Each May, the historic centre of Trento turns into a free public economics festival, with several hundred sessions across theatres, palaces, a museum and open squares, organised jointly by the Province of Trento, through Trentino Marketing, and the publishing group Gruppo 24 ORE, whose flagship title Il Sole 24 Ore chairs the event's Scientific Committee.
Festival dell'Economia di Trento is a free public economics festival held each spring in the historic centre of Trento, Italy. It was founded in 2006 and the 2026 edition, held 20 to 24 May 2026, was its 21st. The festival is organised jointly by the Autonomous Province of Trento, acting through its regional marketing company Trentino Marketing, and Gruppo 24 ORE, the Italian publishing group whose flagship business daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, chairs the event's Scientific Committee. It mixes keynote speeches, panel debates and public dialogues on economics and current affairs, aimed at a general audience rather than a closed professional one, alongside a parallel "Fuori Festival" track of workshops and family-oriented sessions. Sources: festivaleconomia.it, festivaleconomia.it/en/organization, checked 3 September 2026.
The 2027 edition is scheduled for 18 to 22 May 2027, one day longer than 2026, following the provincial president's own announcement that the festival "will open a day earlier and close Saturday evening with a big celebration." It will again be held across multiple venues and public squares in the historic centre of Trento, Italy, the pattern used every year since 2006. As of 3 September 2026, the official website (festivaleconomia.it) still displays the 2026 edition's content and had not yet published a dedicated 2027 programme, venue list or registration page; the domain also changes with each edition (for example festivaleconomia2026.it mirrored the current site during the 2026 cycle), so a later mirror domain for 2027 should be expected once the organisers publish it. Sources: ilsole24ore.com (CEO Federico Silvestri quoted announcing the 2027 dates), festivaleconomia.it, checked 3 September 2026.
Two organisations run the festival jointly: the Autonomous Province of Trento, acting through Trentino Marketing S.r.l. (a single-shareholder company registered at Via Romagnosi 11, Trento, itself subject to the direction and coordination of Trentino Sviluppo S.p.A.), and Gruppo 24 ORE (registered in Milan), the publisher of Il Sole 24 Ore. The database record behind this fiche previously named the organiser as "Provincia autonoma di Trento with Il Sole 24 Ore"; that is close but not exact on two points. First, the province's role is exercised through Trentino Marketing, a distinct legal entity, not the province directly. Second, the publishing side is Gruppo 24 ORE as a corporate entity; Il Sole 24 Ore is its flagship newspaper and its director, Fabio Tamburini, chairs the festival's Scientific Committee, but the organising company is the group, not the newspaper alone. Both points are corrected here; database correction is outside the scope of this fiche. General contact: info@festivaleconomia.it . Sources: festivaleconomia.it/en/organization, festivaleconomia.it (footer legal notice), checked 3 September 2026.
More than 45,000 people attended the 2026 edition, an organiser figure covering five days of sessions rather than an audited count for any single session. The audience is explicitly general-public: students (including more than 2,000 high-school students in 2026), academics and economists, journalists, business and finance representatives, and residents and visitors to Trento. There is no delegate category, no paid access tier and no professional-only gate: every session is open to registered attendees on the same terms, alongside outdoor "Festival in piazza" sessions that need no registration at all. Source: ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it ("Tutti i numeri del Festival dell'Economia di Trento 2026"), checked 3 September 2026.
No 2027 speaker list has been published as of 3 September 2026. For scale, the closing report for the 2026 edition puts the final speaker count above 830, including 5 Nobel Prize laureates, 20 government ministers, 147 academics, 35 economists, 126 national and international institutional figures and 129 business and finance representatives; named 2026 speakers included Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion and Italy's Minister for Institutional Reforms, Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati, among many others on the official 2026 roster. A list this size (800-plus names) is not reproduced here; the full 2026 roster remains browsable on the official site's speakers archive. Source: ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it ("Tutti i numeri del Festival dell'Economia di Trento 2026"), festivaleconomia.it/en/program/speakers, checked 3 September 2026.
The confirmed change so far is length and shape: 2027 runs 18 to 22 May, opening a day earlier than 2026's four-day run (20 to 24 May) and, per the provincial president's own statement, closing with "a big celebration" on the Saturday evening. No 2027 theme, programme or speaker names had been announced as of 3 September 2026; the 2026 theme was "Dal mercato ai nuovi poteri: le speranze dei giovani" (From the market to new powers: the hopes of young people), the first year the festival ran a dedicated youth Call for Ideas alongside the main programme. Whether that youth strand continues in 2027 is not publicly disclosed. Source: ilsole24ore.com (2026 closing coverage quoting CEO Federico Silvestri and provincial president Maurizio Fugatti), checked 3 September 2026.
