From September 10 to 13, 2026, Autori in Città returns to Padua with its seventh edition and a widespread program that will involve museums, bookstores, galleries, theatres, and cultural spaces of the city. Over 40 events, 9 exhibitions, and 20 authors and illustrators will bring to life four days of meetings, exhibitions, workshops, and performances that confirm the festival as one of the main Italian events dedicated to contemporary illustration.
The 2026 edition revolves around the theme “Between Dream and Reality,” an invitation to reflect on the role of imagination in a time marked by conflicts, social transformations, and new fragilities.
Unlike many festivals that take place in a single location, Autori in Città builds itself together with the city. The exhibitions engage with museums and galleries, the meetings enliven bookstores, theatres, and other cultural spaces: the festival does not occupy Padua, but traverses it, creating connections between institutions, professionals, the public, and the territory.
The 2026 edition further expands its network of collaborations involving, alongside historic partners, the Diocesan Museum, Art Studio Gabriela Herma, Barco Teatro, the Verdi Theatre, the Civic Library of Padua, the Italo-German Cultural Institute, and numerous cultural entities in the city.
Among the news of the edition, Barco Teatro enters the program, which will host professional workshops, training meetings, and some events dedicated to cultural operators. The network of venues is also expanding with Ex Foro Boario, the Diocesan Museum, Art Studio Gabriela Herma, and other symbolic places of the city. Collaboration with the OPV and the Verdi Theatre also begins, which will host “Inseguendo Degas,” a performance that intertwines music, storytelling, and live illustration, offering the audience an experience capable of uniting different artistic languages.