Pisa Folk Festival
Folk, world music, and popular traditions at the Giardino Scotto in Pisa
About Pisa Folk
The folk music festival in Pisa
The Pisa Folk Festival is one of the most beloved events of the summer in the Municipality of Pisa, Tuscany. Every year, in early July, the Giardino Scotto — the evocative fortress overlooking the city's riverfront — transforms into an open-air stage dedicated to folk, world music, and the popular traditions of the Mediterranean and beyond. Organized by the Pisa Folk Association with the support of the Fondazione Pisa and the Municipality of Pisa, the festival combines major international names with deep roots in Italian folk culture.
A lineup of roots and cross-pollination
What makes the Pisa Folk Festival special is its ability to bridge different worlds: the pizzica and taranta of Salento, Saharan desert blues, Neapolitan singer-songwriter traditions, and ethio-jazz and Mediterranean sounds. Every evening at the Giardino Scotto is a sonic journey that centers on the music of the people—music born from communities and traditions, performed by artists who know how to renew it without betraying its soul.
More than just concerts
The festival is designed for all ages and goes beyond evening concerts. The program includes folk dance workshops, particularly in pizzica and tambourine, open to enthusiasts and the curious, as well as children's workshops through the Pisa Folk Festival Kids program, which introduces little ones to the stories, dances, and percussion of folk traditions through play. This approach makes the festival a deeply communal and family-friendly event.
Pisa and the Giardino Scotto
The setting of the Giardino Scotto, in the heart of Pisa and just a short walk from the Arno river, gives the evenings a unique atmosphere: music resonates within the walls of the 19th-century fortress, located in one of the city's most beautiful green spaces. The Pisa Folk Festival thus integrates into the rich summer cultural program of the capital of the Province of Pisa, helping to keep the historic center vibrant even during the warm evenings of early July.
- Main concert venue: Giardino Scotto
- Workshops: Circolo ARCI Alberone
- Genres: folk, world music, pizzica, taranta, desert blues, singer-songwriter
- Activities for children and families
Pisa Folk — edition 2026
The Pisa Folk Festival 2026 returns to the Giardino Scotto in Pisa with five days of folk music, world music, and activities for all ages. Alongside the evening concerts, the festival offers children's workshops and traditional dance workshops at the Circolo ARCI Alberone, confirming its dual vocation as a high-quality artistic festival and a community-rooted event. Three headline evenings at the Giardino Scotto range from desert blues to Salento pizzica and Neapolitan singer-songwriter music.
Programme Pisa Folk 2026
Tuesday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 1 — Circolo ARCI Alberone
- 17:00 — Pisa Folk Festival Kids: African stories, traditional dances, drums, and percussion. Workshops for ages 3-6 and 6-10, with Giulia Solano, Maria Piscopo, and Francesco Salvadore (registration required).
Thursday, July 2 — Giardino Scotto
- 20:45 — Bombino + Mali Blues: desert blues from the Tuareg culture of Niger. In collaboration with Pisa Jazz Rebirth and The Thing Association.
Friday, July 3
- 16:00 — Circolo ARCI Alberone: pizzica pizzica workshop with Andrea De Siena.
- 21:30 — Giardino Scotto: Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino feat. Inude presents «Il Mito», celebrating the group's fifty-year history.
Saturday, July 4
- 16:00 — Circolo ARCI Alberone: tambourine workshop with Giancarlo Paglialunga.
- 21:30 — Giardino Scotto: Enzo Avitabile ft. Tony Esposito in «Neapolitan Invasion», an acoustic concert blending folk roots, innovation, and social commitment.
Highlights Pisa Folk 2026
Prices Pisa Folk 2026
Practical information — Pisa Folk
Getting there
The Giardino Scotto is located on the riverfront of Pisa, in a central position. It can be reached on foot from Pisa Centrale station in about 15-20 minutes or by city bus. If arriving by car, please note the ZTL (limited traffic zone) restrictions in the historic center; it is advisable to use peripheral parking lots. Pisa Airport (Galileo Galilei) is just a few kilometers away and is well-connected to the city center.
Tickets
Tickets for evening concerts are available for purchase on ticketone.it and through the official channels of the Pisa Folk Association. Children's workshops and dance workshops require registration: information is available at www.pisafolk.org.
Tips
Performances are held outdoors: comfortable clothing is recommended for summer evenings. Pisa offers numerous accommodation options in the city center, ideal for those who want to combine concerts with a visit to the city.
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Where does it take place — Pisa Folk
Giardino Scotto
Lungarno Fibonacci, 56125 Pisa