Programme and special guests
Discover the 5-days programme and get to know our presenters and special guests.
Our guests
Mario Acampa is a director, author and television presenter. He will present the Opening Ceremony (14th June night at DumBO) and the Closing Ceremony (17th June night at DumBO).
Senhit a multifaceted artist, singer, actress and performer will present the Gran Gala (16th June night at Piazza Maggiore) together with Mario Acampa. Special guest of the show is Antonino, award-winning artist known to the general public for winning the fourth edition of the talent show “Amici” and the latest edition of “Tale e Quale Show”.
Deborah Iurato is the special guest of the Closing Ceremony (17th June night at DumBO). The winner of the 13th edition of “Amici” and third classified at the Sanremo Festival in 2016, as well as winner of “Tale e Quale Show” 2016, will engage in a special performance with Senhit.
Daily programme
DAY 1 | Wednesday, June 14th
| 13:30 – 17:30 | Choirs performances in theaters →Arena Del Sole, Auditorium Manzoni, Oratorio San Filippo Neri |
| 16:00 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
| 18:30 | The VV Village opens →DumBO |
| 19:30 – 21:30 | Choirs performances →DumBO: La Baia, Binario Centrale |
| 21:30 – 23:00 | Big Event | Festival opening ceremony →DumBO: outdoor stage |
| 00:30 – 03:00 | Nightlife | Clubbing →DumBO |
DAY 2 | Thursday, June 15th
| 13:30 – 17:30 | Choirs Performances in theaters →Arena Del Sole, Auditorium Manzoni, Oratorio San Filippo Neri, Teatro Duse |
| 16:00 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | Choirs performances in museums → MamBO |
| 18:30 | The VV Village opens →DumBO |
| 19:30 – 23:00 | Choirs Performances →DumBO: La Baia, Binario Centrale |
| 00:30 – 04:00 | Nightlife | Clubbing →DumBO |
DAY 3 | Friday, June 16th
| 11:00 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
| 13:30 – 18:40 | Choirs performances in theaters →Arena del Sole, Auditorium Manzoni, Oratorio San Filippo Neri, Teatro Duse |
| 16:00 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
| 17:00 – 18:20 | Choirs performances in museums →MamBO |
| 18:30 | The VV Village opens →DumBO |
| 19:10 – 21:10 | Choirs performances →DumBO: La Baia, Binario Centrale |
| 21:30 – 23:30 | Big Event | Gran Gala →Piazza Maggiore |
| 22:00 – 03:00 | Nightlife | Clubbing →DumBO |
Click here to download the detailed programme for the day
DAY 4 | Saturday, June 17th
| 10:00 – 12:30 | Choirs performances →open-air in various places in the city |
| 11:00 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
| 13:30 – 18:40 | Choirs performances in theaters →Arena del Sole, Auditorium Manzoni, Oratorio San Filippo Neri, Teatro Duse |
| 16:00 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
| 16:00 – 18:30 | Choirs performances →open-air in various places in the city |
| 17:00 – 18:40 | Choirs performances in museums →MamBO |
| 18:30 | The VV Village opens →DumBO |
| 18:30 – 20:00 | Choirs performances →Cassero LGBTI Center |
| 19:30 – 22:00 | Choirs performances →DumBO: La Baia, Binario Centrale |
| 22:30 | Big Event | Festival closing ceremony → DumBO: outdoor stage |
| 23:00 – 04:00 | Nightlife | Clubbing →DumBO |
DAY 5 | Sunday, June 18th
| 10:00 – 13:00 | Choirs performances →open-air in various places in the city |
| 10:30 | Musical guided tour →Museo della Musica (one choir involved) |
From Wednesday 14th to Saturday 17th, the VV Village at DumBO opens its gates at 18:30 with food trucks and drinks while the performances take place.
LOCATIONS
Piazza Maggiore
It is Bologna’s beating heart and the place where for ages city life has had its natural stage.
During Various Voices it is going to be the Great Gala’s wonderful venue.
Venues
They are all in Bologna’s city center and can be easily reached on foot or by public transport (from Bologna’s Central Station, too).
- Teatro Auditorium Manzoni: concert hall set in 1933, with stalls, two galleries and three balcony floors (1236 seats)
- Arena del Sole: set in 1810, the Sala Grande has stalls, two tribunes and a gallery (888 seats)
- Teatro Duse: set in 1822, the hall has stalls, two galleries and two tribunes (999 seats)
- Oratorio di San Filippo Neri: built in 1733 as place of worship, after the damages caused during WWII, this place has been given back to the city community in 1999 (300 seats)
DumBO – VV Village
The gathering point of nightlife during the festival will be Various Voices Village, which will be set in DumBO – Multifunctional urban district of Bologna: a 40k m2 surface urban area regenerated from a former freight yard. Recovered sheds and open areas are the perfect scenery for the opening and closing events. From sunset they will become dancefloors, with DJ-sets and other events. Everything will happen at a short distance from Bologna city center and from the train- and bus-station.
Museums
MAMbo – Modern Art Museum of Bologna has hosted from 2007 on permanent modern and contemporary art collections, together with temporary exhibitions. The building was built in 1915 as “bread oven” of Bologna and is today part of Manifattura delle Arti, together with DAMS Faculty, Cineteca di Bologna and Cassero LGBTI Center. The museum has exhibition rooms, a bistrot and the CorrainiMAMbo artbookshop.
Bologna’s international music museum and library opened in 2004, is set inside the fascinating Palazzo Sanguinetti (in Strada Maggiore, city center). Its majestic collections of ancient instruments are placed in the richly decorated rooms, in order to celebrate music in every form and expression.
Various Voices Italy Tour
Like in a “prequel” of Bologna’s Festival, the choirs that wish to apply will have the chance to take part to events and concerts in other Italian cities, hosted by local LGBTQ+ choirs, before the beginning of 2023 edition (June 12th-13th):
All these concerts are going to be coordinated by Cromatica, the Italian rainbow choirs association.
