SAGA - Festival of Narrative, Art, Comics, and Pop Culture
The festival of stories: comics, gaming, cinema, and cosplay at the Villa Comunale
About SAGA Frosinone
A festival of stories in the heart of Ciociaria
SAGA - Festival of Narrative, Art, Comics, and Pop Culture is the event that has provided the Municipality of Frosinone with a permanent fixture dedicated to contemporary storytelling languages in recent years. Launched in 2024 by the APS Materia Creativa, a social promotion association active in the province of Frosinone since 2022, the festival has grown rapidly to become one of the most popular pop culture events in southern Lazio.
The underlying idea is simple and quite rare in the Italian comic fair scene: to make pop culture a free space, located in the city center, without entry barriers. Not a paid exhibition hall, but an open square where passersby can stop, watch a comic artist draw, try out an extended reality headset, or attend a talk on cinema.
Thematic areas
The festival is divided into thematic areas that coexist in the same green space, each with its own rhythm:
- Art and Comics — exhibition of original plates, live sketching, and direct meetings with authors and illustrators, many of whom come from the Lazio region.
- XR and Gaming — extended reality stations, video games, and digital experiments, with a special focus on independent productions.
- Board Games — open tables, demonstrations, and free play sessions led by instructors.
- Talk Space — meetings, conversations, and screenings dedicated to cinema, genre literature, and new technologies.
- Self-publishing — stalls for self-produced works, fanzines, and small independent publishing houses.
- Cosplay — parades and contests judged by industry professionals.
- Refreshment Areas — food and drink points distributed throughout the park for a long and relaxed day.
Authors, writers, and professionals
One of SAGA's distinctive traits is the density of guests compared to the event's contained size. The festival brings comic artists, screenwriters, journalists, film critics, and novelists to the same table, fostering a dialogue rarely found in larger industry events. The meetings are designed to be accessible even to those who are not expert readers: they discuss how a page is born, how a script is constructed, and how fantasy and horror reflect the present.
Why it's worth visiting
Frosinone does not have a historical tradition of large comic fairs, and for this very reason, SAGA has a unique character: it is an event built from the ground up by a young association, with an audience that has largely grown alongside the festival itself. The Villa Comunale, the city's green lung, offers an unusual setting compared to the closed pavilions the industry is accustomed to, allowing visitors to alternate indoor stand activities with long breaks in the open air.
The free-admission formula makes SAGA a suitable destination for families: many activities are designed for children and teenagers, and the presence of creative workshops allows the little ones to concretely try their hand at drawing and storytelling. For those visiting the province of Frosinone in spring, the festival can be an opportunity to combine a day of pop culture with the discovery of the Ciociaria region, among abbeys, historic villages, and a robust, still-undiscovered local gastronomy.
A project looking toward the youth
Materia Creativa works explicitly on local youth engagement: SAGA is not just a showcase, but also a gathering mechanism for an age group that has few structured opportunities to meet around shared cultural interests in southern Lazio. It is also for this reason that admission remains free, a choice the organization has consistently maintained edition after edition.
SAGA Frosinone — edition 2026
SAGA Chapter III: the festival hits the city
The 2026 edition marked an important step for SAGA: after the first two editions hosted in indoor spaces, the event moved to the Villa Comunale of Frosinone, the main urban park of the capital. A choice that made the event even more accessible to the city, with the public free to enter and exit throughout the day.
For two days, Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, from 10 AM to 9 PM, the park hosted areas dedicated to art and comics, XR and gaming, workshops, board games, exhibitions, talks, screenings, self-publishing, cosplay, and refreshments. Admission remained free, consistent with the line followed by APS Materia Creativa since the first edition: to make pop culture an accessible space in the city center, without entry barriers.
Comics and illustration
The Art and Comics area brought together a dozen authors and illustrators, featuring exhibitions of original plates and live drawing. Among the guests: Nikos Alteri, Gianmarco Basile, Edoardo Follegatti, Gianni Giansanti, William Giuliani, Alessia Isopo, Valentina Leone (known as « La Pinnocchia »), Luca Pignoli, Alessandro Stallo, and Stefano Spaziani.
