Lake Garda Festival: Fairy Tales, Fireworks & Live Performances
A “Week,” much more than just a “Fairy Tale Night”! It takes place in Riva and attracts thousands of spectators. The star of the festival, which begins today and ends on Sunday, will be Mary Poppins.
Events and Festivals
On Friday, in Piazza Tre Novembre, another… fairy (Anna Falchi) will record a television show, which will be broadcast the following Monday. On Saturday, instead, there will be the colors and lights of the fireworks display, the most fascinating on Lake Garda: it will last half an hour.
To celebrate the event, the organizing group has created a website (www.nottedifiaba.it) and printed a small magazine. “As early as the 1800s,” reads the pamphlet, “the city dressed up to greet guests. Music and games were its ingredients. People gathered in the squares in joyful cheer. In more recent times, old customs have been rediscovered. And, in the post-war period, the Night of Fairy Tales was revived, almost to mark the end of a summer of work.”
Decorative boats paraded on the waters, like during carnival, representing stories of all kinds, thanks to the vivid imagination of their builders. Then bureaucracy made things difficult: nowadays, it’s no longer permitted to use such traditional formulas.”
Features of the Event
Thus, the Event Committee, aiming to keep the tradition alive, has organized an edition that is both engaging and fun for everyone: “Mary Poppins,” the publication continues, “is the guiding theme. Throughout the streets and alleys of Riva, like the characters following the most famous governess in the world through adventures that blend fantasy and reality, visitors can venture into the heart of the Night of Fairy Tales, thanks to an original itinerary.”
This evening at 9:30 p.m., in Piazza delle Erbe, there will be a prologue with the “Non melting ice cream band”, a street band of Dutch musicians. From tomorrow until Sunday, in Piazza Cavour and Piazza Tre Novembre, there will be concerts and performances by the “Accademia di danza e ballo”, the “Liberty Dance” school, the local band, flamenco group “Nueva compania”, and the Cuban group “Son las che son”.
In the inner courtyard of the fortress, transformed into a cherry blossom avenue for the occasion, Anna Meacci and storytellers will narrate original and paradoxical fairy tales. In the green oasis of Brolio, chefs will prepare typical dishes, starting with “carne salada e fasoi” and “polenta e mortadella”.
In Piazza Cavour, from 4 p.m. onwards, excluding Sunday, there will be a workshop for young children, where they will be asked to cut out, color, and animate objects. On Saturday at 8 p.m., members of the “Ali azzurre trentine” club will take flight on paragliders from Monte Altissimo, landing in the port area and in Sabbioni. At 9 p.m., there will be “Fèe l’un pour l’Ogre”: aerial acrobatics on trapezes and slides (repeated the next day at 6:30 p.m.). At 10 p.m., the fireworks display will take place.
The Martarello company from Arquà Polesine will use 1,300 kilograms of fireworks. Different types (roman candles, battery displays, spheres), connected by three kilometers of electrical wires. The ignition is controlled by a centralized system connected to a computer. The program is carefully planned in advance, based on the desired sequence of effects.
The preparation takes place at the factory. Then, a team of six people positions the barges in the Gulf of Riva, anchoring them 200 meters from the beach.
Television Events and Conclusions
The “Settimana” also features a television segment. On Friday, Anna Falchi will record a show with Al Bano.
Among the artists and groups participating are: Ivana Spagna, Les Tambours du Bronx, Rbr Dance, magician Van Donen, the “Anibal Pannunzio” tango company, and “Andrè De La Roche”.
On Monday, there will be a finale with the “Cantalago”. The sixth Lake Garda Festival will conclude by announcing the winner: three out of four finalists are from Brescia.
