Pulsar Festival – Zō Centro Culture Contemporanee

Pulsar: the heartbeat of new alternative rock in Catania

Pulsar is an indie, alternative rock, post-punk, and experimental music festival born at the Zō Centro Culture Contemporanee in Catania, in the heart of Eastern Sicily. Housed in the spaces of a former sulfur refinery converted into a cultural center on Piazzale Rocco Chinnici, the festival runs throughout the winter and spring, from December to May, bringing major national and international names to the Etna capital.

A program with an international scope

The idea behind Pulsar, as artistic director Sergio Zinna explains, is to "make the heart of Catania pulse with current alt-rock trends," restoring to the city an international dimension that has long been absent from the live music scene. The artistic direction involves a group of local underground operators and collaborates with entities such as the Tifone Crew from Rome and Ortigia Sound System.

The festival's genres

Pulsar explores many nuances of sophisticated contemporary music:

• Indie and alternative rock from the national and international scene
• Post-punk and noise with British roots
• Experimental rock and psych-rock
• Electronica, acid house, and cross-genre sounds

The venue: Zō Centro Culture Contemporanee

Zō is one of the city's main cultural hubs, carved out of the industrial remains of a former sulfur refinery in the Ciminiere area, just a short walk from the center of Catania. A space dedicated to contemporary cultures, it hosts concerts, theater, dance, visual arts, and cinema, and has become the reference point for the most innovative music scene in the Etna capital, in the Province of Catania.

Spotlight on local emerging talent

A distinctive feature of Pulsar is its focus on emerging Sicilian bands and musicians: every evening opens with a local act, offering a showcase for regional projects alongside the most established guests of the alternative scene.