Mercantia 2017 Certaldo

The most anticipated International Street Theatre Festival of the year

From 12 July 2017 to 16 July 2017

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From Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th July, in the magnificent setting of the village of Certaldo, one of the most appreciated and attended Italian Street Theatre Festivals will take place: Mercantia 2017, a unique kermesse that harmoniously blends classic street theatre (pantomime, jugglers, firefighters, singers, etc.) with puppet theatre, experimental theatre, cabaret, prose, vertical aerial dance, acrobatic and any other form of dance, contemporary art installations and live craftsmanship.

You are probably wondering how many stages will be needed to accommodate all these wonderful shows... well, the answer is: not even one! Every performance will take place in squares, alleys, courtyards, gardens, towers and underground places in Certaldo, a beautiful village in the province of Florence, which will make the atmosphere even more impressive.

Mercantia Festival 2017 Certaldo will actively involve the public by entertaining young and old: as usual, part of the shows will take place with an entrance ticket to the medieval part of the village, reachable by foot or via the Certaldo funicular, while in the lower and more modern part of the village you can attend other exciting performances for free and stroll through the numerous stalls at the large handcraft market on at every edition of the Mercantia Street Theatre Festival.

This harmonious combination of antique and modern, joined with spectacular dramatic performances, make the event one of the most popular Certaldo events as well as in the whole of Tuscany: every year there are over 50,000 attendees between the upper and lower part of the village.

Even on social networks, success was quite predictable: the Mercantia Facebook page counts as many as 30,000 likes and over 400,000 users who actively interact by sharing photos, videos and comments.

MERCANTIA CERTALDO 2017 THEME

The 2017 Mercantia Festival Tuscany marks its 30th anniversary and as for any respectable birthday, a great big celebration party is a must. In fact, the theme of Mercantia Certaldo 2017 edition is precisely ‘La Grande Festa’. A timeless celebration that for three decades has involved hundreds of people of all ages. Let’s get rid of all our worries and anxieties and relish the cheerful atmosphere of the Mercantia 30th Festival. Leave all your thoughts behind and let yourself be swept away by the whirlwind of shows... and let the party begin!

2017 MERCANTIA FESTIVAL: STREET ARTISTS

The Mercantia 2017 program offers yet again a number of shows per square metre worthy of a Guinness world record: 100 shows a day, 70 companies, a total of 400 artists both from Italy and from abroad joined by 40 artisan masters who will create their pieces of craftsmanship live. That being said, dividing Mercantia street artists into categories is not a simple thing to do. Their shows, in fact, originate from mixes of genres and performances where music, theatre and dance create interesting and engaging harmonies. In spite of this, the rich Mercantia 2017 program can be divided according to genres: marching bands, street bands, street theatre, street art, one-man shows and international artists. For a more detailed description of Mercantia 2017 shows, please visit the official event website at www.mercantiacertaldo.it for timetables and locations. Describing the Mercantia Festival in Certaldo in words is practically impossible, but to make you want to go there in person we will quickly tell you what you can see:

• Marching Bands: Certaldo will be filled with these special bands that combine the sound of their instruments with engaging choreographies. Bimbumbanband will involve the audience with musicians swinging, dancing, flying... all whilst playing their instrument! The Takabum 'moving sound garden' will see enormous sunflowers move at a funky, swing and ska pace. In a spirit of conviviality, "Open Bar" is the performance by Zastava Orkestar, a band which has been ‘on the move’ for 13 years. Absolutely not to miss is the Balkan-style music of the provincial 'turbotzigans' Idraulici del Suono.

• Street Bands. Between the red bricks and the beautiful buildings of Certaldo you will hear genres and musical styles of the most varied ages and geographic areas. They will range from the Naples musical nuances of the Posteggiatori Tristi to the Balkan influences of Ochtopus and the Irish ones of Dirty old band. A fun performance by Brassato Drum will take place, where the lively drummer and other original performers will make young and old laugh to the great music.

• Theatre and Street. Here again, in the various corners chosen as stages for the performances, you will be able to see a wide range of different shows. Compagnia del Drago Nero will engage you with its evocative atmospheres inspired by the mythical Middle Ages, while Le Tarde will put on a hilarious and clownish show. Obviously the Mercantia 2017 program is too wide to enumerate all the performances, so ours are just a few examples among the colourful and engaging Italian marching bands and street arts Mercantia.
• Street art. Walking through the streets of Certaldo and meeting and interacting with unusual characters is what makes this event unique in its style. You could find Bardarossa looking for Fra Cipolla who will ask you for directions, a Minotaur, Pinocchio, a pretty ladybug or a woman who enjoys doing 30 hula hoops!

• One Man Show. Mercantia artists will either exhibit themselves in solos or in equally engaging group performances: you'll meet 'Fra Cipolla' played by Amerigo Fontani, observe amazing, colourful and noisy objects involved in Arnaldo Magnini's show and be enchanted by the extemporaneous poems by Silvestro Straniero who will draw inspiration right from you to compose his verses.

• International artists. An event like Mercantia simply had to include a number of foreign artists in the 2017 program – after all, the main feature of this festival is precisely to go beyond any boundaries, whether they be historical or physical. For Mercantia 2017, shows will also be an opportunity to go on an imaginary journey around the world: towards the Netherlands with huge dinosaurs with the Close-Act group, towards Catalonia with the company Los Excentricos, an atypical trio that has revolutionized clown art and finally to Russia with the quartet Mimi Dekru and the puppet theatre with Fifth Wheel. These are just a few places because the journey is much longer!

If you do not want to lose all of this, make sure you do not take other commitments from 12th to 16th July: Certaldo is a must! You will not be going to any odd show but rather to a great big party: an appointment with international street theatre that every year regenerates humanity... in a nutshell: Festival di Strada Mercantia 2017!

CERTALDO EVENTS is pleased to present MERCANTIA 2017

Location: Certaldo – Firenze

Dates: From 12th to 16th July 2017

Info and Mercantia tickets 2017 on the official website www.mercantiacertaldo.it

'Mercantia is... the land of dreams, it is a full moon night, a festival of theatre and life, a place of encounters and of passions, it is the man who never gives up and continues to sing...'