This makes me feel Connected Delighted Empowered at an Cultural / Public scale
Sfilata del Palio
The Sfilata del Palio is a parade that happens ever year in a city in Italy called La Spezia.
The Sfilata del Palio celebrates the thirteen different boroughs in the small city La Spezia through a parade that every year has a different theme. This city is a sea city located on the northwest coast of Italy and the parade always go hand in hand with a rowing competition that happens a few days after. In the parade each of the borough has its section and at the end a panel of judges and the people of the city can vote on which borough they thought was the best. The parade happens during the summer at night and almost the entire city attends. The crowd is always very active and the people in the parade often interact with the viewers creating a fun connection. It also is usually quite apparent which borough people are from as their cheers become particularly noticeable when their section goes by. The parade features people of all ages and incredible costumes, moving stages, music, art, and cultural references—all in line with the theme of the year.
Contributer notes
What is surprising, refreshing, most interesting?
It’s beautiful to see this relatively small and not well known city feel so empowered and represented in this exciting parade that everyone looks forward to every summer. Ultimately no one really cares if their borough wins they simply care to see themselves represented through the parade.
Key Insights? What can we learn from this?
What makes this parade competition so unique is that although each borough is trying to win, the real goal is to celebrate the culture and specific nuances of each part of the city. The parade brings everyone together and gives kids and adults alike the opportunity to experience this celebration of culture as one. This event shows that just because something is a competition it does not mean the goal is necessarily to win. The competition adds a layer of excitement for the audience but all the boroughs would still try to come up with beautiful, witty, inspiring costumes and performances regardless of whether or not there is a winner.