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27 Giugno 2019
Guide to summer festivals
From the big names of rock to electronics, from jazz to pop: the calendar of music festivals in the shadow of the Mole and its surroundings boasts a solid tradition
Francesca Vaglio Laurin (translation by Chiara Gariglio)
Kappa FuturFestival at Parco Dora
For those who will spend the summer in Turin, or those who will be visiting the city in that period, every year between June and August many music festivals are organized. Sometimes, they are also a good way to escape for a couple of days the heat of the city by moving a few kilometers away from the urban area. Here are our suggestions.
JAZZ:RE:FOUND
After celebrating the first ten annuals last year, the Jazz:Re:Found is reconfirmed to be one of the most interesting events for the lovers of black music. Among the top names in the previous annuals there were Tricky and De La Soul, Roy Ayers and Tony Allen.
Since 2008 it has changed many locations, from Vercelli to Turin and finally Cella Monte this year, among Monferrato hills. However, it still maintained its experimental and vanguard spirit, which is oriented towards a wide and sophisticated musical offer that usually goes beyond jazz sounds and reaches hip hop and electronic music.
FLOWERS FESTIVAL
It was launched for the first time in 2015 by the Cooperativa Biancaneve and the cultural association Hiroshima Mon Amour (another institution for Turin music scenario). Flowers Festival is the longest festival in the summer: each year from the end of June to the end of July it offers many concerts almost on a daily basis and artists of indie, rap, electronic and rock music.
The festival takes place in the Cortile della Lavanderia, a large area inside the Parco urbano della Certosa in Collegno, a small city just outside Turin which in the past used to host one of the most important Italian asylums. Flowers is easy to reach with public transportation and the free shuttles that link the concerts to the center of Turin.
COLLISIONI
It was born in 2009, known as the “festival AgriRock”, and since 2012 Collisioni takes place in Barolo, a city in the Langhe of Cuneo known for its homonymous and popular red wine.
In the schedule, which in the last years has extended way over the original four days, there are musical and literary events, as well as spaces dedicated to wine and food. On Collisioni stage legends such as Bob Dylan and Elton John have performed, but each year room for new and big Italian artists is dedicated.
This is a good chance to combine music and literature while discovering a charming piece of Piedmont.
KAPPA FUTURFESTIVAL
This is a reference point for the international electronic music scenario. Since 2012 Kappa Futurfestival attracts each year thousands of lovers of this genre in the postindustrial frame of Parco Dora.
On its stages (four in the last annual) international artists such as Carlo Cox, Ellen Allien and Apparat have performed. It is the first 100% daytime festival in Italy and it takes place every year in the beginning of July for two days, during which dozens of DJs alternate on the console to make the audience dance for 12 hours non-stop.
APOLIDE
With this year’s sixteenth annual, Apolide has become an institution in the summer festival scenario. It was born in 2004 with the name Alpette Rock Free Festival, but from 2014 it moved to the natural area Pianezze di Vialfrè, less than half an hour from Turin, with its new name Apolide.
Traditionally it takes place in mid-July and lasts for four days. Every year on its stage tens of national and international artists perform. The entrance ticket includes the possibility to camp in the natural area, as well as other activities from sports to workshops. This is the perfect solution for a small holiday or a short escape from the city.
ALTA FELICITÀ
It was born in 2016 with the aim to combine the passion for music to the care for the territory and the environment. It takes place every year at the end of July in Venaus, in Valle di Susa.
Alta Felicità is free and offers the chance to camp in a large equipped green area surrounded by mountains. Every year national and international artists are listed in the lineup, offering many different genres, as well as book presentations, debates and hikes.
To get there, you simply need to go to Susa by car or train and from there a free shuttle will take you to Venaus, where the traffic of motor vehicles is prohibited for the entire duration of the festival.
TODAYS FESTIVAL
Todays Festival usually takes place in the last weekend of August. It was born in 2015 and each year it involves many city areas, from the most conventional ones dedicated to music to art galleries and disused factories.
The lineup wisely mixes Italian and international artists, legends and new artists, with offers that are always dedicated to alternative souls. This is a good chance to get ready for September while listening to good music, both for those who just came back from their holidays and for those who never left the city.
In collaboration with Study in Torino
