Eighteen years of Streetgames. The summer sports and entertainment festival celebrates its coming of age with a new edition in the historic center of Novara. From today to Sunday 30th the main squares of the city will be transformed to host tournaments and exhibitions of numerous disciplines. «If we are so long-lived, we owe it to the human relationships developed over all these years – warns Michele Belletti, president of the Streetgames association which has promoted the event since its beginning in 2006 -. We were in our early twenties when we threw ourselves into this adventure and we are proud to have built something so special.” The new event debuts in the late afternoon with tournaments on the fields in Piazza Martiri: 5-a-side football, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball and padel. In the evening it is the turn of the other disciplines proposed by the local clubs, invited in rotation to present their activities such as martial arts, roller hockey, athletics, rugby and American football: more than 30 groups take turns in an area that extends up to Piazza delle Erbe including Piazza Puccini, where there is space for inflatable games for children.
The actual inauguration at 9.15pm with the parade of Novara athletes, technicians and managers from Piazza Garibaldi to Piazza Martiri accompanied by a marching band and jugglers and stilt walkers from Dimidimitri. Every evening the competition fields are operational from 7.30pm and from Monday to Friday also in the morning and early afternoon to welcome over 800 children from summer centers and Grest. The evenings are introduced by Lello Matrone, DJ, presenter and radio speaker. From 9.30pm there will be live music and DJ sets.
«Every year the wait for the Streetgames is almost frantic – says the mayor Alessandro Canelli -. The event is a classic for the city and the Municipality continues to support it due to its considerable interest.”
Ivan De Grandis, councilor for Sport, announces that «the three-year agreement with the organizers will be renewed. An additional reason not to miss this edition is the presence of the hockey post, a small preview of the World Cup that we will host at the end of the summer.” Main sponsor of the Novara stage is Sim Immobiliare, represented by Valter Feston: «We immediately accepted the proposal. Everyone has at least one memory linked to Streetgames.” Comoli Ferrari is a partner of the padel project for the second consecutive year. «On Sunday 23rd there is an exclusive tournament aimed at our collaborators – anticipates Paolo Ferrari, CEO of the company -. As with every initiative we implement, we want to involve them by offering the opportunity to take part in our projects firsthand.” Among the various events to note in the calendar, Formid@bile returns on Wednesday 26th from 7pm to 8pm with the collaboration of Ugo Concialdi of the Ashd which promotes challenges between able-bodied and disabled athletes on four disciplines: sitting volleyball, blind football, 60 meters speed and tennis. The relay race with the «Novara che corre» association is scheduled for Thursday 27th at 7.30pm. The meeting point for the teams, each made up of five runners, is in Piazza Martiri. The route is on a 1.6 kilometer circuit and the proceeds will be donated to Edo’s smaile. The second and final stage of the Streetgames will be in Galliate from 11 to 14 July.
