Popsophia
The festival of the contemporary that unites philosophy, music, and pop culture in Ancona
About Popsophia
What is Popsophia
Popsophia is the festival of the contemporary that for over ten years has explored pop culture with the tools of philosophy. Born in the Marche region and now stably linked to Ancona, the regional capital, the festival has won a large audience thanks to an original formula: taking songs, films, TV series, comics, and icons of mass culture seriously and using them as material for thinking about the present. The artistic direction is entrusted to the philosopher Lucrezia Ercoli, who builds the program around a major theme each year.
The philoshows, the heart of the festival
Popsophia's trademark is its philoshows: evening performances that intertwine philosophical reflection, live music, images, and theatrical narration. These are not lectures, but true performances in which a philosophical idea takes shape through a song, a film scene, or a pop character. Alongside the philoshows, the program offers afternoon meetings with philosophers, writers, scholars, and journalists, often held at the Teatro Ridotto and the Pinacoteca Civica Podesti.
Venues in Ancona
Popsophia takes place in the heart of Ancona, among some of its most representative cultural venues: the Teatro delle Muse in Piazza della Repubblica, the Teatro Ridotto, and the Pinacoteca Civica Francesco Podesti. This choice intertwines the festival with the urban identity of the "doric" capital, in a journey that the public can experience on foot in the historic center.
A new theme every year
Popsophia's strength lies in its ability to reinvent itself: each edition revolves around a keyword that becomes a lens through which to read our time. After the 2025 edition dedicated to magic ("Abracadabra"), in 2026 the festival chose melancholy as the dominant feeling of contemporaneity, explored through jazz, Italian singer-songwriter music, and TV series. It is this openness to popular and beloved languages that makes Popsophia an event capable of speaking to both philosophy enthusiasts and those who have never opened a treatise.
An accessible festival
One of Popsophia's distinctive features is free admission to events, upon reservation. A choice that has contributed to the festival's public success, with often sold-out venues, and which makes it one of the most vibrant cultural offerings in Ancona and the entire Province.
Popsophia — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of Popsophia, titled "Melancholia", took place in Ancona from May 8th to 10th at the Teatro delle Muse, Teatro Ridotto, and Pinacoteca Civica Podesti. The theme of melancholy was explored as a lens through which to understand contemporaneity, spanning music, cinema, TV series, and digital media.
The festival, directed by philosopher Lucrezia Ercoli and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, alternated afternoon talks with philosophers, writers, and scholars with the renowned evening philoshows. For 2026, admission was again free upon reservation, with sold-out venues, confirming Popsophia's deep roots in the cultural life of Ancona.
Programme Popsophia 2026
Friday, May 8th — Teatro delle Muse
Opening evening with the philoshow "Un Certo Blu. Homage to Miles Davis and John Coltrane", a philosophical-musical opening for the centenary of the birth of these two jazz legends. On stage: philosophers Massimo Donà and Giacomo Fronzi with the Factory Jazz Quintet.
Saturday, May 9th — Teatro delle Muse
Philoshow "Anima fragile. Philosophy of Vasco Rossi", dedicated to the melancholic poetry of the rocker from Zocca, with journalist Leo Turrini.
Sunday, May 10th — Teatro delle Muse
Closing with the philoshow "Tristezza, per favore vai via. Mina, Vanoni, and Melancholy", focusing on two great voices of Italian song, with philosopher and writer Ilaria Gaspari as a guest.
Afternoon Talks — Teatro Ridotto and Pinacoteca Podesti
Among the edition's guests were philosophers, writers, and scholars such as Massimo Donà, Ilaria Gaspari, Simone Regazzoni, Tommaso Ariemma, Eleonora C. Caruso, and psychiatrist Umberto Volpe, with talks dedicated to melancholy in TV series (from "BoJack Horseman" to "Dawson's Creek" and "Stranger Things") and in art, and a discussion on sculpture with artist Paolo Delle Monache.
Highlights Popsophia 2026
Prices Popsophia 2026
Practical information — Popsophia
Where
The events take place at the Teatro delle Muse (Piazza della Repubblica 16), the Teatro Ridotto, and the Pinacoteca Civica Francesco Podesti, all in the historic center of Ancona.
How to get there
By train: Ancona Centrale station is connected to the center by city buses; the Teatro delle Muse is within walking distance of the port and the center. By car: from the A14 motorway, exit at Ancona Nord or Ancona Sud, park in the city center areas. By plane: Ancona Airport (Falconara) is a few kilometers from the city.
Tickets
Admission to the events is free upon reservation. Seats are limited and often sell out: it is advisable to book well in advance through Popsophia's official channels.
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Where does it take place — Popsophia
Teatro delle Muse
Piazza della Repubblica 16, 60121 Ancona