There are a number of cultural events organised each year in and around Como. Many of them but not all are musical and the key ones are listed below. For art and photography exhibitions, view our page on Exhibition Venues. We will also shortly start a page for general exhibitions, conferences and symposia.
The list gives a brief description of each event and information on its start and end date, entry fees and locations. Whenever programs get published online, the specific dates are then entered into the Como Companion calendar.
Arte Solidale Festival
Arte Solidale is a festival promoting young musical talent with a winter and summer season of concerts in various beautiful locations around Lake Como. The concerts celebrate a rich variety of classical music. Entrance to most concerts is free but the concerts do aim to gather donations to aid young people in need of assistance.
Type of Events: Classical, orchestral and recitals
Organised by: Various associations.
Location: Various locations around the lake and Cantu
Start Date: May 2019
End Date: June 2019
Website: https://www.artesolidalefestival.com/
Details of the events for 2019 are NOW available on our calendar
Bellagio and Lake Como Festival
Bellagio and Lake Como Festival organises a series of predominantly classical music events that take place in Bellagio, Tremezzo, Erba and other lakeside locations. Most of the events are free but some do either ask for a contribution to charity or a small entrance fee. The events start in June and continue until the second week in September.
Type of Events: Classical, orchestral and recitals and some jazz
Organised by: Rosella Spinosa
Location: Bellagio, Erba and other lakeside locations
Start Date: 14th June 2018
End Date: 15th September 2018
Website: http://www.bellagiofestival.com/?page_id=715
Details of these events for 2019 are not yet available on our calendar
Bergamo Jazz Festival
Bergamo Jazz is now into its 41st year having been set up in 1969: the main setting of the stage of the Teatro Donizetti has witnessed some of the great names of jazz over the years including Keith Jarrett, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Charlie Mingus, John Scofield, Gato Barbieri, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Max Roach and Cecil Taylor.
Type of Event: International Jazz
Organised by: Teatro Donizetti
Location: Various in Bergamo
Start Date: 17th March 2019
End Date: 24th March 2019
Entry Fee: Go to website for ticket info
Website: Follow link
Details of events for 2020 are not yet in our calendar.
Buscadero Day (Change of location)
Buscadero Day is a celebration of American Country Rock previously held in the attractive location of Pusiano in the local park that fronts onto the small but beautiful lake of Pusiano. The locatuion is now Parco Berrini on the Lago di Comabbio to the south of Varese. This concert always manages to attract significant artists from the USA. This year (2019) the star performer is David Bromberg.
Type of Event: American Rock and Country
Location: Ternate, Parco Berrini on Lago di Comabbio
Start Date: 21st July 2019
End Date:
Entry Fee: Free entry
Website: Follow link
Details of events for 2019 are NOW available in our calendar.
Chamber Music – Teatro Sociale
From autumn to spring, the Teatro Sociale organises a series of recitals held once a month on a Sunday morning in its glorious Sala Bianca. Entry is free. All concerts start at 11.00am. The Sala Bianca is one of the most beautiful public spaces available in Como and well worth a visit for its own sake. The Teatro Sociale also runs a season of dance, music and opera throughout the winter months detailed under Stagione Notte on their website.
Type of Event: Chamber music and recitals
Organised by: Teatro Sociale
Location: Como
Start Date: 20th January 2019
End Date: 7th April 2019
Entry Fee: Free entry
Website: Follow link
Details of events for 2020 are not yet available in our calendar.
Chiasso Jazz Festival
The Chiasso Jazz Festival is held over a weekend in early spring. 2019 is the 22nd edition of this event – one of the rare events which link Como and Chiasso culturally by the hosting of a pre-festival concert at Como’s Teatro Sociale. It attracts musicians of great reputation and is definitely an event to put in your calendar if you are a lover of modern jazz. The Cinema Teatro in Chiasso puts on other music and dance events throughout the year so it is worth checking their schedule even outside of the festival dates.
Type of Event: Modern Jazz
Organised by: Cinema Teatro
Location: Cinema Teatro, Via Dante Alighieri, Chiasso
Start Date: 14th March 2019, but with an ‘anteprima’ in Como on 2nd March
End Date: 16th March 2019
Entry Fee: to be defined
Website: Follow link
Details of the events for 2020 are not yet available in our calendar.
Circolo Bellini Summer Season
The Circolo Vincenzo Bellini is a cultural organisation founded in 1978 at Moltrasio which organises a series of musical events such as piano, violin or opera recitals from April to October. Access for association members only. Membership details available via contacts below and website. You may also subscribe at any of the concert venues.
Type of Event: Classical music recitals
Organised by: Circolo Vincenzo Bellini
Location: Villa D’Este
Start Date: 3rd May 2019
End Date: 20th September 2019
Entry Fee: Full season subscription €90, €170 for couples
Website: Follow link
Details for 2019 are now in our calendar.