No 2027 programme has been published as of 3 September 2026. The 2026 programme, for comparison, ran more than 350 events across 18 indoor venues and 4 public squares, structured as keynote speeches, dialogues and panels under the theme "Dal mercato ai nuovi poteri: le speranze dei giovani." Recurring formats named by the organisers include "Economie dei Territori" (regional economy sessions) and "Incontri con l'autore" (author talks), plus a "Fuori Festival" track of workshops aimed at younger audiences and families running alongside the main programme. Source: telepass.com (Moveo coverage of the 2026 programme structure), ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it, checked 3 September 2026.
Keynote speeches, panel debates and moderated public dialogues, per the organisers' own description of the festival as spread across the city rather than concentrated in one hall. Two recurring named formats sit alongside the main programme: "Economie dei Territori," on regional and local economic questions, and "Incontri con l'autore," author talks tied to recent books. A separate "Fuori Festival" strand of workshops and family-oriented sessions runs in parallel and needs no registration for outdoor events. There is no delegate matchmaking system and no B2B exhibition floor: this is a public-lecture and panel format throughout. Source: telepass.com, festivaleconomia.it/en, checked 3 September 2026.
The "Fuori Festival" track runs inside the festival week itself: workshops, meetings and educational sessions aimed at students, younger audiences and families, distinct from the main programme's keynotes and panels. In 2026 the festival also ran a youth Call for Ideas, "Le Voci del Domani" ("Voices of Tomorrow"), a separate call that fed 14 selected young speakers directly into the main programme's panels rather than into a side track. No other satellite events outside Trento or outside the festival week were found in the sourced material. Source: dailyonline.it (Call for Ideas coverage), telepass.com, checked 3 September 2026.
Free. Every session, indoor and outdoor, is open at no charge. Registration is required for indoor venues (Teatro Sociale, Palazzo della Provincia, the Filarmonica, Castello del Buonconsiglio and others) to receive a personal QR code for entry, but is not required for minors or for outdoor "Festival in piazza" sessions. Registering does not guarantee a seat: capacity is limited by venue, and the organisers advise arriving early for popular sessions. Register at festivaleconomia.it/en/register . Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/faq, checked 3 September 2026.
There is no general call for papers or open speaker application for the main programme; most speakers are invited directly by the Scientific Committee, chaired by Fabio Tamburini (director of Il Sole 24 Ore, Radio 24 and the Radiocor news agency), alongside economics professors from the University of Trento and an economic historian. One specific open pathway exists for young people: the 2026 "Le Voci del Domani" Call for Ideas was open to applicants aged 18 to 30, requiring a written proposal of up to 1,200 characters plus a two-minute video, submitted online. The 2026 call closed on 8 April 2026; selected applicants (14 in 2026) spoke directly in the main festival panels alongside professional economists and officials. Whether this call for ideas repeats for 2027, and on what timeline, is not publicly disclosed. Source: dailyonline.it, festivaleconomia.it/en/organization, checked 3 September 2026.
No public sponsorship application form or process was found on the official site. The 2026 partners page lists dozens of named companies and institutions across financial services, energy, industry, professional services and public administration, but does not describe how a company applies to join. General enquiries go to info@festivaleconomia.it, the same address used for registration support. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/organization/partners, checked 3 September 2026.
No 2027 partner list has been published as of 3 September 2026. The 2026 partners page listed dozens of names without formal tier labels; a representative sample by sector: financial and banking (ABI, Intesa Sanpaolo, Bancomat, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, SACE, Simest), energy and infrastructure (ACEA, Enel, Dolomiti Energia, Terna, Snam, Autostrada del Brennero, Autostrade per l'Italia), manufacturing and industry (Arvedi, Fincantieri, Jeep, Amplifon, Angelini Pharma), professional services (BonelliErede, DLA Piper, Porsche Consulting, Engineering, Cerved), and public administration and EU bodies (the European Commission's Representation in Italy, the European Parliament, Invitalia, ICE). Media partners named on the same page included Sky TG24 (media partner), Radio 24 (media partner) and the Financial Times (media partner). This is the observed 2026 list, not a guaranteed carry-over to 2027. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/organization/partners, checked 3 September 2026.
