Lugano's cultural summer is preparing to welcome a new edition of LAC en plein air, the festival that for nine years has enlivened the LAC spaces with free and open-to-all music. From June 26 to August 30, 2026, the program will offer eleven evenings dedicated to sounds from diverse worlds, combining jazz, folk music, Brazilian influences, and new interpretations of Alpine traditions.
The 2026 edition features a revamped format, divided into two distinct sections, each curated by a different curator. This choice reflects the artistic direction of the Lugano cultural center and further broadens the event's scope.
From Italy to Brazil, a journey through cultures and identities
The first part of the festival, scheduled from June 26th to July 4th, was conceived by Saul Beretta and offers a musical journey that ideally connects Italy and Brazil. Six events will lead the audience through different artistic languages, united by the ability to intertwine memory, research, and contemporaneity.
The opening performance is entrusted to Camilla Barbarito and the Grand Tabazù fanfare, protagonists of a reinterpretation of the Milanese musical tradition that dialogues with musical theater, French influences, and Dadaist references.
The following day it will be the turn of Luisa Briguglio, winner of the 2025 Andrea Parodi Award, who will present the project Truvatura, a work that blends poetry, Sicilian language, and sound experimentation.
The section dedicated to Italy will conclude on June 28th with Suonno d'Ajere and the voice of Irene Scarpato, interpreters of a reinterpretation of Neapolitan song capable of combining elegance and contemporary sensitivity.
Brazilian Twist brings South America to Lugano
From July 2nd to 4th, the baton will pass to Brazil. Singer and activist Bia Ferreira will present America, a project that fuses R&B, soul, Afrobeat and rap through the language that the artist defines as “black woman music”.
Roger Corrêa will follow with Latin Iberian, a proposal that combines South American traditions, Cuban rhythms, flamenco influences and jazz improvisation.
The path will be closed by Nilza Costa with songs, a sonic journey that crosses Afro-Brazilian spirituality, ritual singing and improvisational freedom.
Föhn, the new project dedicated to Alpine sounds, debuts
The second part of the event represents one of the main new features of the 2026 edition. From August 21st to 30th, Föhn: The New Sounds of the Alps, a project curated by ethnomusicologist Johannes Rühl, will make its debut.
The initiative explores the evolution of folk music in the Alpine and Transalpine regions, highlighting the most innovative forms of so-called Neue Volksmusik. A phenomenon that in recent years has seen numerous artists reinterpret traditional languages through influences of jazz, electronica, minimalism, and early music.
Tradition and innovation meet
The opening night on August 21st will be dedicated to the bellows and its many expressive possibilities. Pflanzplätz, Duo Bottasso, and Pirmin Huber Swiss Folk will take turns performing on stage, three groups that have helped redefine the relationship between popular music and contemporary music.
The following day, three projects led by female artists will be featured, each approaching traditional musical heritage from different perspectives. Sarah Buechi will present: Pink Mountain Sagas, while Giua and Riccardo Tesi will create a dialogue between singer-songwriter music and the Mediterranean. The evening will conclude with the trio Trëi, engaged in a musical reflection on the themes of identity, migration, and femininity.
The second weekend between sound research and Alpine memory
The program will resume on August 28th with InterFolk, the duo formed by Raissa Avilés and Sara Magon with Textures and Simone Felber with the Iheimisch project. Three proposals that approach the concept of contemporary popular music from different perspectives.
On August 29th, the program will focus on the expressive possibilities of sound through Ensemble histoirefuture, Simon Heggendorn and Gilbert Paeffgen, as well as Mario Batkovic, winner of the 2023 Swiss Music Prize, known for his explorations of the accordion between minimalism, ambient and experimentation.
The closing event on August 30th will be dedicated to the memory of the Alps and oral traditions. Bernhard Betschart with Echo vom Schattenhalb, the Vent Negru project, and the Aba Trio will perform in a dialogue that spans yodelling, folk repertoire, and improvisation.
Collaborations with the territory
Alongside the main concerts, the programme includes five events organised in collaboration with important institutions and cultural organisations.
These include the concert of the Stradivari Ensemble on July 5, the meeting between the Clairière Youth Choir of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, the Choir of Clare College and the Ensemble Scirocco on July 7, the International Young Composers & Conductors Academy with Ensemble intercontemporain and Helēna Sorokina on July 12, the Ticino Musica Festival Orchestra conducted by Lü Jia on July 23 and the International Opera Studio “Silvio Varviso” with a performance of La bohème the 28 July.
Information for LAC en plein air 2026
All LAC en plein air 2026 events are free and open to all, with the exception of the Ticino Musica Festival Orchestra concert, for which advance tickets are available online.
Section events Viaggio in Italia, Brazilian Twist e Föhn: The New Sounds of the Alps will take place in the Agora at 21 pm. In case of bad weather the concerts will be moved to the Hall.
The other events will be held in various spaces of the LAC and at varying times, while the Ticino Musica Festival Orchestra concert will take place in the Sala Teatro.
The complete program and any updates are available on the official LAC website.
Supported by UBS as the cultural center's main partner, the event also benefits from the support of Pro Helvetia, the Republic and Canton of Ticino through the Swisslos Fund, and the Lugano Foundation for the Cultural Center for the Föhn project.