Contact details: 349 3551101 and 338 5849479
Email: circolobellini@hotmail.it
Como Classica
Como Classica is now into its 7th year bringing classical music to the attention of a broader public. It consists of a series of chamber music concerts in a variety of locations available free to all who subscribe to the association for a seasonal fee of €25. For info on how to subscribe, contact comoclassica@gmail.com
Type of Events: Classical
Organised by: Associazione Como Classica
Location: Around the city of Como and Istituto Carducci di Como
Start Date: 7th March 2019
End Date: 9th June 2019
Details of events for 2019 are NOW available in our calendar.
Como Contemporary Festival
2019 sees the first edition of this initiative launched by the Associazione Culturale Polifonie. It aims to promote contemporary music and its links to other arts such as poetry, painting and the theatre. Events take place either at the Chiesa Grande di San Giuseppe (a modern church with stunning stained glass) and in the ancient church of San Giuseppe in Valleggio.
Start Date: 17th April 2019
End Date: 2nd June 2019
Details of events for 2019 are now in our calendar.
Como Summer Festival
Various musical events in Como over the summer promoted by the Comune are no longer organised under the Como Live umbrella but under the ‘Como Summer Festival’ title running through August and the start of September. Details of these free events are in our calendar or also in the official Como website.
Type of Events: Varied but mainly Jazz
Organised by: Comune di Como
Location: Piazza Grimoldi, Tempio Voltiano and others
Start Date: August
End Date: September
Details of events for 2019 are NOT YET available in our calendar.
Estival Jazz Festival
This music festival attracts some excellent musicians representing modern jazz, blues and world music predominantly. A series of excellent open air concerts which are entirely free. The setting in Lugano is glorious.
Type of Event: Jazz and World Music
Organised by: Lugano and Mendrisio Town Councils
Location: Lugano
Start Date: 4th July 2019
End Date: 6th July 2019
Entry Fee: Free
Website: Follow link
Details of event for 2019 are not yet available in our calendar. They will be published in May.
E-mail: info@estivaljazz.ch
Festival Como Citta della Musica
The festival is now in 2019 onto its 12th annual event. The highlight this year will be performances of La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi held in the Arena of the Teatro Sociale on 27th and 29th June and 2nd July. These performances incorporate a whole mass of contributors in addition to the professional artistes making opera truly accessible to all and highly participatory.
Type of Event: Opera and varied musical genres
Organised by: Como Festival
Location: Arena and other locations across Como
Start Date: 9th June 2018
End Date: 13th July 2018
Entry Fee: Check Teatro Sociale’s website or the Festival’s website for details. Some events are free. Website: Follow link
Details of the events for 2019 are NOW available in our calendar.
Festival Internazionale di Chitarra
This annual festival dedicated to guitar music, takes place in August in the town of Menaggio. It was originally set up in 2007 by the current director Sergio Fabian Lavia based on the model of the Bormio Festival with the objective of combining great music in a small community within a beautiful setting. Locations for the musical events are mainly bars and restaurants around the town.
Type of Event: Varying types of guitar music and workshops
Organised by: Sergio Fabian Lavia
Location: Bars and restaurants in Menaggio
Start Date: 24th August 2018
End Date: 26th August 2018
Entry Fee: Free
Website: Follow link
Details of all the events for 2019 are NOT YET available in our calendar.
LacMus Festival
2018 is now the second edition of this brief classical festival that combines quality performances in beautiful settings. I was too late this year to recognise the arrival of this festival but will have all details published on the calendar for 2019
Type of Event: Classical music from baroque to modern.
Organised by: Paolo Bressan, the conductor and Louis Lortie, the pianist
Location: Various locations in Tremezzina, Ossuccio and Lenno
Start Date: 26th June 2019
End Date: 7th July 2019
Entry Fee: Tickets available online
Website: https://lacmusfestival.com/en/
Details of all the events for 2019 are now available in our calendar.
La Grande Musica a Cernobbio
A series of concerts held in churches in Cernobbio organised by the Societa dei Concerti di Milano. This festival did not happen last year but is now back in 2019 – it features classical musicians of renown from the Rai Orchestra and/or the Orchestra of the Scala Theatre in Milan. Most of the events in this festival are held in Milan. For more information, try their website or call +39 02 669 841 34.
Type of Event: Classical music either by Quartets or soloists
Organised by: La Societa dei Concerti di Milano
Location: Churches in Cernobbio
Start Date: 27th April 2019
End Date: 24th May 2019
Entry Fee: Contact by phone +39 02 669 841 34 for information.
Website: https://www.soconcerti.it/concerti-in-regione
Details of all the events for 2019 are now available in our calendar.
