Mittelfest Tabù: the first concert in Piazza Duomo for the whole family.

Shows to see with the whole family, great live music in Piazza Duomo, and a theater that tells the story of war from the front lines, analyzes the most uncomfortable current events, and reflects on old and new conflicts.

The curtain rises on the 34th edition of Mittelfest on Friday, July 18th. Until Sunday, July 27th, the festival brings 29 artistic projects from 15 countries to Cividale. The theme, Taboo , "explores the boundary between legal and forbidden, right and wrong," explains artistic director Giacomo Pedini. " The historical moment Europe is experiencing is traumatic: it bears the burden of conflicts both near and far, and charts new scenarios and new balances. Through the festival's diverse media, we will attempt to narrate this present moment, perhaps even breaking down some barriers."

The festival opens at 7 pm in the Church of San Francesco with The Long Shadow of Alois Brunner by Collectiv Ma'Louba and directed by Omar Elerian. It tells the story of one of the most wanted Nazi criminals of all time, implicated in the deportation of over 100,000 people to ghettos and concentration camps, and who, after fleeing to Damascus, helped establish the Syrian secret service. A story told by firsthand accounts, in a crescendo of impossible discoveries.

The first concert in Piazza Duomo of Mittelfest 2025 at 9:30 pm is an evening of music, joy and a pinch of magic, dedicated to the whole family: Cartoon Night will immerse spectators in the atmosphere of Disney fairy tales with the voice of Tosca , a choir of seventy children's voices, the FVG Orchestra and with special light magic that will involve the audience.

Also noteworthy is the exhibition "Totem and Taboo" at the Galleria Spazio Cortequattro, which opens at 6 pm and features works by three important contemporary Friulian artists who have explored different facets of the forbidden: Gaetano Bodanza, Ulderica Da Pozzo, and Roberto Kusterle. Free admission.