ROBERTO BOLLE AND FRIENDS RETURNS TO THE ARENA

A one-off evening of dancing. Roberto Bolle is heading back to the Arena di Verona on Tuesday 21 July at 9.30 pm, with a cast of ten dancers and étoiles from all over the world. More than twenty-five years since it was first created, the Roberto Bolle and Friends format successfully blends a range of styles, eras and talents in an eclectic, exciting and accessible programme. The immense Arena stage will showcase great classics, modern and contemporary dance, and a world premiere by Moses Pendleton dedicated to Greek myth.

Make a date again at the Arena di Verona with Roberto Bolle and Friends, a format that has been drinking dance to the general public since 2000, co-produced with ARTEDANZAsrl. On Tuesday 21 July, for just one, unmissable performance, the immense stage under the stars will welcome eleven of the most prestigious solo dancers in the world, featuring both debuts and eagerly awaited returns. There are no fewer than ten, this year, led, of course, by the creator and main performer, Roberto Bolle, an étoile at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and international ambassador for ballet in all its forms.

He will be joined by two colleagues from the Teatro alla Scala, the étoile Nicoletta Manni and the principal dancer Timofej Andrijashenko. From the Opéra National de Paris, the étoile Sae Eun Park and the soloists Lorenzo Lelli and Shale Wagman will be making their debuts, alongside Riho Sakamoto, principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. Returning from the Wiener Staatsballet are principal dancer António Casalinho and Margarita Fernandes; from the Hungarian National Ballet in Budapest, étoile Tatiana Melnik; and from the Kazakh Astana Ballet, principal dancer Baktiyar Adamzhan.

An unmissable parade of stars is coming together for just one single evening, in a programme that skilfully blends pieces from the nineteenth-century Romantic repertoire with contemporary classics of modern and contemporary dance, featuring famous pas de deux and bold technological innovations, thanks in part to Valerio Tiberi’s lighting design.

From Bigonzetti’s Caravaggio set to music reworked by Monteverdi, to the challenging blades of light in Waves, created by Volpini amidst electronic soundscapes and melodies by Satie. The ‘classics’ will feature, such as the Grand-pas classique choreographed by Gsovskij, Le Corsaire Petipa (who also choreographed Don Quixote) and highly original reinterpretations such as Maillot’s version of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Preljocaj’s take on Mozart in the sensual Le Parc. The programme would not be complete without choreographers such as Lukàcs (Luminous, set to music by Max Richter) and Forsythe (In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated). In a summer when classical mythology is being reimagined by Hollywood cinema, the legend of Diana and Actaeon is brought to life according to Vaganova, alongside a brand-new work created specifically for Roberto Bolle by Moses Pendleton, the driving force behind Momix: the brand-new Narcissus will crown the 2026 programme, combining the music of Host of Seraphim by Dead Can Dance with the immortal Greek myth of timeless, tragic beauty.

The Roberto Bolle and Friends gala evening, on Tuesday 21 July, kicks off a week of performances at the Arena di Verona. On Thursday 23, Nabucco returns to the stage with new performers in the leading roles; Friday 24 sees the final performance of Stefano Poda’s ‘crystal’ Aida; and Saturday 25 July is your last chance to see Puccini’s La Bohème on the Arena stage.

THE 2026 FESTIVAL. The 103rd Festival is bringing some of the most beloved operas of all time back to the stage in the longest season in the Arena's history. In addition to the new La Traviata, there will be two different stagings of Aida and the most recent productions of Nabucco and La Bohème, with Turandot also marking 100 years since its world premiere. There are six one-off event evenings: Roberto Bolle and friends, co-produced with ARTEDANZAsrl, on 21 July and ballet at the Teatro Romano with Zorba the Greek on 25 and 26 August. The great symphonic-choral ensemble of Orff's Carmina Burana returns on 13 August, while the new immersive Paganini Paradise concert will make its world premiere on 18 August, joining the Four Seasons in Viva Vivaldi, on 19 August, featuring the Fondazione Arena Orchestra and spectacular three-dimensional projections created by Balich Wonder Studio.

The 2026 Arena di Verona Opera Festival relies on the support of numerous sponsors, first and foremost its Main Partner UniCredit – a collaboration that has flourished for over thirty years – and Premium Partners Calzedonia and Pastificio Rana. Further support comes from Volkswagen Group Italia, DB Bahn, Forno Bonomi, Genny, RTL 102.5 and Müller, which funds accessibility projects for people with disabilities. Magis is returning as the Festival’s Green Energy Partner and Generali as Education Partner. Official partners include historic brands such as Veronafiere, Air Dolomiti, A4 Holding, SABA Italia, SDG Group, Sartori di Verona, Palazzo Maffei and Mantova Village, as well as Manpower Group, Ferroli and the Consorzio di Tutela dell’Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP. New arrivals for 2026 include Nardi Outdoor as an official partner and Major Partner Vivaticket. In addition to companies and private individuals, the partners also include the professional associations that form part of 67 Colonne per l'Arena di Verona, founded by Gianluca Rana of the pasta company of the same name and Sandro Veronesi, patron of the Oniverse Group.