Summer at the Castle, the cultural event that has enlivened the Milanese summer for thirteen editions, is back with a rich offering of music, theater, cinema, dance and meetings. From June 10 through September, the Cortile delle Armi (Weapons Courtyard) of the Castello Sforzesco will once again be transformed into an open-air stage capable of accommodating up to 2,300 spectators.
Promoted by the Department of Culture of the City of Milan, under the leadership of Councillor Tommaso Sacchi and with the artistic direction of Federico Russo, the festival features more than 70 events (including many with free admission and others at a subsidized price) designed to enhance one of the city’s most evocative venues, including big names from the performing arts and new voices on the cultural scene.
Opening the program will be, on June 10, Alessandro Barbero, the protagonist of a cultural talk dedicated to the Battle of Legnano, the first official act of a season that will span music, comedy, cinema, spoken word, dance and theater.
Among the artists on the bill: Alice, Almamegretta, Andrew Bird, Frida Bollani Magoni and Maestro Enrico Intra, Stefano Bollani, Paolo Buonvino, Anna Castiglia, Chiello, Benjamin Clementine, Dente, Eugenio Finardi, Isabella Ragonese with Rodrigo d’Erasmo, Cristiano Godano, Meg, Nada, The Sisters of Mercy, Michela Giraud and Niccolò Fabi together with Daniele Silvestri and Max Gazzé, Samuel. Alongside them, also protagonists of the literary, philosophical and comic scene such as Drusilla Foer, Alessandro D’Avenia, Massimo Recalcati, Umberto Galimberti, Stefano Massini and Gianluca Gotto, to name a few.
The festival benefits from numerous collaborations, which make the playbill even more articulated: from the Festival della Bellezza, present with four special shows, to Milanese theatrical realities such as Teatro Carcano, Franco Parenti, Manifatture Teatrali Milanesi, Spazio Tertulliano ETS, TAM Danza, Compagnia Corrado D’Elia, to the Conservatorio Verdi Orchestra and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano.
A special agreement is the Milan-Sanremo cultural twinning, which is being realized through a jazz project conceived by Maestro Enrico Intra, starring the young Frida Magoni Bollani.
Ample space is also given to outdoor cinema: from August 1 to 29, thanks to the collaboration with Cineteca Milano and with the support of the AEM Foundation, the Cortile delle Armi will host 25 evenings dedicated to the seventh art, with 35mm film and digital screenings, accompanied by debates, games and special activities. The film festival includes great classics, cult, restorations and films shot in Milan or set in castles. The program includes a thematic schedule divided into mini-reviews: Film and Slush, CineCastles, Extraterrestrial Films, Dreams in 35mm, Italian Masterpieces, Great Soundtracks, The Great Masters, Cinema Cities and The Comedy of the Milanese. Closing will be a special screening of Chaplin’s The Kid, in a never-before-seen edition with Latin subtitles.
On September 17, it will be Apple Music, in collaboration with Today at Apple, that will greet the summer with a special performance in the amphitheater of Apple Piazza Liberty by emerging and established artists from the Italian music scene who will perform exclusive live sets.
The 2025 edition will also be distinguished by a series of concrete actions to improve accessibility and inclusion. The main stalls have been reorganized to offer 21 seats reserved for people with disabilities (there were 5 in the previous edition), distributed according to more inclusive logistics. In parallel, dedicated training is planned for reception staff to meet the needs of each spectator.
Media partners of the initiative will be Radio Deejay and the Gedi Group.
“Summer at the Castle is much more than a festival: it is a continuous celebration that accompanies the summer of the Milanese and the increasing number of tourists who visit our city,” said Milan City Councilor for Culture Tommaso Sacchi. “Also this year we have built a program capable of speaking to different audiences, with the aim of combining entertainment and reflection, lightness and depth. The debut with Alessandro Barbero and a playbill that crosses music, cinema, theater, dance and spoken word best represent this dynamic vision linked to the rich urban and human fabric of the city.”
“Summer at the Castle is an open-air dream in the heart of Milan. We want each evening to be an experience, not just a show: music, words, all in a unique, historic and evocative place like the Castello Sforzesco,” said Federico Russo, artistic director of the festival. “Our goal is to allow the public to experience the summer in the city thanks to an endless choice of shows, with lightness, taste and a lot of curiosity.”
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| In the Milanese summer, the rich festival of music, theater, dance and meetings returns to the courtyard of Castello Sforzesco |
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