It will be a historic May 1st concert. Breaking tradition, the workers will be celebrated in the splendid setting of the Circus Maximus instead of in Piazza San Giovanni, off limits for work. More than 50 artists will perform for around 10 hours on stage in front of tens of thousands of people, not at all discouraged by the terrible weather forecast and the yellow alert in force throughout the day. Not just music, obviously. For Labor Day 2024, CGIL, CISL and UIL have chosen the slogan: “Let’s build together a Europe of peace, work and social justice” with a clear reference to the role that the Old Continent should take on to resolve and mediate international conflicts.
The event, as always free entry, will begin at 1.15pm. Thus, after an opening by Big Mama, the concert will come alive starting from 3.15pm with the new duo of Noemi and Ermal Meta conducting.
The singers at the concert on May 1st at the Circus Maximus
Geolier has also been added to the line up of the May Day Concert, completing a list of the most loved artists (especially among the very young). Taking to the stage of the Circus Maximus will be: Achille Lauro, La Representative di Lista, Colapesce Dimartino, Malika Ayane, Dargen D’Amico, Rose Villain, Piero Pelù, Coez & Frah Quintale, Leo Gassmann, Morgan, Ultimo, Tananai, Mahmood, the Negramaro, Ariete, the rapper Alda and Anna Castiglia. Added: Caffelatte & Giuze, callmifaro, Cor Veleno, Cosmo and Ditonellapiaga, Ex Otago, La Municipal, Lina Simons, Maria Antonietta and Colombre, Mazzariello, Mille, Motta, Olly, Rosa Linn, Rose Villain, Santi Francesi, Stefano Massini and Paolo Jannacci, Teseghella, Tripolare, Tropico Uzi Lvke, Vale LP. There will also be Bloom, a project born from an idea by Giusy Ferreri and Max Zanotti, who then involved Roberta Raschellà and Alessandro Ducoli.
Like every year, the 3 winning artists of the 1MNEXT Contest will also perform on the stage of the May Day Concert: Atarde (Ancona), Giglio (Turin) and Moonari (Rome). One of the 3 will be chosen by the Artistic Direction of the event and awarded during live TV as the overall winner of 1MNEXT 2024.
The lineup for today’s May 1st concert in Rome
The concert starts with a sort of “pre-show”. Opening at 1.15pm with Albe, Cioffi, Diego Lazzari and Nashley, Etta, Gaudiano and Irbis. However, Noemi and Ermal Meta will be preceded by BigMama who, in fact, will present the first part of the Concertone.
As soon as it is available we will report the release order of the singers here.
Workers’ Day
As in past years, the concert will not only be used to talk about workers. CGIL, CISL and UIL wanted to shine a spotlight on the numerous conflicts of different types currently in existence. “Let’s build together a Europe of peace, work and social justice” is the slogan that the unions have chosen for the 2024 edition of the concert which takes place just over a month before the European elections on 8 and 9 June. From environmental to social crises to the too many wars still underway. Topics that will be addressed during the event but also before. In fact, starting from 12.10 and until 12.55, live on Rai 3, the general secretaries PierPaolo Bombardieri, Luigi Sbarra, Maurizio Landini will be in the city of Monfalcone for the national event. Here they will welcome trade union delegates and also pensioners to the stage.
The concert on TV and radio
As always, the Concertone will be free to enter. It will be a May Day to also listen and watch on Rai Radio2, the official voice of the Concertone which, from 4 pm until after midnight in simulcast with Rai 3, will broadcast the 2024 edition of the event in an unmissable marathon of emotions, music and fun.
We start with the live broadcast by Diletta Parlangeli who will continue until around 7pm, to return in connection around 8pm with Carolina Di Domenico and Pier Ferrantini who will accompany the public until the end of the show. From 7pm to 8pm on Rai Radio2 and on DTT channel 202, Ema Stokholma’s DJ set will be broadcast from the main stage of the event. Rai Radio2, which will broadcast from an exclusive backstage location created in collaboration with SIAE – Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, will host all the artists at the end of each performance to collect live comments and exclusive background information. Furthermore, new multimedia content will be available on the radio’s social channels with all the protagonists of the Concertone, from the rehearsals on 29 and 30 April and from the live broadcast on May 1st.
This year too, the Concertone will be made fully accessible by Rai Public Utilità: starting from 3 pm – and for the entire duration of the Concert – the subtitles created live by the SAXA RUBRA studio will be available on page 777 of Televideo; starting from 8pm the audio description – which can be activated on the dedicated audio channel – and streamed on Rai Play, will also allow blind people to know the details related to the lights, the scenography, the clothes, the movements of the artists and presenters on stage. Also starting at 8 pm, the accessible live broadcast with subtitles and LIS will begin on Rai Play, created by studio 2 in Via Teulada which will also host the public for the first time on the occasion of the Concert.
In particular, a team of 7 performers – including two young deaf performers – and 2 interpreters, will take turns to translate the jokes of hosts and guests into LIS and interpret, again in Italian Sign Language, all the songs proposed on the stage of the Circo Massimo, transmitting, through body movements, emotions and musical rhythm and offering an artistic show enjoyable not only for the deaf public, but for a wider audience of spectators, who have learned to appreciate the expressive power of Lis. Finally, accessibility in LIS will also be guaranteed to the Circus Maximus – again starting from 8 pm – by posting the image of interpreters and performers on the side LED walls of the stage, thus creating full inclusion and participation in the event.
Changes to traffic
On the occasion of the event, via dei Cerchi, via del Circo Massimo, via di Valle Murcia, via della Greca, via dell’Ara Massima di Ercole and via delle Terme Deciane will be off limits. The control of the closure, as Roma Servizi per la Mobilità explains, will be entrusted to the Local Police and there will also be a presence of personnel responsible for the control by the organizers of the concert. The closures could begin as early as Wednesday morning.
A security area has been created which can be accessed through the following manned gates:
– via dei Cerchi/piazza di Porta Capena;
– via del Circo Massimo / viale Aventino;
– via del Circo Massimo/via della Greca;
– via dei Cerchi/via San Teodoro;
– via delle Terme Deciane/piazzale Ugo La Malfa.
All closures and diversions will be in force until “no longer necessary” on May 2nd, i.e. until the stage has been dismantled and the Circus Maximus area has been returned.
Transportation changes
There are several changes in terms of transport. Two are very important. The first concerns the closure of the Circo Massimo stop of Metro B for safety reasons. Alternatively you can use the Colosseum and Piramide stations. On the other hand, the service of all metro lines will be extended, only for the night between 1st and 2nd May, until 1.30am.
As regards the Capitoline public transport network, the public holiday timetable is scheduled for Wednesday 1st May. The service, Atac says, will be strengthened to facilitate the travel of those who will participate in the concert.
Furthermore, in Ostia, on May 1st, the summer line 062 will be reactivated, which connects the Port to Castelporziano and which runs along the seafront and allows the exchange with the Metromare railway at the Lido Centro and Colombo stations.
