ScenArte - International Urban Theatre Festival

ScenArte: theatre that inhabits the city

ScenArte is the International Urban Theatre Festival that transforms Rome into a vast, sprawling stage every summer. Conceived and directed by Emilio Genazzini, the festival was established in 1994 by the Abraxa Teatro company and is now one of the most enduring fixtures of the Estate Romana. The event takes experimental theatre, street arts, and storytelling out of conventional venues and into the public spaces and neighborhoods of the capital.

A festival spread across the center and suburbs

The heart of the festival is the Giardino degli Aranci on the Aventine Hill (Municipality I), which has hosted evening performances overlooking the city for over twenty years. The program also extends to the villages of Municipality XV, with events in Isola Farnese and Cesano di Roma: a choice that embodies the vision of a polycentric city, where culture reaches even the areas furthest from the center.

Shows, street arts, and workshops

ScenArte's lineup blends diverse styles: urban and experimental theatre, street art performances, itinerant storytelling such as the famous "Urban Roman Tales," creative writing workshops, meetings, and exhibitions. Over the years, the festival has hosted internationally renowned companies alongside young creatives and emerging local talents, cementing its status as a benchmark for street theatre in Italy.

• Open-air urban and experimental theatre shows
• Street art performances and installations
• Itinerant storytelling throughout the city
• Creative writing workshops, meetings, and exhibitions

At the heart of the Estate Romana

Part of the Estate Romana calendar, ScenArte is supported by city institutions: the 2026 edition is among the projects selected by the Roma Creativa 365 call for proposals by Municipality XV. Its free-admission policy and widespread presence across the territory make it an event designed for the general public, residents of the involved neighborhoods, and tourists visiting Rome in August.

ScenArte 2026 in Rome, Lazio

In 2026, the festival returns to the Municipality of Rome, in Lazio, during the second half of August. Exact dates and the full program will be announced by Abraxa Teatro in the weeks leading up to the event; the festival will reaffirm its vocation as an urban theatre experience spread between Isola Farnese, Cesano di Roma, and the Giardino degli Aranci.