Fiction, journalism, and cinema
The Talk Space brought signatures of journalism and fiction to Frosinone: Adriano Ercolani (Il Fatto Quotidiano), Maurizio Lozzi (European Press Service), and writers Davide Fischanger, Riccardo Pro, and Clelia Pulcinelli, the latter being the protagonist of a panel dedicated to gothic fiction. From the world of cinema, screenwriter Jacopo Del Giudice, popularizer Adriano Della Starza, and film historian and critic Gerry Guida participated. The talks also touched on themes of virtual reality and emerging technologies.
The cosplay contest
On Saturday, May 9, the cosplay contest was held, judged by a jury of industry professionals: Ema & Ale (Lo Zucco), active in cosplay and audiovisual production; ArtemisAdAstra, specialized in prop-making with recycled materials and active since 2006; Carystal, a professional wig and prop maker, finalist at the 2024 Italian Championships; and Frostytrickster, with over twenty years of experience in the sector.
Programme SAGA Frosinone 2026
Saturday, May 9, 2026 — Villa Comunale, 10 AM - 9 PM
- Opening of exhibition areas: Art and Comics, XR and Gaming, board games, self-publishing
- Meetings and live sketching with guest comic artists
- Talks on cinema, virtual reality, and emerging technologies in the Talk Space
- Cosplay contest with a jury of professionals: Ema & Ale (Lo Zucco), ArtemisAdAstra, Carystal, Frostytrickster
- Creative workshops and family activities
Sunday, May 10, 2026 — Villa Comunale, 10 AM - 9 PM
- Continuation of exhibition areas and gaming/XR stations
- Fiction panel, with a meeting dedicated to gothic fiction with Clelia Pulcinelli
- Meetings with journalists and writers: Adriano Ercolani, Maurizio Lozzi, Davide Fischanger, Riccardo Pro
- Cinema talk with Jacopo Del Giudice, Adriano Della Starza, and Gerry Guida
- Screenings, workshops, and gaming activities
Refreshment areas active throughout the event.
Highlights SAGA Frosinone 2026
- Third edition of the festival, for the first time at the Villa Comunale in the center of Frosinone
- Completely free admission for both days
- Over ten comic artists and illustrators with original plates and exhibitions
- XR and Gaming area with extended reality stations and video games
- Saturday cosplay contest with a jury of national professionals
- Talks with journalists, writers, and film critics
- Continuous hours from 10 AM to 9 PM, in a family-friendly urban park
Prices SAGA Frosinone 2026
Practical information — SAGA Frosinone
How to get there
By car: Frosinone can be reached via the A1 Milan-Naples motorway, taking the Frosinone exit, then the highway toward the center. The Villa Comunale is located in the upper part of the city; public parking is available nearby, but it is advisable to arrive early on festival days.
By train: Frosinone station is served by the Rome-Cassino-Naples line. From the station, which is in the lower part of the city, you can reach the historic center by city bus or the escalator that connects lower Frosinone to the center.
By plane: The reference airports are Rome Ciampino and Rome Fiumicino, both about an hour and a half away.
Admission and hours
Admission to the festival is completely free, with no ticket or reservation required. Activities take place throughout the day, roughly from morning until evening.
Practical tips
- As this is an outdoor event in an urban park, comfortable shoes are recommended; in case of rain, check for updates on the organization's social media channels.
- Cosplay contests usually require prior registration: those intending to participate should inquire in advance via the festival's official profiles.
- There are internal refreshment areas, but the center of Frosinone offers numerous alternatives just a few minutes' walk away.
- For those arriving from outside the region, Frosinone has hotels and bed and breakfasts in the city and in the neighboring towns of the Ciociaria.
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Where does it take place — SAGA Frosinone
Villa Comunale di Frosinone
Villa Comunale, Piazzale Vittorio Veneto, 03100 Frosinone