From 19 to 21 June Pistoia will host the 32nd edition of the Festival of Music, the European event that every year celebrates the universal language of the notes and participation. The theme chosen for the 2026 edition is “The voice of places”, an invitation to rediscover the cultural and identity heritage of the city through music, protagonist of concerts, meetings, workshops and initiatives spread in different urban spaces.
Promoted by the Ministry of Culture as part of the National Music Festival, the initiative will involve squares, courtyards, cultural institutions and city associations in a wide program of free events. The Festival of Music is also one of the flagship events of the calendar of Pistoia Italian Capital of the Book 2026.
To open the event, Friday, at 5pm, at the National Gallery, will be the students of the Live Music Camp with "Don't call it followed, at 8 p.m., by the initiative in Piazza Nelson Mandela, aperitif-dinner accompanied by popular music and dedicated to the inclusion by the associations of the Socially project. The evening will be completed at 21.30, in the courtyard of the Magnolia of the Town Hall, with the concert of the Philharmonic Pietro Borgognoni directed by the maestro Carlo Cini.
Saturday, June 20 the program includes, at 17, a concert of the Mabellini Classic Music in the headquarters of the Mabellini music and dance school of Villa Puccini in Scornio.
Double appointment, then, in Piazza San Lorenzo with start at 18.30 and end at 23.30. On the one hand, the start of the exhibition “The voice of ”places”, in which music and words will accompany the public through the performances of the musicians Orazio, Chirico, Meri Lu Jacket, Sergio Montaleni; on “”the other “Books in the square”, the initiative born in collaboration with the Association of Friends of San Giorgio that will see the free making available of books.
At 21, at the Workshop of Opportunities, the "Talents on stage ", final show of the Festival of Opportunities with dance, singing, acting and music by the boys and girls who took part in the path promoted by the Department of Social Inclusion Policies. At 21.15 "The night of the songwriters " at the Parterre in Piazza San Francesco, with a concert with the band "Officina Sigmund" of the Borgognoni Philharmonic dedicated to the great tradition of Italian songwriting.
Sunday, the final day of the event and the symbolic date of the Music Festival, the program will start at 10 a.m. at the Luigi Tronci Foundation with “The ”game”, a playful and interactive path designed to bring children, girls and families closer to the world of music through instruments, sounds and traditions from different cultures. The same location, at 16.30 for the “Drum Circle for adults and ”children”, a participatory experience based on rhythm and collective improvisation, open to people of all ages.
In Piazza San Francesco, at the Parterre, from 11 to 23, “ Borgognoni in festa” ”will animate the whole day with a rich succession of musical performances. On stage will alternate the groups of the Borgognoni Philharmonic and numerous guest formations, giving life to a real marathon of live music capable of involving audiences of all ages.
After the appointment of the previous day with the classic, Sunday, at 17, Villa Puccini in Scornio proposes the Mabellini Modern Music, curated by the modern music department of the school.
At 18 the Fondazione Luigi Tronci in corso Gramsci will host the concert of Choreos, LGBTQIA+ training in Florence committed to the promotion of inclusion and participation through music; at 19 is scheduled the DJ set with live percussion “Magnolia Grooves”, moment of meeting and sharing.
The music will be the protagonist in Piazza San Lorenzo starting from 18.30 with “The voice of the places”, ”the exhibition that weaves together notes, transforming the square into a meeting space. To give voice to this journey will be first Fabrizio Pagni with Andrea Chimenti, artist and songwriter, then Lost, Human Element and Overa, protagonists of an evening aimed at telling the places through different sounds and suggestions. From 19.30 to 23 will also return “Books in the square”, the initiative dedicated to the free exchange of books.
At 18.30 in the Sala Maggiore of the Town Hall, the Orchestra Maberliner will be performed by Maestro Riccardo Cirri with L’Apres-Midi des Maberliner, while at 21.15 the courtyard of the Magnolia will host ““Piero Love ”Songs”, a recital dedicated to the most famous love songs of the Italian and international musical tradition curated by Piero Balleri.
Alongside the musical events will be available the bibliographical review " Soundscape. When the place becomes voice ", realized by the San Giorgio Library and dedicated to the relationship between music, landscape and territorial identity.
The Festival of Music was born on June 21, 1982 on the initiative of the French Ministry of Culture and today is one of the most important European cultural events dedicated to live music. In Pistoia, the 2026 edition is a great moment of meeting and participation, able to enhance the places of the city through the dialogue between art, culture and community.
✅ All scheduled events are free
La The Music Festival is part of the Pistoia Capital of the Book 2026 calendar and books will star along with the notes!