Parma, 3 May 2024 - The Lega Serie A, in collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Region and the Parma City Council, presents the first edition of the Serie A Festival - scheduled from 7-9 June 2024 in the Emilia city - to share the beauty and unity of the Italian top flight.

The initiative was announced this morning in the Sala del Consiglio of the Parma City Council in the presence of the Mayor Michele Guerra, the Head of the Secretariat to the President of Emilia-Romagna Giammaria Manghi, President of the Lega Serie A Lorenzo Casini, and Sport Assessor for the Comune of Parma Marco Bosi. Also in attendance were Luca Martines, Managing Director Corporate of Parma Calcio, and Giacomo Malmesi, member of the CDA of Iren spa.

It will be a travelling event held entirely in the heart of the city of Parma. Prestigious historic locations will provide the backdrop to three days of meetings and workshops based on Serie A football. These include the Teatro Farnese, Teatro Regio, Palazzo del Governatore and Laboratorio di San Paolo.

For the occasion, Parma will be ready to welcome all the main stakeholders in the sector, some of the greatest players, coaches, directors that have made history in the league, as well as heads of major Italian sports publications, influencers, social media experts, actors and singers that love football, and fans.

Parma Mayor, Michele Guerra: “We are pleased to present the Serie A Festival in Parma. Three days of exchange between the great challenges of the sport. The Lega Serie A is doing important work. Parma will host big names from football in a unique opportunity for the city. The Serie A Festival could not come at a better time with Parma Calcio returning to the top flight: extraordinary timing. This press conference also slots in nicely with the celebrations. Parma has a deep footballing culture and the widespread enthusiasm for promotion is proof. I want to add that I am happy that the Serie A Festival will take place in culturally significant spaces in Parma. Particular thanks go to the Emilia-Romagna Region for their strong support for sport and Iren'.

Giammaria Manghi: “The first edition of the Serie A Festival is a great honour. It brings together sporting passion for football and regional promotion. Parma, in fact, is a big city with a great footballing tradition as well as cultural and gastronomic history. The Serie A Festival will certainly make the region more attractive in terms of tourism. The fact that Parma Calcio is back in Serie A is another positive element that makes this event even more special'.

President of the Lega Serie A, Lorenzo Casini: “The Lega Serie has been committed to the fundamental social and educational role of football for much time, given it's great capacity to engage and involve. The initiative that we have presented today is part of this, the first edition of the Festival from the Lega Serie A will be an opportunity for dialogue with the public on all the elements, not just the sport, that make football the social phenomenon that we all know, and at the same time, encourage ideas and reflections to be shared on the future of this wonderful sport'.

Marco Bosi: “We are very proud that Parma has been chosen as the first city to host the Festival. This conference comes at a particularly joyous time with the promotion of our side to Serie A. This is a greatly prestigious event with important consequences for the visibility of our region. We have started the journey with the Emilia-Romagna Region with a collaboration that has gone on for some years to organise great sporting events to get people engaged in sport, as well as promoting our territory and creating an important income for the city and the region itself'.

Managing Director Corporate of Parma Calcio, Luca Martines, was present only 48 hours after the side was confirmed to be promoted to Serie A: 'As a citizen it is a great honour to have the Serie A Festival here because, as Assessor Bose said, it gives us the chance to bring to the city a debate that enriches cultural backgrounds, but also a great opportunity for those in football to reflect on the state of our league, the potential futures and themes of inclusion, diversity, the fight against racism and environmental sustainability. These are all very important ideas for our Club, so our pride is not just for the event but also joy to be able to bring these themes to the table and continue to contribute with our experience. We are honoured by this, the city will be welcoming and even more celebrative than usual'.



Executive President of the Iren Group, Luca Dal Fabbro, finished: “Iren has always supported the territories where it operates by promoting events with sport and culture at the centre as they constitute unique opportunities to promote positive values. Sport is a particularly powerful tool to involve people of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging inclusion and active participation. For this reason, we have decided to support the Serie A Festival, an initiative that couldn't come at a better time given the current joy for the results of our team in the city'.

The event will begin on Friday 7 June at 15:00 CEST and amongst other things, will include a meeting of the Association of European Leagues, with a show at the Teatro Farnese to close out the opening evening. On Saturday there will be many meetings and panels starting at 9:30 CEST until 19:00 CEST, and in the evening there will be a Gala dinner at Voltoni del Guazzatoio. The Festival will end on Sunday 9 June with the final workshops and lunch at the Laboratorio San Paolo. Open across the three days will be a display dedicated to Paolo Rossi, from the Emilia-Romagna Region, at the Laboratorio Aperto di San Paolo.

All events will be free to attend with registration via the tourism app from the city of Parma – “Parma Welcome”. For further information please consult the Lega Serie A app and www.legaseriea.it.