Cinema, music, theatre, and dance are the four great pillars that will shape the city’s cultural program for Estate a Napoli 2026 (Summer in Naples 2026). This historic festival, promoted and funded by the Comune di Napoli (Municipality of Naples), will offer a journey through sounds, images, and live performances across most of the urban territory, featuring over eighty high-quality events designed for residents and tourists alike.
CINEMA
The opening of the review will be dedicated to the magic of the silver screen with Lโinfinito viaggiare: cinema al Parco Virgiliano (The Infinite Journey: Cinema at Virgiliano Park), organized by CasaCinema. The event is scheduled from July 2 to 5 at 9:00 PM in the Virgiliano Park in Posillipo. This initiative will offer citizens the opportunity to experience once again one of the city’s most picturesque locations after its recent closure, showcasing the initial results of the major ongoing redevelopment project. Four masterpieces spanning continents, eras, and imaginations will come to life on the big screen: Buena Vista Social Club by Wim Wenders, Divorzio allโitaliana (Divorce Italian Style) by Pietro Germi, The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Jim Sharman, and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud.
The summer film selection will be further enriched by five additional projects selected through the Cultura Napoli 2026 public notice, all featuring screenings at 9:00 PM. Napoli contemporanea (Contemporary Naples), running from July 20 to September 17 at Villa Floridiana, will showcase some of the most significant works of recent Neapolitan cinema. The screenings, organized by the Associazione Visione Vesuvio, will be preceded by a guided tour of the Duca di Martina Ceramics Museum and accompanied by Q&As with actors, directors, and producers, including Piergiorgio Bellocchio, Ivan Cappiello, Angelo Curti, Edoardo De Angelis, Marino Guarnieri, the Manetti Bros, Lino Musella, Alessandro Rak, Andrea Renzi, and Dario Sansone. From August 1 to 10, the Parco del Poggio in Colli Aminei will host the festival Arena al Poggio โ Film sotto le stelle (Film Under the Stars), curated by Camella and dedicated to stories set in Naples and the wider South of Italy. Here too, the audience will have the opportunity to meet directors and cast members such as Fortunato Cerlino, Tony DโAngelo, Susy Del Giudice, Giovanni Esposito, Gianfelice Imparato, Peppe Iodice, Francesco Prisco, Francesco Procopio, and Mariano Rigillo.
From August 3 to September 14, in the cloister of the Santa Maria dellโArco Parish in Miano, Ritratti di famiglia (Family Portraits), curated by EPS Italia, will investigate the evolution of Italian society through the lens of past and present filmmakers, alongside meetings with actors Ilenia Incoglia, Daniela Ioia, Titty Nuzzolese, and Alessio Sica. From August 26 to September 4, the open-air arena of Piazza Garibaldi will host Napoli Mon Amour, organized by Dedalus Cooperativa Sociale, featuring prominent figures such as singer-songwriter and actor Nino DโAngelo, actor Biagio Izzo, and director Mario Martone. Completing the line-up is Sguardi di donna โ Storie di libertร , resilienza e identitร (Women’s Gazes โ Stories of Freedom, Resilience, and Identity), from September 3 to October 8 in the cloister of ISIS Alfonso Casanova. This cinematic journey, curated by Zeus Group, is dedicated to empowerment and the complexity of the female universe, featuring guests such as director James La Motta and actresses Roberta Misticone and Margherita Romeo.
MUSIC
As per tradition, the beating heart of Estate a Napoli will be the monumental courtyard of Castel Nuovo, which from July 16 to 25 will host the new edition of Musica al Castello (Music at the Castle). This format, part of the Napoli Cittร della Musica project, returns following its major success in 2025. Fourteen concerts scheduled at 9:00 PM will build an ideal bridge between contemporary sonic avant-garde and the evocative sounds of world music. The headline guest is a true legend of international music: singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega, icon of timeless hits like Luka and Tomโs Diner.
The other events at Musica al Castello are equally outstanding: Casino Royale will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their masterpiece album Sempre piรน vicini in Naples; Roberto Gatto’s jazz superband, alongside Pietro Tonolo, will pay tribute to giants Miles Davis and John Coltrane; Quintorigo with John De Leo and Motta will deliver the finest rock songwriting; Altea and Sara Gioielli will alternate folk music with classical arrangements; Bassolino will fuse jazz-funk with urban grooves, while the Neapolitan rap scene will be represented by Anastasio, Oyoshe, and Speaker Cenzou. Lastly, space will be given to Balkan traditions with the Barcelona Gipsy BalKan Orchestra, alongside a focus on the ethno-funk of Mario Mario and the pop-electronic experimentation of Gioia Lucia.
