SPOP Festival

SPOP Festival: all the other music in Jesi

SPOP Festival is the event that since 2023 has been bringing new Italian independent music to the historic center of Jesi, in the province of Ancona, in the heart of the Marche's Vallesina region. The showcase was born from a precise idea: the "S" preceding the word "pop" marks the difference between pop understood as mainstream and an alternative form of expression, closer to the indie spirit of our time. It is no coincidence that the festival presents itself with the slogan "all the other music".

A distributed festival in the historic center

SPOP is a distributed showcase: concerts and events are not concentrated in a single venue but traverse theaters, squares, courtyards, and historic spaces of Jesi, transforming the town into an open-air stage. Among the venues that have hosted editions are the Teatro Valeria Moriconi, the central squares, and the courtyards of historic palaces, while the summer previews take place in the evocative Cortile dell'ex Appannaggio.

The 2026 summer preview

The main edition of SPOP Festival is traditionally held in autumn, but the calendar opens in the summer with a highlight preview. For 2026, the concert by Giulia Mei, a singer-songwriter and pianist of Palermitan origin, is confirmed for Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at the Cortile dell'ex Appannaggio. Her songwriting combines classical piano, French and Genoese singer-songwriter tradition, and indie pop and electronic suggestions, for sharp and contemporary author pop. On stage, Giulia Mei performs with beatboxer Vezeve (loop station and synth) and drummer Dario Marchetti. Opening the show is the Jesi-based singer-songwriter Lisa Lain. The evening is part of the collaboration between SPOP Festival and other Jesi summer events.

Previous editions

Having grown year by year, SPOP Festival has hosted numerous acts from the Italian and international independent scene. The 2025 edition, titled "SPOP - Music City Vibes", took place from October 23rd to 25th with a lineup that brought bands like Studio Murena to Jesi, protagonists of the main evening at Teatro Valeria Moriconi. In previous editions, the festival had hosted groups like the French band Weird Omen and the talent of Talèa, confirming itself as a reference point for emerging music in the Marche region.

An event for the emerging Marche scene

Organized by Calandra srl and the Collettivo Spop with the support of the Municipality of Jesi, the festival aims to be a showcase for emerging artists and an opportunity for the public to discover new sounds in a charming urban setting. The distributed format, the careful selection of artists, and the attention to the territory make SPOP Festival one of the most vibrant musical events in the Marche Region.