Read from the 2026 partner roster rather than from a published breakdown, four groups dominate: large state-linked financial and infrastructure bodies (Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, ABI, SACE, Autostrade per l'Italia), major Italian energy and transport corporates (Enel, Dolomiti Energia, Terna, Snam), national and multinational manufacturing and consumer groups (Fincantieri, Arvedi, Jeep, Amplifon, Angelini Pharma), and professional and consulting services (BonelliErede, DLA Piper, Porsche Consulting, Cerved). Public administration and EU institutions form a distinct fifth category, present as institutional partners rather than commercial sponsors. There is no venture, startup or small-business exhibitor tier of the kind found at trade-style conferences; this is consistent with a free public-education festival funded by large corporate and institutional patronage rather than a commercial marketplace event. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/organization/partners, checked 3 September 2026.
Journalists apply through a dedicated form on the official site, festivaleconomia.it/it/stampa/accredito-stampa, in the "Stampa" (Press) section. Support queries go to ufficiostampa@festivaleconomia.it. No explicit accreditation deadline is stated on the announcement page for the 2026 process; the 2026 edition closed with 456 accredited journalists and operators, of whom 250 were on site in Trento. Source: ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it ("Festival dell'Economia di Trento 2026: aperti gli accrediti stampa"), checked 3 September 2026.
The 2026 edition's own closing report counts more than 950 print articles, roughly 4,000 web articles and 269 radio and television segments, figures compiled by the Province of Trento's press office rather than by an independent media-monitoring body. Named outlets acting as festival media partners in 2026 included Sky TG24 (media partner), Radio 24 (media partner), the Financial Times (media partner) and LinkedIn News (media partner); coverage from these should be read against that partnership. No separate, itemised list of independent (non-partner) press coverage was found in the sourced material. Source: ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it ("Tutti i numeri del Festival dell'Economia di Trento 2026"), festivaleconomia.it/en/organization/partners, checked 3 September 2026.
Treat the volume figures as organiser-reported, not independently audited: the 950-plus print articles, roughly 4,000 web articles and 269 broadcast segments cited for 2026 come from the Province of Trento's own press office, which also runs the festival's press accreditation. Radio 24 and Il Sole 24 Ore's own outlets sit inside the organising structure itself (Il Sole 24 Ore's director chairs the Scientific Committee), so their coverage is closest to house reporting rather than external judgment. Sky TG24, the Financial Times and LinkedIn News are named media partners, meaning their coverage is arranged rather than independently assigned. No coverage from an outlet with no partnership or organising tie to the festival was identified in the sourced material. Net read: the reported volume is plausible for an event of this scale and press-office size, but the reliability of any single figure rests on the organiser's own count. Source: ufficiostampa.provincia.tn.it, festivaleconomia.it/en/organization/partners, checked 3 September 2026.
Attendees seeking closed, invitation-only professional networking or deal-making: this is a public-education festival with open registration, not a closed forum, and it carries no delegate matchmaking or B2B exhibition floor. Non-Italian speakers who need full-programme interpretation: sessions run primarily in Italian, with simultaneous translation offered only for select events rather than across the whole programme. Researchers or executives looking for the kind of Chatham House Rule, off-the-record exchange found at Italy's other major economics gathering, the Ambrosetti Forum at Cernobbio: Trento's sessions are public and often filmed, the opposite operating premise. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/faq, content/fiches/ambrosetti-forum.md (comparison), checked 3 September 2026.
Trento occupies late May, ahead of the summer conference season and well before Italy's other marquee economics gathering, the Ambrosetti Forum at Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, which runs in early September under the Chatham House Rule for an invitation-only audience of roughly 250. The two events sit at opposite poles of the same national calendar: Trento is free, open to the public and built for reach (45,000-plus attendees in 2026), while Cernobbio is closed, small and built for confidential political-business dialogue. Trento's positioning is closer to France's Journées de l'Économie (Jéco) in Lyon, a similarly free, public, city-anchored economics festival, though Jéco (founded 2008) is two years younger than Trento (founded 2006) and runs in November rather than May. Source: content/fiches/ambrosetti-forum.md, content/fiches/journees-de-leconomie-jeco.md (comparison), festivaleconomia.it, checked 3 September 2026.
