Andria's Festival della Disperazione Concludes 10th Edition

The Festival della Disperazione in Andria ran from 13 June to 25 July, marking its tenth edition. Organized by the Circolo dei Lettori di Andria and hosted in the Seminario Vescovile, the programme featured over forty events—including readings, performances and conferences—and drew roughly 7,000 attendees.

The edition’s theme, “Invecchiare fa schifo. Dieci anni portati male,” explored aging in bodies, relationships, cities, politics and collective dreams. High‑profile participants included comedians Luca Bizzarri and Sabina Guzzanti, actors Antonio Rezza and Flavia Mastrella, and former New York mayor Bill de Blasio, who spoke on artificial intelligence, democracy and social inequality. Other sessions addressed prison affection rights, declining birth rates, censorship, the Russia‑Ukraine war and the Gaza conflict.

Organisers described the festival’s closing as “extraordinarily positive,” noting strong audience engagement and the quality of the discussions generated throughout the ten‑year history of the event.