Fragile festival returns to Parma from 10 to 12 October: three days of talks, music, food and sustainable practices to cultivate care and awareness.

From 10 to 12 October, Parma hosts the second edition of Fragile festival: three days of talks, concerts, show cooking, yoga, urban clean-ups, tastings, exhibitions and sustainable practices designed to engage citizens and generate care. A distributed, accessible and participatory festival that uses fragility as a lens through which to read the complexity of our times – and as a lever for imagining shared solutions.

The new edition was presented on 18 September at the Colonne28 space in Parma, in the presence of Parma's mayor Michele Guerra, Lucia Bonanni, curator and co-founder of Colonne28, Andrea Pontiroli, CEO of Santeria – the organisation behind the festival – and Camilla Mineo, founder of the Scintille book club collective.

"All beautiful things are fragile, and as such we must take care of them," said mayor Michele Guerra in his opening remarks. Fragile is born from this awareness: fragility and beauty are deeply connected. What risks breaking can become a beginning, if accompanied by listening, vision and a spirit of community. The festival is built on precisely this idea of shared care: not ready-made solutions, but continuously evolving processes, co-designed with people and with the city. A work in progress that feeds on relationships, open questions and practical tools, conceived to activate participants rather than merely entertain them.

Fragility is the core value of this festival, together with the ability to look at sustainability in a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree way, encompassing cultural, social, artistic and environmental themes.

"Fragile festival activates the city and the city responds, bringing these themes into everyday life," the mayor added. An activation made possible by a network of local partners – businesses, associations, cultural organisations – working together in a synergistic way.

As Andrea Pontiroli explained, Fragile is not a "closed" event confined to a single venue, but an urban journey that moves through six central locations in Parma – Colonne28, Casa della musica, Italia veloce, Sala show cooking, Borgo delle Colonne and Borgo del Gallo – all reachable on foot or by bicycle within a few minutes. Sustainability thus translates into accessibility, proximity and social impact.

A model that works precisely because it is rooted in the local area: "A festival that isn't dropped in from above, but spreads across the city and seeks to engage its citizens through constant dialogue."

And this year a new element highlights the local territory: a new format of daily tastings at Borgo Goldoni, designed to involve audiences and tell the story of biodiversity and innovation through food. From selected cured meats and wines, to honey and herbal teas, all the way to the proteins of the future: a collective experience to celebrate local supply chains and reflect on the changes taking place in the way we eat.

This year too, LifeGate brings a series of events to Fragile at the Colonne28 space, exploring the connections between sustainability, culture and social justice.

On Friday 10 October at 17:30, Silvia Stella Osella and Caterina Grieco will be in conversation with LifeGate journalist Ilaria Chiavacci in the talk "Buying sustainably, slow fashion and fashion dumping". An open discussion on how our purchasing choices affect the planet and people, exploring habits that need to change and the solutions available.

Following that, at 19:00, Vasco Brondi and Nur Al Habash, moderating for LifeGate, will lead us through "Living in connection: songs, planet, people": an intimate dialogue weaving together music and thought to reflect on our bond with the planet and our communities. Closing the evening, a short acoustic live set to transform reflection into shared emotion.

On Saturday 11 October at 18:30, Martina Benedetti, an intensive care nurse, will speak with LifeGate's Luigi Mastrodonato in the talk "Italian healthcare: imagining the future". A conversation that starts from the day-to-day experience of those working on the front lines of healthcare, to imagine care that is fairer, more accessible and closer to people.

Finally, on Sunday 12 October at 18:00, Andrea Batilla and Giuliana Matarrese tackle the theme "Beyond the claim: communicating sustainability in fashion" together with Ilaria Chiavacci. An analysis of the role of media and collective imagination in building an authentic narrative of sustainability within the fashion system.

The festival will be opened on 9 October by the inauguration of a photography exhibition by Armin Linke at Colonne28: a photographic gaze on environmental change, technologies and the paradoxes of contemporary life. "Through his art, Linke manages to create the awareness that is so necessary regarding the changes currently under way," explained Lucia Bonanni.

Among the festival's must-see talks is the conversation with Marco Spinelli, diver and filmmaker, who will present the documentary Shark Player, on the role of sharks in ocean health. With Alessandro Tommasi, the discussion will focus on the role of businesses as agents of positive change, and with agronomist Antonio Pascale on agriculture.

A post shared by Fragile festival (@fragile_festival)

Books, too, become instruments of change, thanks to the talk series curated by the Scintille book club collective. "We were asked to select books that could send a message to the planet. While last year we spoke about sustainable fashion and publishing, this year we are making space for the more intimate dimension of being human," recounted Camilla Mineo, founder of the collective. Four guests are involved: Matteo Saudino, to reflect on the present through philosophy; Giulia Blasi, with a vision of happiness as a political act; Carlotta Sisti, to explore the darker side of social media; and Luca Sommi, with a reflection on our relationship with animals.

Alongside the talks, there will also be active and immersive experiences: a participatory urban clean-up, a cycling tour along the banks of the torrenti Parma and Baganza with Roberta Bovaia of i Dintorni, and morning yoga sessions with Cristina Bosi.

And then there is music: the great common thread running through the 2025 edition. Alongside Vasco Brondi, the line-up features Ginevra, Coca Puma, Faccianuvola, Daria Huber, Anna Carol and Bais, as well as international guests including Jiny Metro, Galine and Martim Seabra. "Concerts designed to create opportunities for connection and attract a younger audience – the true protagonists of the festival," as Pontiroli emphasised.

Every event is born from a shared planning process with the festival's editorial partners, who actively participate in building the programme, from the choice of guests to the moderation of discussions.

Precisely in order to keep the dialogue going beyond the three days, all events will be recorded and published on Fragile podcast, which returns after the success of the first edition with over twenty thousand listens. An extension of the festival across space and time, designed to continue nurturing reflections and connections even at a distance.

Fragile festival is more than an event: it is a collective call to responsibility, bringing together institutions, businesses, associations, artists and citizens. It is an invitation to train our gaze, to take care, to rediscover the beauty hidden within fragility. Because what is fragile is what most deserves our attention, our listening and a future.