Festival dello Spazio

What Festival dello Spazio does

Festival dello Spazio is an Italian nonprofit association (Associazione Festival dello Spazio, registered in Genova) that produces an annual space science and culture festival in Busalla, Liguria, founded in 2017 and co-organized by Franco Malerba, Italy's first astronaut. The 2026 edition marks the tenth anniversary and runs July 2-5 at Villa Borzino. The festival combines scientific conferences, technical exhibitions (including the public debut of the ASI/IIT ROSAIA space manipulator), art exhibitions such as Artemis.6, the multimedia show "Busalla Nello Spazio," planetarium sessions, telescope observation nights, and the Festival Junior educational stream for school students.

Its product surface is event-based and layered: the flagship Annual Event sits alongside sub-products (Festival Junior, the SISRI research competition for young researchers sponsored by Leonardo), exhibitions (space artifacts, meteorites, ROSAIA scale model), educational programs (digital planetarium, astronomical observations at Santuario della Bastia), and a sponsored SISRI-Festival competition. No proprietary software, APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML products are delivered; "technology" plays a curatorial rather than developmental role, with the ROSAIA manipulator being showcased, not built, by the festival.

The business model is nonprofit and sponsor-dependent. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed but combine Eventbrite ticketing, recurring institutional patronage (Regione Liguria, Città Metropolitana di Genova, Comune di Busalla), and core corporate and agency sponsorship from ASI, ESA, Leonardo, Thales Alenia Space, IIT, Università di Genova, Altec, CNR, Fondazione Carige, FDS Italy, and Ocean Reef Group. Customer segments are: (1) the general public and space enthusiasts (primary), (2) students reached via Festival Junior, and (3) space industry professionals, researchers, and academic institutions. Distribution is regional (Liguria), delivered almost entirely in-person at Villa Borzino, with marketing via LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, email newsletter, and earned media in Il Secolo XIX.

Name

Festival dello Spazio

Legal name

Festival dello Spazio

Website

https://festivaldellospazio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Festival dello Spazio is an Italian nonprofit association that organizes an annual space science and culture festival in Busalla, featuring conferences, exhibitions, planetarium shows, art installations, and educational programs for the public, students, and space industry stakeholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science and Cultural Events

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)

Keywords

• Space science festival
• STEM education events
• Scientific conferences
• Astronomy outreach
• Cultural programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Busalla

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Festival dello Spazio is an annual space science and culture festival held in Busalla, Italy, at Villa Borzino. The organization produces a multi-day event featuring conferences with space industry speakers, scientific exhibitions, contemporary art shows, multimedia performances, planetarium presentations, astronomical observations, and a youth educational program (Festival Junior). It also runs an annual research competition for young researchers in collaboration with SISRI and supported by Leonardo.