Kammermusik Como
A brief series of chamber music events intended to recreate the intimate link between artistes and audiences offered by this genre of classical music. The season always starts off with a concert in memory of the Jewish musicians massacred in the concentration camp of Terezin on October 17th – the exact date set for the concert of commemoration.
Type of Event: Chamber music
Organised by: Casa della Musica, Piazza Martinelli and Università Popolare di Musica, Viale Cavallotti, 7
Location: Casa della Musica in Piazza Martinelli or Associazione Cavallotti in Viale Cavallotti 7
Start Date: 17th October (2016)
End Date:4th December (2016)
Entry Fee: Free
Website: Follow link
Details of all the events for 2018 are not yet available in our calendar.
Lake Como Festival
A series of recitals held over the summer in a variety of villas on Lakes Como or Lugano. There is also an autumn season.
Type of Event: Classical music recitals
Organised by: Amadeus Arte & FAI
Location: Various lakeside villa locations
Start Date: April 5th 2019
End Date: 8th September 2019
Entry Fee: €10 for events in FAI buildings, €18 for concert and entry to Villa Carlotta, €7 for over 60s, free for under 14s, the disabled and members of Amadeus Arte. Season tickets cost €30. Some concerts are however free.
Website: Follow link
Details of events in 2019 are now available in our calendar.
Lecco Jazz Festival
This is just the second year of this event and unfortunately I got to hear of it too late to include details from the start of the festival. However this marker will ensure that won’t happen next year. This is a festival dedicated to Giorgio Caslini with the intention of not just bringing great music to the city but also workshops, debates and of course, attractions for visitors. All events are free. The event is organised by the comune with an off-festival (September) organised by CRAMS and CEPI.
Type of Event: Jazz performances, workshops and master classes
Organised by: Comune di Lecco with support from the Lombardy Region
Location: Various city locations in Lecco
Start Date: July 11th 2017
End Date: July 30th 2017 but with an off-festival during September.
Entry Fee: Free
Website:
Details of events for 2019 are not yet available in our calendar.
Symposion Festival, Tremezzina
2018 is the first year of the Symposion Festival which features 8 free musical events throughout the month of July. It is promoted by Lounge Bar Acqua Cheta where the musical events take place within the Parco Civile Teresio Olivelli. It is also sponsored by Lake Como’s own natural water brand – Acqua Chiarella.
Type of Event: DJ Indie
Location: Parco Comunale Teresio Olivelli, Tremezzo
Free entry
Start date: Start of July
End date: End of July
Web site: http:/my.tremezzina.co/it
Details of these events for 2019 are NOT YET available in our calendar.
Swing Crash Festival
There will be no festival this year. With luck it will return in 2020. It is a festival of Swing big band jazz music from the 1920s and 30s and the accompanying dance styles.
Type of event: Dance and music workshops, music and dance events
Organised by: Associazione Swing Crash by international dancers Vincenzo Fesi and Isabella Gregorio.
Location: Grand Opening in Bellagio, public concerts in Piazza Volta and Piazza Cavour in Como. Other events in clubs and bars.
Start date:
End date:
Entry fee: Depends on event – info from the website.
Website: Follow this link
Details of the events for 2020 are not yet available in our calendar.
Tra Lago e Monti Festival
Classical music festival held in a variety of locations on the Lecco side of the lake as well as primarily in the Villa Monastero at Varenna. T.his is now into its 31st year
Type of Event: Classical music
Location: Villa Monastero at Varenna and in churches or other locations of architectural interest along the Lecco side of the lake.
Organised by: Roberto Porroni
Free entry
Start date: 25th July 2018
End date: 15th September 2018
Web site: Roberto Porroni
Details of this event for 2019 are NOT YET available on our calendar.
Tremezzina Music Festival
World music, classics and jazz in the beautiful setting of Tremezzo and Ossuccio usually held from mid-August.
This event for 2018 has been cancelled due to funding issues. Its future is still uncertain but let’s hope it is back on in 2019.
Type of Event: Jazz, World Music
Location: Parco Comunale Teresio Olivelli, Tremezzo
Free entry
Start date:
End date:
Web site: http://tremezzinamusicfestival.it/
This event has been cancelled in 2018.
WOW Music Festival
Innovative series of musical and mixed media events taking place in the gardens alongside the Tempio Voltiano on Como’s lakeside. A mix of indie-rock, and electro with artists of international fame alongside food, workshops, meetings with artists – with the objective of making this the heart of a cultural renaissance across the Como area.
Type of event: Indie-rock, tecno, workshops
Organised by: Marker, Autorock and Como Concerti
Location: Gardens of the Tempio Voltiano
Start date: 29th June 2018
End date: 1st July 2018
Entry fee: Free entry
Website: Follow this link
Details of the events for 2019 are not yet available in our calendar.
