20th Beer Festival in Rizziconi, 20-22 August 2026

Via Palmiro Togliatti, area scuole medie · Rizziconi, Costa Viola, Calabria

20 August 2026 – 22 August 2026

The Rizziconi Beer Festival reaches its twentieth edition: three evenings from 20 to 22 August 2026 in via Palmiro Togliatti, in the middle-school area, organised by the Agorà association. On Thursday 20 at 10 pm the Antigua concert; Friday 21 is the fullest evening, with the Genio Quiz Game at 9.30 pm, the presentation of SSD Rizziconi at 10 pm and, at 11 pm, the ninth edition of the Marilena Arena Award; on Saturday 22 at 10 pm «Nostalgia 90», devoted to the great hits of the Nineties. In previous editions the festival built a recognisable formula of aperibirra, dj sets, 1980s and 1990s cartoons and pop music, street performers and life-size board games. The Marilena Arena Award, which the association has presented since 2018 in memory of a young woman from the town, is the part that best captures the bond between Agorà and the community: it rewards sensitivity, dedication, volunteering and social commitment.

Twenty years of the Beer Festival

In 2026 the Rizziconi Beer Festival reaches its twentieth edition. Three evenings, Thursday to Saturday, from 20 to 22 August, in via Palmiro Togliatti, in the middle-school area: a space the town now associates with this event.

It is organised by the Agorà association, which has been its driving force from the start. Twenty years in a town of seven thousand six hundred people in the Gioia Tauro plain is no small thing: it means the festival has passed through generations of volunteers and that, for Rizziconi, it has become the thing people wait for all year. It is by far the biggest event on the «Rizziconi Agosto 2026» programme.

The programme of the three evenings

**Thursday 20 August** — at 10 pm the Antigua concert opens the edition.

**Friday 21 August** — the fullest of the three evenings. It starts at 9.30 pm with the Genio Quiz Game, the team quiz that has become a festival classic; at 10 pm the presentation of SSD Rizziconi, the town's sports club; at 11 pm the ninth edition of the Marilena Arena Award.

**Saturday 22 August** — at 10 pm «Nostalgia 90», a musical evening devoted to the great hits of the Nineties, closes the edition.

The poster does not indicate which breweries and brands will be present this year.

The Marilena Arena Award

The most deeply felt moment of the three evenings is not a concert. The Marilena Arena Award was created in 2018, when Agorà decided to remember Marilena, a young woman from the town who lost her life at twenty-seven in a car accident.

The award does not reward career achievements: it honours the qualities that were hers — sensitivity, dedication, and attention to causes such as volunteering and social commitment. Over the years it has been given to several people in the same edition, chosen for their human depth rather than their role.

In 2026 the award reaches its ninth edition and is scheduled for Friday 21 August at 11 pm, within the festival.

What the festival is like: the format of previous editions

Anyone who has never been can get an idea from how recent editions have run. The festival opens each evening with the «aperibirra», the opening moment where the association also puts forward a topic for discussion — past editions have covered hybrid and electric mobility, environmental protection and physical wellbeing.

Then comes the entertainment: music, 1990s cartoons, 1980s and 1990s pop with dj sets, street performers including fire-breathers and acrobats, the Genio Quiz Game and, in one edition, life-size board games run by Joka Calabria.

It is a village festival built for families and groups of friends, with beer as the common thread but a programme that holds together different age groups.

Getting there and what to know

The festival is held in via Palmiro Togliatti, in the middle-school area of Rizziconi. The «Rizziconi Agosto 2026» poster lists no tickets, advance sales or entry prices.

Rizziconi is reached by car from the Gioia Tauro exit on the A2 motorway; the municipal area is crossed by the SS 111 road from Gioia Tauro to Locri. The town is entirely flat, in the heart of the plain, less than twenty minutes from the Tyrrhenian coast.

In the same weeks the programme also offers the Aubergine Festival in Drosi on 13 August, the Peppe Sapone concert on the 14th and the Calabrian Tarantella Night on the 29th. The full programme is on the Summer in Rizziconi 2026 page. For dinner before or after the festival you can see where to eat in Rizziconi.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Rizziconi Beer Festival 2026?

From Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 August 2026, in via Palmiro Togliatti in Rizziconi, in the middle-school area. It is the twentieth edition.

What is the programme of the evenings?

On 20 August at 10 pm the Antigua concert. On the 21st at 9.30 pm the Genio Quiz Game, at 10 pm the presentation of SSD Rizziconi and at 11 pm the ninth edition of the Marilena Arena Award. On the 22nd at 10 pm the musical evening «Nostalgia 90», devoted to the hits of the Nineties.

Who organises the festival?

The Agorà association of Rizziconi, which has run the event since its early editions. The festival is part of the municipality's «Rizziconi Agosto 2026» programme.

Do I need a ticket?

The programme poster lists no prices, advance sales or box office. The festival takes place in a public area of the town.

What is the Marilena Arena Award?

An award the Agorà association has presented since 2018 in memory of Marilena, a young woman from Rizziconi who lost her life at twenty-seven in a car accident. It rewards sensitivity, dedication and commitment to volunteering and social causes. In 2026 it reaches its ninth edition and is scheduled for Friday 21 August at 11 pm.

What else is there at the festival besides beer?

In previous editions the format included the opening aperibirra with a discussion topic, music and dj sets with 1980s and 1990s pop and cartoons, street performers including fire-breathers and acrobats, the Genio Quiz Game and life-size board games.

How do I get to Rizziconi?

By car from the Gioia Tauro exit on the A2 motorway. The municipality is crossed by the SS 111 road from Gioia Tauro to Locri and lies in the Gioia Tauro plain, less than twenty minutes from the Tyrrhenian coast.

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