Poplar Utopia Festival

Poplar Utopia, sonic avant-garde at the Mart in Rovereto

The Poplar Utopia Festival is the spring appointment bringing electronic and experimental music, visual arts, and live performance to the spaces of the Mart - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rovereto, in the province of Trento. Born as an offshoot of the larger Poplar Festival, Utopia is a widespread project that traverses the internal halls, courtyards, and outdoor areas of the museum designed by Mario Botta, creating a dialogue between concerts, installations, talks, and screenings in a single journey.

A festival spanning music and visual arts

The idea behind Poplar Utopia is cross-pollination: for two days, the Mart transforms into a living organism where different languages coexist and blend. The program runs from early afternoon until late at night, alternating live sets by international electronic, indie, and avant-garde artists with more intimate listening sessions, visual performances, talks on climate and science, and special tours of the collections. The festival ticket always includes access to the museum, ensuring that music and contemporary art become part of the same experience.

Rovereto, city of culture

The festival is deeply rooted in the identity of Rovereto, a town in the Vallagarina valley known as the "city of the oak" and a cultural hub of Trentino-Alto Adige. Thanks to the presence of the Mart, one of Italy's most important contemporary art museums, Rovereto has become a reference point for the region's young creativity over the years. Poplar Utopia embraces this vocation and elevates it, bringing names to Trentino that often make their Italian debut here.

A community of volunteers

Behind Poplar Utopia is the Entropia APS association, the same group that has organized the Poplar Festival since 2017: a project born from the initiative of young volunteers that has grown to attract an international audience. The organization takes place in collaboration with the Mart and the municipal administration of Rovereto, confirming the bond between the festival and the city's cultural institutions.

What to expect

• Concerts by international electronic and indie artists
• Sound and audiovisual performances in the museum spaces
• Talks and meetings on climate, science, and contemporary culture
• Special tours of the Mart's exhibitions and collections
• DJ sets until late at night
• Shuttle service from Rovereto and free admission for children under 12 when accompanied