MolFest presented today – MolfettaLive.it

Two days of joyful celebration for Molfetta, united in the name of kindness, what in English is nothing other than the simple but very important feeling of kindness: it is on the basis of this leitmotif that the Molfest event was presented on Wednesday 12 June at the Palazzo della Musica in via Cifariello, the new festival dedicated to the world of comics, games, cosplay, videogames and the entire pop culture which will be held on the 29th and 30 June 2024 in the city center, organized by STEP and the LEG – Live Emotion Group, as well as the Municipality of Molfetta.

A festival that already in its premises promises to be cardinal for lovers of the genre: 60 associations involved, for a calendar of more than one hundred events and initiatives, programmed with the not too hidden intent of equaling similar events that unite the nerd world in historical strongholds such as Lucca in October/November. Molfest therefore shifts the center of interest for enthusiasts much further south, with the ambition of becoming a point of reference for cosplayers and lovers of anime, manga, comics and superhero films in the future.

The mayor of Molfetta, Tommaso Minervini, spoke to present in broad terms what will happen during the Molfest; the municipal manager Lidia de Leonardis, with responsibility for Social Affairs and Area 4 dedicated to psycho-physical well-being; Gianluca Del Carlo who is entrusted with the artistic direction of the exhibition and Paolo Gualdi who oversaw the development of the areas.

In the intentions of the organizers, the desire to closely link the Molfest festival with the city that hosts it is immediately evident, transformed into a fantastic place by those who will use it as a land and physical place to imagine amazing adventures with their favorite characters . Moreover, Del Carlo and Gualdi themselves spoke about how the beauty of the city and the sense of wonder it instilled in them were crucial in conceiving the Molfest, structured precisely to magnify the characteristics of the city and its squares, streets, gardens and views.

The intention is already evident in the poster that presents the event and which was created by the designer Ennio Bufi from Molfetta. In it, the folkloristic Tarzàn, a legendary character of the city who died a few years ago, is represented almost like a Marvel hero, posing as a tough guy with his inseparable bicycle and his medals on his chest, while holding up another historical symbol of the city: the monument of the so-called “crushed machine”.

Dynamism and kindness: this is the combination that Molfest, with this image, immediately wants to represent, linking itself to the “mythological” imagery that characterizes Molfetta, as if the city itself became a new Gotham City, or King’s Landing, or Camelot .

On this journey, Molfest patrons will have the Villa Comunale as their ideal starting point, a space dedicated to the world of cosplayers and k-pop with the setting up of Avengers-themed photo sets, Disney Princesses, One Piece, Game of thrones, just to name a few.

The walk through the universe of fantasy will continue on Corso Dante, where a market exhibition will be set up in which to taste local but also oriental food, just like in the world of Japanese anime and manga.

The docks will also be included in the itinerary: while at Banchina San Domenico there will be an area managed by Poste Italiane where, to accompany the event, a themed stamp and postcard will be released, Banchina Seminario will instead be the kingdom of laser enthusiasts tag, board, role-playing and card games.

Approdo Sant’Andrea will become a fantasy-medieval village, Torrione Passari and Piazza Amente will be the setting for House of Dragon themed re-enactments, while the Hall of the Templars will be transformed into a temple for e-sports tournaments. Piazza Municipio will also be involved in the magic of the event, becoming a concert venue.

But Molfest will also be an opportunity to give space to social issues: to this end, the Village will be set up, a space entirely dedicated to local associations that deal with these issues. Among these we remember the “Apertamente” Association which will bring its children, assisted by their parents, to participate in the cosplay competition planned to reward the costume most faithful to the original character, and the Lega del Filo d’Oro which will transform the Garden of via Mammoni on a sensorial journey.

For the Molfest, artists such as Ubaldo Pantani, a famous comedian who has been at Giallappa’s altitude for years, will arrive in the city, but also professors such as Giovanni Covone who will explain astrophysics through the colorful universe of Matt Groening and his Simpsons and Futurama. The whole festival culminates with Cristina d’Avena’s concert on Sunday evening.

“This city needs to meet again in healthy joy”, the words of Mayor Minervini who took a ritual photo together with the members of the City Council of young people who spoke at the press conference “We hope that this is only the first of many popular meetings, in which the founding elements of the community are rediscovered in the name of kindness”.

Director De Leonardis echoes him: “Molfest is first and foremost participation, an expression of that generative welfare that reinvents and enriches the resources that the community is already able to express on its own. It is the opportunity for Molfetta’s name to resonate at a national level, within a comics festival which, for one of its very first times, takes place in southern Italy”.

The Molfest, therefore, with its colorful parades, its treasure hunts and its gadgets, is already a candidate to be something more than a flamboyant event for professionals and nerds: it is the opportunity for a “homecoming” , a house dressed up for the occasion and which, once again, wants to demonstrate to its children that all dreams are possible, even those of a traditionally “over the top” job, but which can finally be carried out successfully even in your hometown.

The Molfest events will take place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June, from the afternoon until midnight.

The complete programs of the event are available on the festival website and on social channels.