Ferrara Buskers Festival 2024: 37th Edition Introduces Entry Fee

The Ferrara Buskers Festival, the oldest street music festival in Italy, returns for its 37th edition from August 21 to 25, 2024. Founded in 1987 by blacksmith and musician Stefano Bottoni, the festival was inspired by an incident where two street musicians were removed by local police. Bottoni proposed the idea to the mayor, who supported it, and the first edition featured Lucio Dalla performing incognito. Over the years, the festival has hosted famous artists including Lucio Dalla (1989), Franco Mussida and Premiata Forneria Marconi (1991), Edoardo Bennato (1994), Andrea Mingardi, Paolo Belli, and Gianni Fantoni (1995), Angelo Branduardi and Modena City Ramblers (2000), Bobby Solo (2015), Gianna Nannini (2020), Paolo Rossi and Moni Ovadia (2021), and Daniele Silvestri and Omar Pedrini (2022). Some participants later became famous, such as La Rappresentante di Lista and Diego Bianchi of Propaganda Live. This year, 950 applications were received for over 180 daily performances. The festival now includes talks, workshops for children, exhibitions, and markets. For the first time, an entry fee has been introduced, with various ticket options. Artistic director Rebecca Bottoni, Stefano's daughter, stated that the fee will help maintain the festival's quality and mission, allowing for further investment in culture and the search for artists from new countries.