by InTrieste
The streets of Gorizia are set to come alive this weekend as the city hosts Let’s GO! Cosplay & Fun – GO! 2025 Special Edition, a two-day festival celebrating cosplay, art, and pop culture. The event runs Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, across several city locations, including Piazza Vittoria, the former wholesale market on Via Boccaccio, the GO! Center on Corso Verdi, and the Giardini Pubblici with Hobbiton. All events are free to attend.
Highlights of the festival include a roundtable discussion on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Piazza Vittoria titled “Expressive Practices Through the Body, from Tattoos to Cosplay.” Panelists include Marco Englaro, Alessandro Bellio, Michele Barazzutti, and Loredana Barile, moderated by radio host Mariolina Nicotera Simone, known as LaMario of RTL 102.5. The discussion will focus on creativity, identity, and the ways people express themselves through art and performance.
Workshops are scheduled throughout the weekend. On Sunday morning, Marco Englaro will lead a live drawing workshop at 10 a.m., followed by a comic workshop at 10:30 a.m. with Nika Vicenzino and Ginevra Alipo Tamborra, focusing on reinterpretations of the figure of Carlo Michelstaedter. On Saturday afternoon, children can participate in the “Scuola Padawan,” an interactive session introducing them to the art of lightsaber combat. Registration for workshops is required via bazingaeventi@gmail.com.
The festival’s traditional cosplay competition will take place on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on the main stage in Piazza Vittoria, with prizes including gift cards of €250, €150, and €100 for the top three participants. Special mentions will also be awarded. Registration is open online. The cosplay contest concludes at 7:30 p.m. with the announcement of winners. Saturday’s program includes a Hobbit-themed parade judged jointly by the Hobbiton and Cosplay festivals, followed by a dance performance from the Movartex School and prize ceremonies.
Among the weekend’s special guests is Giovanni Muciaccia, host of the television program Art Attack, who will present a contemporary art performance on Sunday at 3 p.m., followed by a public Q&A session. Other appearances include Leonardo Graziano, the Italian voice of Naruto and Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, and international cosplayers Eriko and Gloria Sweet Angel. Disney artist Lorenzo Pastrovicchio from Trieste will meet the public on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Fans of film and nostalgia will also have a chance to see the iconic DeLorean from Back to the Future on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Piazza Vittoria. Music will play a key role, with Saturday evening featuring the concert “Mai dire Goku,” a performance of Disney and anime theme songs, Japanese openings, and 2000s TV series soundtracks. On Sunday, young local musicians will perform on the main stage as part of a Call for Talent organized by Punto Giovani.
Additional attractions include a market exhibition at the former wholesale market on Via Boccaccio and a Lego exhibition at the GO! Center, highlighting Gorizia’s designation as a European Capital of Culture.
The festival program was presented at a press conference by Chiara Gatta, deputy mayor with responsibility for youth policies, and Romina Kocina, director of GECT GO. Gatta described cosplay as “a true form of art” and said the festival aims to explore creativity in multiple forms, from body art to cosplay. Kocina emphasized the edition’s “rich program with notable guests, offering moments of dialogue around fantasy and professional opportunities in the cosplay sector.”
Let’s GO! Cosplay & Fun – GO! 2025 Special Edition is organized by the City of Gorizia in collaboration with the GECT GO (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation of Gorizia, Nova Gorica, and Šempeter-Vrtojba). The full schedule is available on the event section of go2025.eu.