Product overview

Festival dello Spazio is an annual space science and culture festival held in Busalla, Italy. The organization produces a multi-day event featuring conferences, scientific exhibitions, contemporary art shows, multimedia performances, and educational programs. Key offerings include the main Festival (with speakers from space agencies and industry), Festival Junior (for schools), the Artemis.6 art exhibition, the Busalla Nello Spazio multimedia show, a competition for young researchers, space exhibitions with artifacts and artifacts like the ROSAIA manipulator, planetarium shows, and astronomical observation sessions. The festival serves as a platform for space industry professionals, researchers, students, and the general public to engage with space science and technology topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival dello Spazio (Annual Event) An annual space festival held in Busalla, Italy, featuring conferences, scientific exhibitions, artistic performances, and educational programs about space exploration and technology.
• Festival Junior A dedicated educational program for school students featuring conferences, workshops, and hands-on activities about space science and astronomy, targeting Valle Scrivia area schools.
• Artemis.6 – Frammenti Di Luna Contemporary art exhibition featuring works by six artists inspired by the Moon and NASA's Artemis program, displayed at Villa Borzino during the festival.
• Busalla Nello Spazio A multimedia show combining music, images, and live testimonies that tells the story of Busalla's connection to space exploration, featuring Franco Malerba's mission.
• SISRI-Festival Competition An interdisciplinary competition for young researchers under 35 on space-related themes, organized in collaboration with SISRI and supported by Leonardo.
• Space Exhibitions Various exhibitions including space artifacts, meteorites, space food displays, rocket models, and the ROSAIA space manipulator project.
• Planetarium Shows Digital planetarium presentations at the Biblioteca Bertha Von Suttner, showing stars, planets, galaxies, and the International Space Station.
• Astronomical Observations Public observation sessions with telescopes at Santuario della Bastia, featuring views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and the ISS.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain institutional partner providing scientific support and funding. ASI coordinates with IIT and other partners for projects like ROSAIA.
• Thales Alenia SpacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor space industry partner contributing speakers and technical expertise to the festival program.
• LeonardocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary sponsor and partner supporting the annual competition and festival activities.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner providing support and involvement in festival programming.
• Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner collaborating on robotics projects including ROSAIA manipulator project with ASI.
• Università di GenovacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner providing scientific support and hosting joint activities.
• AlteccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner supporting ISS-related activities and demonstrations.
• Consiglio Nazionale di Ricerca (CNR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner contributing to research presentations.
• Fondazione CarigeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal foundation providing sponsorship support.
• FDS ItalyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor partner with logo displayed on festival materials.
• Regione LiguriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government providing patronage and support for the festival.
• Città Metropolitana di GenovaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan government providing patronage support.
• Comune di BusallacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost municipality and co-organizer of the festival.
• Ocean Reef GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner involved in underwater space-related demonstrations.
• SISRI (Scuola Internazionale Superiore per la Ricerca Interdisciplinare)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on the annual interdisciplinary competition for young researchers.
• DOPE HubsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner involved in youth space projects presentation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Space Symposium: The largest US space industry conference in Colorado Springs, drawing global government and industry leaders. A broader incumbent in the same space-policy conversation that Festival dello Spazio targets at a regional level.
• International Astronautical Congress (IAC): Annual global space congress organized by the IAF, the premier venue for space-agency and industry leaders. Represents the larger global venue against which Festival dello Spazio positions itself as an Italian/European counterpart.

Direct peers

• Cheltenham Science Festival: Established UK science festival featuring public lectures, exhibitions, and school programs. Comparable in its blend of general-public science communication with researcher engagement and youth outreach.
• Festivaletteratura: Italian literary festival in Mantua featuring author events, installations, and citywide cultural programming. Comparable in using a small Italian town as a setting for a multi-day, multi-venue cultural festival.
• World Science Festival: US-based science festival produced around public-facing programming with leading researchers. Similar in bringing together institutional scientists, cultural programming, and broad public audiences.
• Festival della Scienza di Genova: Long-running annual science festival in Genoa, Italy, combining lectures, exhibitions, and educational programming. Comparable in format, regional Italian audience, and multidisciplinary science focus, with Festival dello Spazio extending the model into a space-themed niche.
• Festival della Mente: Italian cultural festival in Sarzana focused on multidisciplinary themes with public-facing talks and youth activities. Comparable in operating model (regional Italian festival blending science and culture) and audience profile.
• Ars Electronica: Austrian festival and institute for art, technology, and society. Closely mirrors the Festival dello Spazio model of fusing scientific research, contemporary art exhibitions, and public programming, but at significantly larger scale.

Others

• European Researchers' Night: EU-funded annual public science communication event held across Europe each September. Functions as an adjacent ecosystem participant that shares the science-popularization mandate and occasionally overlaps with space themes.

Emerging players

• NewSpace Europe: European conference focused on the commercial space sector. Comparable audience segment (European space industry stakeholders) but narrower commercial focus and different delivery format.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCrLoxye-rCfJ0Qpmt0GIKKA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/FestivaldelloSpazioBusalla
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-dello-spazio-busalla
• Instagraminstagram.com/festival_spazio
• Xx.com/festival_spazio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Festival dello Spazio