MILANO IN > SEPTEMBER 19TH – Teatro Litta
CATANIA IN > OCTOBER 16TH – Teatro Sangiorgi

Both festivals will officially kick off with a gala evening in a prestigious and emblematic venue, fundamental to the cultural fabric of Milan and Catania. The festivals will be presented to the city by designated cultural ambassadors and by the national and international artists that have been selected to participate in our 2024 edition.

MILANO FRINGE > 26 SEPTEMBER – 06 OCTOBER
50 Shows – 200 performances – 13 performance spaces
CATANIA FRINGE > 17 – 27 OCTOBER
80 shows – 320 perfomances – 15 performance spaces

Professional artists from all over Italy and around the world, selected by a panel of industry experts, fill each city with performances of various artistic genres and in different languages, rotating between different festival locations.

MILANO VILLAGE OFF > 23 SEPTEMBER – 06 OCTOBER > Mercato Centrale
over 50 events including conferences, panels, workshops and performances.
CATANIA VILLAGE OFF > 12 – 27 OCTOBER > SAL Borgo Creativo
over 50 events including conferences, panels, workshops and performances.

The VILLAGE OFF is the heart and center of our festivals, and a meeting point for companies, industry professionals, and the public; a place for exhibitions, meetings, lectures, book presentations, and much more.

MILANO OFF DELL’OFF > 10 – 25 SEPTEMBER
over 40 free events, 21 spaces spread across 18 neighboods in all 9 discricts of the city – free entrance
CATANIA OFF DELL’OFF > 1 – 11 OCTOBER
over 60 free events, 10 spaces spread across 10 neighboods in all 6 discricts of the city – free entrance

The wide variety of events encompassed in the festival’s Off-Off section will be distributed across nearly all neighborhoods and districts of the city, in various participating spaces. Book presentations, conferences on specific show themes, projects, exhibitions, concerts… a true journey through the archipelago of “islands” of theater and culture.

Once upon a time, a single Italian became the country’s ambassador to the world.
He traveled adventurously by sea and land, becoming the most renowned explorer in the world. 

His name was Marco Polo, and 2024 marks the 700th anniversary of his death. 

His passion for discovering new cultures is celebrated worldwide, and we embrace his iconic representation of Italy’s worldwide cultural mission in the sixth edition of the MILANO OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL and the third edition of the CATANIA OFF FRINGE FESTIVAL.

The common thread of this year’s festival editions— the theme— is “THE JOURNEY”.

The Fringe seeks to strengthen connections around the world, coming together with artists to share the beauty of each represented country at the festival through culture and performance. The Fringe also journeys into the diverse cultures of our hosting cities, Milan and Catania, reflecting the wide richness of their unique practices and traditions. Through the Fringe, we also embark on an inner journey as artists and visionaries, striving to become better; a particle of well-being in the universe.

“I did not tell half of what I saw.” The phrase Marco Polo said on his deathbed connects us to the conveyance of travel experiences through writing. Writing that then becomes reading, acting, and art that takes risks. The phrase leads us to the interpretation of life through whimsical tarot cards to understand the present and foresee the future.

A compass reminds us we are all on a journey: the past is in front of our future, the East on the other side of the West.

And thinking “play” as both the verb and the performance:
LET’S PLAY, IT’S FRINGE TIME!