Ravenna Festival

A festival among Ravenna's mosaics

The Ravenna Festival is one of the most important live music and performance events in Italy. Promoted by the Ravenna Manifestazioni Foundation and linked from its origins to the maestro Riccardo Muti, it transforms the Municipality of Ravenna, in the heart of Emilia-Romagna, into a crossroads of symphonic music, opera, jazz, dance, and theatre every summer. The festival takes place in places of extraordinary beauty: the UNESCO World Heritage early Christian basilicas, the evocative Rocca Brancaleone, the Alighieri Theatre, and the grand Palazzo Mauro De André.

The 2026 edition: “A sun was born into the world”

The XXXVII edition, scheduled from May 21 to July 12, 2026, is titled “Nacque al mondo un sole” (A sun was born into the world), a verse from the XI Canto of Dante's Paradiso, dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, on the eighth centenary of his death. Over a hundred performances, nine world premieres, and more than a thousand artists animate a program that spans different genres and languages.

The opening concert on May 21 features violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko, in a program including Beethoven and Mahler. Among the highlights, the return of Riccardo Muti to the podium of the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra on June 30, with pieces by Verdi, Manuel de Falla, and Ravel's Boléro.

From classical to jazz

Alongside the great symphonic tradition, the festival opens its doors to jazz at the Rocca Brancaleone, in collaboration with Ravenna Jazz. Among the expected names are Stefano Bollani with his All Stars (June 6) and American guitarist Pat Metheny with the Side-Eye III+ project (July 3). The program also includes figures such as Kent Nagano, Nicola Piovani, Toni Servillo, Jeff Mills, and theatre and dance productions by artists like Marco Martinelli, Fanny & Alexander, and Sadeck Berrabah.

The autumn trilogy

The festival ideally continues in autumn, from November 13 to 17, 2026, with the trilogy “Mozart 1791” at the Alighieri Theatre: La clemenza di Tito, a new production, and the Requiem, directed by Chiara Muti and conducted by Ottavio Dantone leading the Accademia Bizantina.

An event of international scope

For over thirty years, the Ravenna Festival has been a benchmark for audiences and artists worldwide. Its most celebrated project, “Le vie dell'Amicizia” (The Paths of Friendship), brings music each year as a message of peace to cities marked by conflicts and tensions, confirming the civic and cultural mission that characterizes this event in the Province of Ravenna.