The international contemporary scene returns to Lugano with the thirty-fifth edition of the FIT Festival, an event dedicated to theatre, dance and performing arts which, between preview and main programme, will enliven the city from 29 September at 11 October 2026.
The event will involve numerous cultural spaces in Lugano and will host artists from thirteen countries —Argentina, Ivory Coast, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, and Tunisia—confirming its international vocation and the dialogue between different artistic languages.
Overall, the festival will offer over thirty performances , a film, six meetings with the artists, new editorial projects and initiatives dedicated to cultural participation, alongside the stage programming a varied calendar of activities aimed at audiences of all ages.
An edition that reflects on the present
The exhibition's underlying theme runs through some of the key contemporary themes: conflict, memory, identity, freedom of expression, social transformation, and the relationship with power.
The organizers describe the theater as one of the spaces still capable of critically observing reality, gathering testimonies, and offering tools for reflection in an increasingly polarized international context. From this perspective, audiences are invited not only to attend performances, but to participate as witnesses of artistic experiences that address political, cultural, and social issues.
The opening between music and performance
The festival will open with MAYBE A CONCERT , a creation by Ticinese artist of Argentine origin Raissa Avilés , scheduled for September 29 and 30 at the Teatrostudio LAC.
The work initially presents itself as a pop concert, populated by figures such as a mariachi musician and a glittering cowboy, before transforming into a reflection on creative and personal autonomy within systems characterized by compromise and contradiction.
Young protagonists and new perspectives
On October 2nd , the festival will present KIDS , a project by Swiss artist Boris Nikitin , created in collaboration with South African artist Tšeliso Monaheng . Through the story of a night experienced by a group of teenagers born after apartheid, the show explores fragility, anger, and the search for meaning in the new generations.
On the same day, Tunisian musician Khalil Hentati will perform AÏCHOUCHA , a work inspired by the memories of his grandmother Aïcha. Tunisian musical tradition is reinterpreted with contemporary instruments, intertwining family memories and cultural heritage.
The Ticino Wild Paths project
Among the most anticipated productions is CHECKPOINT UTOPIA (working title), the new work by Ticino artist Alan Alpenfelt , scheduled between 3 and 11 October.
The show uses the imagery of video games to narrate the stages of growth, from childhood to adulthood, exploring dreams, expectations, and disappointments through dialogue with a group of young participants.
The work also represents the result of the second year of Sentieri Selvaggi , a three-year co-creation project promoted by the FIT Festival and dedicated to involving new generations.
A night dedicated to resistance
On October 3rd, Foce will host NIGHT OF RESISTANCE , an evening consisting of two works united by the theme of resistance to forms of oppression.
The first will be JUST ONE TILE , an autobiographical solo by Egyptian artist Islam Elarabi , which intertwines personal experiences and reflections on the desire for freedom.
This will be followed by BLACK , a creation by Ivorian performer Oulouy , who uses dance to address issues such as violence, emancipation and belonging to the Afro-European community.
From contemporary pop to the crisis of Western societies
The program will continue on October 4 with THAT'S TWISTED by French director Baptiste Cazaux , a show that takes inspiration from the 2008 economic crisis and pop culture imagery to analyze nostalgia, disillusionment and the transformations of contemporary society.
On October 8th it will be the turn of PLAY , by Argentinean Matías Umpierrez , a work that questions the concepts of identity and reality through a reflection on power and the construction of collective hatred.
On October 9th , Spanish artist Sergi Casero Nieto will return to the FIT Festival with NO PARES (SIGUE, SIGUE) , a show dedicated to the effects of neoliberal productivity and techno-capitalism on human bodies and relationships.
Cinema and theatre to question memory
On October 10, the Iride Cinema will host the screening of FIDAI FILM , by Palestinian director Kamal Aljafari.
The film begins with the 1982 looting of Palestinian archives, building a reflection on memory, colonial archives, and the possibility of imagining a different future. The screening is a collaboration with LUX Art House and is a preview of the Lugano Human Rights Film Festival.
Also on October 10, FOUR WALLS AND A ROOF will be presented , by the Lebanese duo Rabih Mroué and Lina Majdalanie , which reinterprets the trial of Bertolt Brecht to address issues such as censorship, exile and freedom of speech in contemporary democracies.
Closing between flamenco, krump and artistic research
The event will conclude on October 11th with LOS INESCALABLES ALPES, BUSCANDO A CURRITO by Andalusian choreographer María Suárez del Mar (La Chachi).
The show combines flamenco, krump, and punk influences, giving life to a choreographic research that unites dance, music, and experimentation.
A section dedicated to the youngest
Alongside the main programming, YOUNG & KIDS returns , designed for children, schools and families.
The events include THE BREAD MAN and THE APPLE MAN by the Caproni Brothers , BELLA, BELLISSIMA! by ArteVOX/Accademia Perduta and GALASSIA ANNIKA by the Kronoteatro company , shows that use contemporary languages to communicate with a younger audience.
Side projects
The thirty-fifth edition will be accompanied by numerous parallel initiatives.
These include Keep FIT with Radio , a traveling radio station created by young people, Biglietto Sospeso , which allows you to donate an entry fee to those who can't afford it, Restez FIT!, a project dedicated to the cultural participation of the elderly through an intergenerational tandem, and Watch&Talk , supported by Pro Helvetia, which will bring emerging artists to Lugano involved in a workshop led by the Franco-Algerian choreographer Laurence Yadi.
Laterale , a new video editorial project developed in collaboration with the LAC, will also debut , while meetings between artists and the public will continue after the shows.
FREE ZONE and electronic music
Among the evening events, ZONA FRANCA returns , which will complement the theatrical programming with moments dedicated to socializing and music.
On October 10th , from 22.00pm to 4.00am, Studio Foce will host a special evening with the Piedmontese collective Ivreatronic , protagonist of a long DJ set together with Foresta, Leonar and Enea Pascal.
Season tickets and tickets
There are several ways to access the festival.
The ABO LAC+ , which includes the FIT Festival and the LAC season, is offered at 199 francs.
The PASS FIT 5 , costing 65 francs , allows entry to five shows, while the PASS FIT Giovani , reserved for under 25s, is available for 50 francs.
Information and subscriptions are available on the website www.fitfestival.ch.
Tickets can be purchased through the LAC box office or online at www.luganolac.ch . School groups and organized groups can contact the festival offices directly at +41 (0)91 225 67 61 or write to info@fitfestival.ch.
For further details on the complete programme and the event's initiatives, please visit the festival's official website: www.fitfestival.ch.