No. The festival has been held only in Trento every year since its founding in 2006, across venues and squares in the city's historic centre. A separate, similarly named "Festival Internazionale dell'Economia" social-media account exists but was not confirmed in the sourced material to be affiliated with or a variant edition of this festival; readers should not treat the two names as interchangeable without separate verification. No satellite editions in other Italian or foreign cities were found. Source: festivaleconomia.it, checked 3 September 2026.
Italian is the primary working language across the festival. Simultaneous translation is offered for select events rather than the full programme, and the official website is published in Italian, English and German. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/info/simultaneous-translation-of-festival-events, checked 3 September 2026.
Live streaming is available to registered users for at least some sessions, supported through Il Sole 24 Ore's event-streaming infrastructure (contact: supporto.sole24ore.eventi@house264.com). After each edition, video recordings and slides from past editions are published on a dedicated archive, video.festivaleconomia.it, searchable by past programme. Whether the full 2027 programme will be live-streamed, and which sessions, is not publicly disclosed. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/faq, video.festivaleconomia.it, checked 3 September 2026.
No monetary refund policy applies because attendance is free of charge. Whether a completed registration (and its associated QR code) can be cancelled or reassigned to another attendee is not publicly disclosed on the registration or FAQ pages. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/register, festivaleconomia.it/en/faq, checked 3 September 2026.
Yes, with documented provisions. The organisers worked with the Handicrea Cooperative to inspect every venue and publish accessibility sheets in advance so attendees can check each space before arriving. For Teatro Sociale and the Auditorium Santa Chiara, a dedicated phone line (+39 0461 213 830) is provided to arrange reservations for attendees with mobility disabilities. Temporary parking permits for restricted zones are available through the Municipality of Trento, and local public transport operator Trentino Trasporti runs a barrier-free "Viaggia Libero" service. No mention of sign-language interpretation or hearing-loop systems was found in the sourced material. Further contact: sostenibile@trentinomarketing.org. Source: festivaleconomia.it/en/info/an-accessible-festival, checked 3 September 2026.
Sessions run across multiple venues and squares in central Trento, including Teatro Sociale, Palazzo della Provincia, the Filarmonica, Castello del Buonconsiglio, MUSE (the science museum), Piazza Duomo and Piazza Fiera. By train, Trento's station on Piazza Dante sits less than five minutes' walk from the historic centre, with direct connections from Verona, Bolzano, Milan, Venice and Rome; the 2026 edition ran a discounted "Speciale Eventi" fare with Trenitalia's high-speed Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca services. The nearest airports are Verona (about 90 km), Bolzano (about 60 km) and Bergamo (about 180 km). By car, the A22 Brenner motorway serves Trento directly, with the "Trento Sud" exit recommended from the south and "Trento Nord" from the north. Source: vipiu.it, ilsole24ore.com (Trenitalia partnership coverage), festivaleconomia.it/en/program/location, checked 3 September 2026.
Trento built a 45,000-plus-attendee public festival on economics, a subject with no natural mass audience, by keeping every session free and open rather than gating it behind a professional fee. That choice, repeated for 21 editions since 2006, is why the festival can put more than 800 speakers, including sitting ministers and Nobel laureates, in front of a crowd that includes over 2,000 high-school students in a single year. Read Trento as evidence that economics programming can carry a civic festival, not only a trade one.
Every volume figure cited for the 2026 edition, from the 45,000 attendees to the 950-plus print articles and 4,000 web articles, comes from the same source: the Province of Trento's own press office, which also runs the festival and its accreditation process. That does not make the figures false, but it does make them self-reported rather than independently audited, and the same office that counts the coverage also generates a large share of it through 160 press releases and 30-plus dedicated press points during the week. Treat these as the organiser's own record of a real, large event, not as a third-party certification.
Official site: www.festivaleconomia.it. Registration: festivaleconomia.it/en/register. Programme: festivaleconomia.it/en/program (2026 edition; 2027 not yet published). Speakers: festivaleconomia.it/en/program/speakers. Partners: festivaleconomia.it/en/organization/partners. Press: festivaleconomia.it/en/press, accreditation at festivaleconomia.it/it/stampa/accredito-stampa. FAQ: festivaleconomia.it/en/faq. Video and document archive: video.festivaleconomia.it. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/festival-economia-trento. X: @economicsfest. Facebook: facebook.com/festivaleconomiatrento. Instagram: instagram.com/festivaleconomiatrento. Organisers: Trentino Marketing S.r.l. (trentinomarketing.org), Gruppo 24 ORE (info via Il Sole 24 Ore).