Mittelfest 2026 – Fear

From 16 to 26 July, the Mitteleuropean Festival Mittelfest returns to Cividale del Friuli from 16 to 26 July, featuring numerous music, dance, theatre and circus performances withartists from different parts of the world. The central theme will be Fear.

Fear: lies in expectations, in what one imagines will be. It is the emotion that anticipates events. It is already there: it arrives and points the way, as in the geography of myth. Yet, whilst it foresees defeat, it prevents its outcome. We need only look beyond what our eyes believe, for they are often deceitful: they do not see what lies before them, but what the mind is already expecting. Our gaze registers differences. Our story may then resemble that of Perseus and Medusa: do not succumb to the monster’s gaze, do not turn to stone in the face of a terror already known. Shielded, we can return victorious, perhaps riding on the back of Pegasus. Will it happen? Who knows: if we were to start seeing with fresh eyes, a surprise might await us. If the fear in our thoughts were overcome by our actions, perhaps a miracle would unfold. Why not follow it as far as it takes us?

Find out about the full programme