Italy’s Comfort Festival nestles into new location

Barley Arts’ Comfort Festival is set to move to Milan for its fourth edition this July, with the first batch of national and international artists already announced.

The five-day festival, which takes place on 4-5, 9-10 and 13 July, will transition from its previous location in Ferrara to Milan’s historic Villa Casati Stampa in Cinisello Balsamo. Organisers plan to stage the expanded festival inside the seventeenth-century noble residence’s garden.

“The years from 2021 to 2024 have seen three wonderful editions of the Comfort Festival, as well as the passionate and memorable concert by Bruce Springsteen [in Monza in 2023],” says Claudio Trotta, Barley Arts and festival founder. “The bond is solid, sincere and concrete, and I am sure that we will see each other again soon in Ferrara.”

The first artists announced include the Warren Haynes Band, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Fink, Wolfmother, Blackberry Smoke, Treves Blues Band, and the Satchvai Band featuring Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. More artists will be announced in the coming months.

The Italian promoter is set for a busy year, with two stadium shows from Bruce Springsteen in Milan

The event, staged in 2021, 2023 and 2024, has grown from two days to five and featured acts like Jack Johnson, The Gaslight Anthem, Gary Clark Jr. and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, along with Italian acts like Edoardo Bennato and Gianluca Grignani.

National promoter Barley Arts is set for a busy year, with two stadium shows from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Milan’s San Siro Stadium (cap. 80,018) in July, along with performances from Joe Bonamassa, Soccer Mommy, Lovesick, and others.

Single-day tickets for the event are on sale now and range from at €35-€65 + fees and are available exclusively through TicketOne.

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Italy’s Barley Arts launches new music festival

Renowned Italian promoter Barley Arts has announced the first edition of a brand new festival centred on the idea of comfort.

The inaugural Comfort festival will take place between 3–4 September 2021 in Ferrara, northern Italy, at the Parco Urbano Bassani – an ancient hunting reserve surrounded by lakes and meadows.

The festival will comprise two stages: the Comfort stage, which will offer live music performances, and the Armonia (harmony) stage by Slow Music, which will host acoustic, literary and theatrical performances.

Comfort will invite around 4,000 attendees each day to enjoy the performances, either from the comfort of ‘the blanket area’ in front of the stage, a deckchair, table, or seat.

The line-up boasts more than 20 Italian and international acts including Lovesick Duo, Filo Graziani, The Cyborgs, Paolo Benvegnù, Matthew Lee quartet and Rinky Tinky Jazz Orchestra.

Barley Arts founder and Slow Music president Claudio Trotta – who has produced and promoted a plethora of concerts from international artists all over the world – says the idea has been years in the making.

“The ingredients are all there: the prestigious signature of Trotta, the unique area of Parco Bassani, many great acts”

Comfort festival is co-produced with Teatro Comunale di Ferrara (opera house) and sponsored by the municipality of Ferrara.

“Comfort festival is a great novelty this year and it will further enrich the large calendar of events during this summer of recovery,” says the mayor of Ferrara, Alan Fabbri.

“Parco Urbano is a new venue that will be animated by music of national and international artists, which the audience will listen to surrounded by greenery, in a large, evocative, equipped area. A unique place on which we are working to make it more usable and make it a setting for major events. We are happy to collaborate with Claudio Trotta, whose name and history are linked to international artists of the highest level.”

Council member Marco Gulinelli added: “Comfort festival has all the prerequisites to become one of the most qualifying events at a national level during this summer of recovery. The ingredients are all there: a prestigious signature like that of Claudio Trotta, the unique area of Parco Bassani, many great singers and bands on stage and a very wide offer that ranges from different musical genres to literature.”

Tickets for the festival are on sale on Ticketmaster, Ticketone and Vivaticket. A one-day ticket costs €25, a two-day pass costs €40.

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