With just a few days to go before the start of Locarno71 some Festival venues will be lit up earlier, with an eagerly awaited double advance screening on Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 July. The lights for this year’s first screenings will be switched on in Piazza Grande, at the GranRex and – as early as Friday 27 July – in the spaces of the #LocarnoExperience.

Pre-Festival night has become an unmissable part of the whole event, and the title of this year’s film needs no introduction: Grease. On Tuesday 31 July at 9.30 PM Piazza Grande will be slicking back its hair and donning a leather jacket to host the frenzied moves of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Drive-ins, funfairs and roaring engines will light up the start of the 71st edition of the Locarno Festival with an iconic evening offered to the public by Ascona–Locarno Tourism, in partnership with EventMore.

But that won’t be the last big night of Locarno71 – in fact it won’t even be the first! Already on Monday 30 July at 8.30 PM at the GranRex Auditorium Leopard Club, will be hosted a major film event, with the world premiere screening of Mario Botta. Oltre lo spazio. The documentary on the noted architect from Canton Ticino, produced and directed by Loretta Dalpozzo and Michèle Volontè, will be the main feature of a unique evening with a special admission charge of 12 Swiss francs made possible thanks to the support of UBS.

In the run-up to the big event, besides the Pre-Festival and special screenings, the first bright lights of the party atmosphere this summer will once again be switched on for the off-Festival events of the #LocarnoExperience. There are two key venues setting the mood at Locarno71: laRotonda, the Festival village, and Locarno Garden la Mobiliare. The first place to get into the swing of the Locarno Festival’s nightlife will be laRotonda, where the spotlights will come on as early as Friday 27 July, from 6 PM to 3 AM, as the stage is set for 17 long evenings of the #LocarnoExperience with live concerts, DJ mixes, a range of tempting food & beverage options and much more. Featured groups during the first weekend include Drunky Funk, Balkan Lovers and Train to Roots, who will perform on the stage of the Grand Hotel Swisscom. In the heart of the old city, 24h later, on July 28, Locarno Garden la Mobiliare will light up with live music and all the necessary for feeling and experiencing its unique atmosphere.