Mercantia 2016 Certaldo

The most anticipated International Street Theatre Festival of the year

From 13 July 2016 to 17 July 2016

From Wednesday 13 to Sunday 17 July, in the magnificent setting of the village of Certaldo, one of Italy's most popular and acclaimed street theatre festivals will take place: Mercantia Certaldo 2016, a unique event of its kind, able to harmoniously blend classic street theatre (mimes, jugglers, fire-eaters, storytellers) to puppet theatre, experimental theatre, cabaret, recitals, vertical aerial dance on fabrics and in any other form, contemporary art installations and live craft work.

You probably wonder how many stages will be used to host all these wonderful shows ... Well, the answer is: none! All performances will take place in the squares, streets, courtyards, gardens, towers and underground spaces of Certaldo, a cute village in the province of Florence, which will make the atmosphere even more suggestive.

The Mercantia Street Theatre Festival - 2016 Mercantia will actively involve the audience entertaining children and adults: as usual, some of the shows will take place with an entry ticket in the upper and medieval part of the village that can be reached on foot or with the Certaldo funicular, whilst in the lower and more modern part of the village, you will be able to attend other exciting performances free of charge and wander among the stalls of the large craft market running every year of the Mercantia Festival Tuscany.

This harmonious blend of old and new, united to the shows and their strong visual impact, make this one of the most popular Certaldo events but also of the whole of Tuscany: every year there are more than 50 thousand visitors between the top and bottom of the village.
The success was not long in coming also on social networks: the Mercantia Facebook page dedicated to the festival counts the staggering number of 30,000 'likes' and more than 400,000 users who actively interact sharing photos, videos and various comments.

THE THEME OF MERCANTIA - CERTALDO 2016

The artistic director Alessandro Gigli has chosen 'The days of abundance' as the main theme for the 29th edition of the Festival: as in any self-respecting festival, the artistic proposals in Mercantia are significantly higher than those that each spectator can actually manage to attend. And this is precisely the added value of the event: each visitor must feel a 'guest' in all respects, pampered and surrounded by a number of different initiatives that offer a multitude of stimuli and give a sense of fulfilment.

MERCANTIA FESTIVAL 2016: MERCANTIA STREET ARTISTS

'Abundance' not only in quantity but also in quality of the shows. Mercantia 2016 will see the return, after 27 years, of BandaItaliana: Riccardo Tesi (composer and organ player), Maurizio Geri (lead vocals and guitar), Claudio Carboni (saxophone) and Gigi Biolcati (percussion) will perform at the Certaldo event during which they will receive the 'Golden Nail' career award.

Acclaimed by the public of the Mercantia Festival 2016 in Certaldo, Cafelulè - Vertical Performing Dance Company will also be back: since 2011 this company, composed of vertical dancers of the highest technical and artistic level, has been offerng spectacular shows of aerial dance on the walls of buildings, the trees present in public and private parks, castles and fortresses, under bridges, porches and balconies. Do not miss their show and the high-flying emotions it offers!

Another event worth mentioning from the Mercantia 2016 program is the one with the Company of Fools: started in 1984, this original theatre company is dedicated to street and image theatre that has its origins in the Middle Ages. Their performances will leave young and old speechless: Folli tell legends and timeless stories with the use of fire, stilts, actors and suspended dancers. Their refined nouveau cirque techniques together with their caving and mountaineering skills applied to their shows make their performance constantly innovative and exciting. For years, these extraordinary artists have been performing in the most beautiful squares of Italy and the whole of Europe: let yourself be overwhelmed by the energy of the Company of Fools in Mercantia 29 Festival!

As for the marching band, we are pointing out three not-to-be-missed participations: Zastava Orkestar, composed of elements coming from the best orchestras of the Maremma, which for over 13 years has been playing traditional Balkan music with only acoustic instruments. The peculiarity of this group is the continuous research for a typical street show, where there are no barriers between musicians and spectators: everyone should feel free to participate, making every performance a real collective celebration!
Another band not to be missed is Badabimbumband that at the 29th Mercantia Festival, will present two shows: 'Gonna Wanna Show', music and all-round entertainment and 'Opus Band' where, an unusual brotherhood of monks will alternate rock music to Gregorian and electro funk chants. A truly innovative band!
The third marching band that will fill with joys the squares of Certaldo will be Music Alchemies, the first touring string orchestra that presents classical chamber music mixed with other original genres. An original repertoire that will not fail to impress all spectators!

But the Mercantia 2016 program in Certaldo does not certainly end here! There will be street bands, magicians, illusionists, actors, jugglers, acrobats ... an art-packed festival that trespasses boundaries, offering unique shows in the beautiful surrounding countryside.

This summer, from 13 to 17 July do not make any other commitment! You will not simply witness a normal show, but a festival of meetings, an encounter with the street theatre that every year regenerates mankind ... in a nutshell 2016 Mercantia Street Theatre Festival!

CERTALDO EVENTS is proud to present 2016 MERCANTIA

Location: Certaldo - Florence

Dates: 13 to 17 July 2016