From June 27 to July 11, 2026, Pergine Festival returns for its 51st edition, presenting over 40 events spanning theatre, dance, music and circus, taking place in theatres, streets, squares, public buildings, and unconventional spaces. The title Geografie Umane (Human Geographies) explores how bodies, actions, and presence can transform urban space, create shared maps, and foster new relationships between people and places.

“We chose the image of a kite flying through the clouds to represent this upcoming edition,” explain Enrico Castellani and Valeria Raimondi, artistic directors of Pergine Festival under Babilonia Teatri. “Not to deny the clouds, but to inhabit them. Kites enter the currents, oscillate, resist. The clouds pass through them, brush against them, sometimes even color them. They remain exposed, vulnerable and precisely for this reason capable of tracing new directions. When the sky darkens, art does not retreat: it rises. It stretches. It lets itself be guided and, at the same time, guides. It invites you to lift your gaze.”

The creations of artists will interpret the present, with all its contradictions and imbalances, transforming the city into a widespread stage. “Like kites guided by human hands, the works of artists rise among the architecture and open unexpected gaps. We imagine a festival capable of turning suspended spaces into lively places, creating encounters where there was only passing, activating connections where there was distance.”

The image accompanying this edition was created by Donato Loforese and Pasquale De Sario.

The full program will be available online starting May 14, 2026, offering a plural, community-oriented, and intergenerational cultural experience.