Segmento Tarantella Festival

Segmento Foundation presents the Segmento Tarantella Festival, a Melbourne-based celebration of Southern Italian music, dance and cultural traditions. The festival invites audiences to experience a “festa di paese” in Australia through performances, workshops and community activities held at various Victorian locations. The 2026 program runs from 15 to 25 October and features artists from Australia and around the world, including folk musicians, singers, dancers and ensembles representing Italian, African, Chinese and Thai traditions.

Festival activities include concerts, roving performances, social dancing, storytelling, exhibitions and workshops in music, dance and tamburello. Some events offer opportunities to meet performers, while selected sessions and screenings explore the history of tarantella and its traditions in Calabria and overseas. A short documentary, Echoes of Tradition: The Tarantella Journey, is also part of the Foundation’s cultural project. Segmento aims to share heritage, strengthen connections across generations and communities, and encourage cultural exchange. The festival also supports accessibility and inclusion, working with the Diversity and Disability program to help people with disability participate.