«Iapri» means open up.
It's a Sicilian imperative and an invitation: to lean out, to climb up, to stay. One summer night, in Naso, residents open the balconies of the old town — and the balconies become stages.
«In Naso, the balconies of the old town take the stage.»
— ANSA, July 2022
From the street to the balconies
Iapri fest was born in 2022 as the evolution of the Naso Busker Festival: street music climbed one floor up and found a home on the wrought-iron railings. At its debut, twelve acts on the balconies and a village the press described as «literally invaded», with accommodation sold out for three days.
The idea is an everyday gesture — opening a balcony on a summer evening — turned into a stage. No main stage, no barriers: the audience stands in the alleys, the artists at the windows, and the whole village plays.
Who leaned out
Four editions, steady growth: Lello Analfino and Shakalab at the debut; Roy Paci and Anastasio in 2023; Willie Peyote and Brusco in 2024; and in 2025 — the all-women edition «Affacciati bedda» — Ditonellapiaga, Casadilego, Francamente, Martina Attili and Jo Squillo.
Alongside the headliners, every year: Sicilian folk, jazz, blues, songwriters, brass bands and DJ sets — re-open the memories →
Crops and cultures
Iapri fest is not just music: it's IapriFood — the finest food of the territory in piazza Parisi, with tastings from local producers — and it's the art of Naso majolica, living statues, artisan markets, kids' workshops. Crops and cultures, bound together, telling the identity of a territory.
The village
Naso sits on a hilltop in the Nebrodi mountains, province of Messina, gazing at the Aeolian Islands: on clear evenings you can count all seven from the lookouts. An old town of alleys, stairways and wrought-iron balconies — the perfect stage, built centuries before the festival.
The festival is promoted by the Municipality of Naso and grows edition after edition together with the village that hosts it. How far are you from the balcony? →