Music will also take center stage for the grand finale of Estate a Napoli, entrusted to the 24th edition of the Notte della tammorra (Night of the Tammorra). The bill features two major concerts at Rotonda Diaz starting at 8:30 PM: La notte dei tamburi di Napoli (The Night of Naples’ Drums) on September 11, and Omaggio a Roberto De Simone: la tradizione in Campania (Tribute to Roberto De Simone: Tradition in Campania) on September 12. Completing the program are six days of workshops dedicated to folk dances and frame drums: from September 7 to 10 at the headquarters of Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio, and on September 11 and 12 at Rotonda Diaz from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
The 2026 cast of the Notte della tammorra, led by Carlo Faiello, will include Lina Sastri, Flo, Irene Scarpato, Fiorenza Calogero, Tony Esposito, Ciccio Merolla, Maurizio Capone, Ars Nova Napoli, Simona Boo, Marianita Carfora, Tony Cercola, Gennaro Tesone of Almamegretta, and Lavinia Mancusi, together with Biagio De Prisco โ La Voce della Tradizione, Paranza di Giugliano di Febbraio, Paranza โO Lione, Paranza di Terzigno, Paranza dei Monti Lattari, Tarantella di Montemarano, Tarantella Cilentana, Tarantella del Gargano, and Tarantella di Carpino.
THEATRE AND DANCE
Another section of Estate a Napoli will be dedicated to the performing arts and dance, featuring ten event evenings scheduled in the monumental courtyard of Castel Nuovo, supported by the Municipality through the Cultura Napoli 2026 public notice. All events will begin at 9:00 PM.
Opening the Teatro e danza al Castello series on July 30 will be Rivoluzione Carosone, a musical theatre piece dedicated to the king of Italian swing, curated by the Airots association. On July 31, Baba Yaga Teatro will present NapolโOZ โ Canto per un regno usurpato (Song for a Usurped Kingdom), featuring images from the silent film The Wizard of Oz reworked into video art by Alessandra Carchedi, interacting with live music performed by Pier Paolo Polcari and Antonio Della Ragione, sharing the stage with Sara Vanderwert and Rosalba Di Girolamo.
On August 1, the association La Dramaturgie will present Enrico VIII (Henry VIII), an ironic rewrite of the Shakespearean text by Matteo Bertolotti, Gian Maria Cervo, and Pierluca Mariti. The following evening, Compagnia Con.Cor.D.A-Movimentoinactor will perform Generati dal disordine, noi siamo caos (Generated by Disorder, We Are Chaos), where Flavia Bucciero’s choreography will prompt reflection on an imagery marked by crisis and violence. On August 3, Teatro Stabile delle Arti Medioevali will stage Tetralogia di Castel Nuovo, giving voice to the real and metaphorical souls of the Maschio Angioino and Piazza Municipio through texts by Gian Maria Cervo and Peppe Lanzetta.
The program continues on August 4 with Akerusia Danza in Alla Corte dei Cunti (At the Court of Tales), a lively dance-musical divertissement inspired by Giambattista Basile, featuring Amelia Rondinella, Francesca Rondinella, and Simone Mastragostino. On August 5, Inbilico will present Baobab, an original performance combining theatre, dance, and video mapping, enriched by the voiceovers of Lino Guanciale and Ramona Tripodi. On August 6, Crown Production will showcase Tango Mystique, starring actors Ernesto Lama and Cristina Donadio, alongside Marianna Suriano and Giacomo Castellana, principal dancers of the Opera di Roma.
On August 7, Il coraggio della veritร – Omaggio a Giancarlo Siani (The Courage of Truth – Tribute to Giancarlo Siani), curated by Suoni & Scene, will honor the journalist over forty years after his assassination. The show will star Paolo Cresta, Peppe Miale, Alfredo Mundo, and Viviana Curcio, featuring original music by Marco Zurzolo. Closing the festival on August 8, the company Stati Teatrali will stage Jean-Paul Sartre’s I sequestrati di Altona (The Condemned of Altona), adapted and directed by Riccardo De Luca.
Who it is for
Everyone
