Since 2014, Ortigia has been home to one of the most exciting boutique festivals in Europe, bringing the dance music community together each year in one of the most picturesque and culturally rich towns in Sicily. This year sees the birth of a new festival with a clear mission: to make a clean break with the past and preserve the legacy of Ortigia as a home for forward thinking, sophisticated dance music.
From 31st July – 3rd of August, 2025, ortigia music brings together a carefully curated lineup of electronic music’s most beloved DJs and live acts across diverse stages and boat parties, in and around Ortigia’s historic downtown. This year, the focus is on vibes as much as experimentation, with tried and tested party starters such as Modeselektor, Elkka and, bringing the late summer energy alongside AV experimentalist Max Cooper live, and harder edged sounds from the likes of DJ Stingray 313, Steffi x Virginia, and Tatyana Jane. True to its mission to create a sustainable scene for the future, ortigia music also features the Lido stage; a daytime beach-front showcase for local and national talents, co-curated with local record store Malamore.
The island of Ortigia, connected to the town of Syracuse at Sicily’s south eastern tip, is a city steeped in culture and history. Figuring prominently in both Roman and Greek Mythology, it’s nonetheless a city that remains lived-in and alive with culture, making it the perfect location for one of the most forward thinking events on the festival calendar.
This year’s edition kicks off with live electronica at an opening show at the Antico Mercato on Thursday 31st and a closing party at Varco 23 on Sunday. During the rest of the weekend the action takes place both on land – with the daytime Lido stage dedicated to artists from the local and national scene and the epipoli stage running from 11pm to 7am – and at sea, with 2 boat parties per day featuring the cream of the international scene.
The action kicks off on Thursday 31st July with an opening show at the city’s Antico Mercato with Belfast’s Max Cooper, bringing his live AV set – which builds on his years of research into the science behind sound and society to stunning effect – providing the perfect aperitivo for the weekend.
On Friday the action moves to the beach, with daytime programming at the outdoor Lido stage, and two boat parties taking the party to the open sea, captained by Modeselektor and Andrea Normano and Elkka and Salvo Miceli, respectively. Back on shore, the party continues until 7am at epipoli with DJ Python, Bambounou, Elkka and Cristian Croce.
Saturday’s main event dials up the BPMs, with harder edged club sounds ruling the waves thanks to boat parties with Antwerp based ‘DJ threesome’ BIJOUX, and the doyenne of Paris’ breaks underground Tatyana Jane along with Lo Straqen. Once night falls, epipoli will get going with Modeselektor DJ set, DJ Stingray 313, and Nite Fleit along with Tatyana Jane, bringing the sun up over the Ionian coast once again.
Bringing the curtain down with style, Sunday’s boat party sees Locked Groove play an extended disco set, before the closing party at Varco 23 provides the perfect digestif with Claudio B, followed by Steffi x Virginia bringing solid P-Bar vibes until midnight.
Tickets and more info at www.ortigiamusic.com.
Line-up (A-Z):
Andrea Normanno
Bambounou
BIJOUX
Claudio B
Cristian Croce
DJ Python
DJ Stingray 313
Elkka
Locked Groove
Lo Straqen
Max Cooper (live A/V show)
Modeselektor
Mons
Nite Fleit
Salvo Miceli
Steffi
Tatyana Jane
Virginia