a member alongside the CNR and other partners), and Le Vie dei Tesori.

The Biodiversity Gateway

The beating heart of the festival is the Biodiversity Gateway, the new NBFC space inaugurated on Via Archirafi, just a short walk from the Botanical Garden. Here, the public can embark on a creative and interactive journey through the planet's biodiversity: from the sea room, explorable with Oculus headsets, to the new immersive installation by Odd Agency dedicated to Ferdinandea Island, the island that emerged and then disappeared off the Sicilian coast.

The weekend program

For three days, Palermo transforms into a large open-air laboratory. The packed, free calendar includes guided tours, experiences, tastings, children's workshops, and themed walks, discovering the different facets of biodiversity: from terrestrial to marine heritage, and even urban intersections, through hidden gardens, scientific collections, and unique itineraries.

• University museums and scientific collections: the Pietro Doderlein Museum of Zoology, geological collections, and the Astronomical Observatory.
• Historic gardens and villas: the Botanical Garden, Villa Giulia, Villa Trabia, and the Favorita gardens.
• Sea and tradition: the Ecomuseum of the Sea and routes dedicated to marine biodiversity.
• Creative and scientific workshops: from origami art using recycled materials to painting with natural pigments, and from sensory explorations of bark and scents to experiments dedicated to the sea and bees.
• Taste trails: tastings of local products such as Sicilian black bee honey, extra virgin olive oil, exotic fruits, and blue fish.

A free event for schools and families

All activities at Pianeta Vivente are free of charge. From Friday, the Gateway opens its doors to schools, and over the weekend, to families. Many experiences require booking and often sell out well in advance. The event is part of a broader project to open the Gateway to the public, with workshops continuing in the following weekends, confirming Palermo as a capital of biodiversity research in the Mediterranean.