LOCARNO E VALLI ART WEEKEND 2026
Three days to experience the art and culture of the region
On Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026, the Locarno e Valli Art Weekend returns for its third edition. Dedicated to art and culture, the event is promoted by the independent network Luoghi d’arte nel Locarnese.
Created three years ago with the aim of encouraging greater collaboration between museums, foundations and exhibition spaces throughout the region, the Locarno e Valli Art Weekend offers an entire weekend during which the public is invited to discover – or rediscover – the richness and diversity of the cultural scene in the Locarno region and its valleys.
From 9 to 11 October, ten cultural institutions across Minusio, Locarno, Solduno, Ascona and Intragna will present a programme of events specially conceived for the Art Weekend. Guided tours, workshops for children and families, encounters, musical experiences, performances and other activities will lead visitors through a wide variety of collections, exhibitions and art venues.
The institutions taking part in the 2026 edition are the Centro Elisarion in Minusio, the Fondazione Ghisla Art Collection in Locarno, the Fondazione Remo Rossi in Locarno, the Museo Casa Rusca in Locarno, the Museo Casorella in Locarno, the Fondazione Marguerite Arp in Solduno, the Museo Castello San Materno in Ascona, the Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna in Ascona, the Fondazione Monte Verità in Ascona and the Museo Regionale Centovalli e Pedemonte in Intragna.
Some of the activities have been developed in dialogue with the exhibitions currently on view, while others have been created especially for the occasion. They will take place on different days and at different times, allowing visitors to freely create their own itinerary, move from one museum to another and explore the region while enjoying a true weekend dedicated to culture.
One of the main aims of the initiative is to bring cultural venues closer to an increasingly broad audience. The Art Weekend is intended not only for art enthusiasts, but also for families, young people, local residents and the many visitors and tourists staying in the region.
A central feature of the Art Weekend is its accessibility: the activities offered as part of the event are free of charge, giving everyone the opportunity to enter museums and cultural venues, take part in the initiatives and discover institutions that form an important part of the region’s cultural heritage. Advance registration is required for some activities due to limited capacity.
The Locarno e Valli Art Weekend is also an invitation to see museums not simply as individual places to visit, but as part of a wider cultural network capable of fostering dialogue and collaboration. Institutions that differ in their history, size, collections and programmes come together for three days around a shared goal: to make art more accessible, engaging and open to everyone.
From Minusio to the Centovalli, via Locarno, Solduno and Ascona, visitors can create their own route through the programme over the course of the three days: an opportunity to discover new places, return to familiar ones and be surprised by the variety of experiences on offer.
Three days, ten art venues and a region to explore through culture.
The complete programme of the Locarno e Valli Art Weekend 2026, including schedules, descriptions of individual activities and registration details, is available online:
