CULTURAL HIGHLIGHT - NO BORDERS & ZERO EMISSIONS

When Lenny Kravitz rocks an Italian town of 4,000 people, R.E.M. performs in the park of the legendary Villa Manin, and the French world musician Manu Chao fills the impressive mountain scenery around the Fusine Lakes with sound, the international festival community knows exactly where they need to go at the end of July.

The idea of a cross-border festival at “the intersection of three cultures” was conceived back in 1996, and since then the international music elite has been beating a path to the tri-border region of Italy - Austria - Slovenia.

TRI-BORDER REGION AS A STAGE FOR THE WORLD

While concert stages were scattered all over the tri-border region during the early years, in the meantime very unusual venues have established themselves in the Tarvisiano region. All around the small Italian city of Tarvisio, found in the north of the Friuli - Venezia - Giulia region, this stretch of land in the border region offers ideal conditions for limitless musical magic on the one hand, and a closeness to nature on the other hand, which is unusual for a music festival.

Here, where the borders to neighboring countries often go unnoticed, the No Borders Festival has found a home that could not have been more in line with the intentions of the founders. From the very beginning, the festival program has included a wide range of different musical styles and genres. It has not only been international stars such as Björk (2007), AC/DC (2010), Foo Fighters (2012), Sinead O’Connor (2008), James Blunt (2005), or Kruder & Dorfmeister (2018) who have graced the line-up over the last 27 festivals, but national artists such as Zucchero (2013), Jovanotti (2006 & 2008), Gianna Nannini (2016 & 2021), and the baroque orchestra “Senza Confini” have also regularly celebrated legendary performances in the tri-border region.

MUSIC IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

While the festival has tried to overcome artistic and national boundaries since the very beginning, work has been going on for several years to try to put some other important boundaries in place. “No Borders” successfully positions itself as a counterpart to the limitless megalomania of the international event and festival industry. With the motto “The Natural Sound,” the organizers are consistently pursuing a sustainable approach to the further development of the event and the associated tourist offerings. For years, they have been concentrating on reducing the environmental impact of the festival, down to the smallest details.

For example, in order to reduce unnecessary energy use for lighting, concerts now only happen outdoors and during the day. Getting to the stages, which are all found in extraordinary natural sites, is now only possible on foot or by bicycle. Access roads are closed for other traffic and exceptions are only made for special environmentally-friendly shuttle buses. Additionally, those who arrive by public transportation receive special discounts on site. There is a consistent focus on trash recycling, and around all the stages there is a wide variety of waste disposal options. Even the showers at the local campsites have been considered - these are heated exclusively with wood chip heating systems.

“No Borders” is thus setting new standards in its third decade of existence and is showing itself to be fit for the future. 

THE NO BORDERS MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023

This year's 28th edition festival, has already started on July 1st and will continue until the end of July. So it's not too late to experience one or more of the special concerts. How about Ben Harper (July 15th), Skunk Anansie (July 22nd) or Benjamin Clementine ( July 30th), for example? All important information on how to get there or buy tickets can be found on the festival website.