Everything is ready for the 58th edition of Barcolana presented by Generali, kicking off on Friday 2 October with a ten-day programme leading up to the Autumn Cup on Sunday 11 October.

“BE BARCOLANA” – With its 58th edition, Barcolana has launched a new way of telling its story, aimed at strengthening its identity through the community that represents it. “Being Barcolana” is an invitation to take part, build team spirit, live in harmony with the sea and nurture the city’s distinctive and unique seafaring spirit as a way of life.

“Today marks the beginning of our journey under the banner of Be Barcolana,” said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano. “Our thanks go to all the institutions, to Generali and to our partners who, more than ever this year, have developed so many projects around an edition that will see over a thousand people working together to organise the event.”

This year’s edition is conceived as an “Ode to Joy”, born from sport and starting from the sea before reaching across the whole of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with Aquileia, Grado, Lignano, the Lago dei Tre Comuni and the entire Trieste area all playing a leading role, alongside the ever-growing involvement of the city’s historic districts. Trieste will also welcome the fleet of the Italian Navy’s Nastro Rosa Tour, the round-Italy sailing event that will start in the coming days and conclude in the city in time for Barcolana, as well as the Amerigo Vespucci, which will enter the Gulf on Thursday 8 October and berth in the Bacino di San Giusto until the day of the regatta.

For the first time, Barcolana will also reach the province of Pordenone with a travelling tennis tournament. Barcolana Match Point starts in Cordenons on 20 September before moving to San Pier d’Isonzo and then Trieste. Its connection with Barcolana lies in the tournament format, which brings amateurs and experienced players together “on the same draw”, just as sailors line up together on a starting line.

At the heart of the event is presenting partner Generali, with projects designed to have a tangible and positive impact on the community: from Generali Women in Sailing, launched in 2019 and at the heart of the partners’ shared message, to the presence of The Human Safety Net Foundation at the stand in Piazza Unità and the enhancement of Borgo Teresiano. Key initiatives include the Women in Sailing regatta, for mixed crews, scheduled for Friday 9 October, and the Generali Women in Sailing Trophy, awarded to the first mixed team with a woman in a leadership role, who will receive a personalised coaching programme from Generali Academy.

Andrea Sironi, Chairman of Generali, said: “Generali is committed to projects that have a positive and tangible impact on communities, especially on young people. We are proud to share that our Women in Sailing project, which was born at Barcolana and has significantly grown across the region thanks to the support of sailing clubs, coaches and young sailors, has now reached the National Sailing Federation, entering into the training programmes of coaches across the country. Our goal is to promote mixed crews, ensuring that more and more young people feel free to follow this path — from their very first experience all the way to the highest levels of Olympic sailing. Sport offers an extraordinary opportunity for sharing, highlighting the importance of equity and inclusion. This project will continue to evolve, introducing new activities each year, also with the support of the Generali Group Academy to help build meaningful journeys of personal development.” 

THE PROJECT – At the heart of Barcolana58 is the ambition to strengthen the relationship between the event and the vibrant fabric of the city and the region.

“Co-designing the event with the local community is the key element of this edition,” said Gialuz. “The local area, represented by associations, cultural and business organisations and non-profit organisations, has put forward a varied, high-quality programme of events: our calendar certainly tells the story of Barcolana, but it also tells the story of a community that is passionate, at times irreverent, deeply connected to its roots, visionary and innovative.”

THE VILLAGE UNDER THE BANNER OF “BE COMMUNITY” – Following the success of the events organised in Borgo Cavana in 2025, which continues this year with a packed programme, the 2026 edition introduces a programme extending into Borgo Teresiano. The area around the Ponterosso Canal, also home to Generali’s historic buildings, will host events, tastings, workshops and opportunities to come together, designed to revive the cosmopolitan and mercantile spirit that has made it unique.

Borgo Teresiano and Borgo Cavana are therefore coming on board: shops, accommodation providers and event venues joining the project will receive their own bow number plate, similar to those issued to participating boats, as part of an initiative developed with the support of Generali that will allow visitors to experience the city and its events to the full.

MUSIC – Music will once again play a leading role, but this year in a new way: more than forty events will take place over the ten days, most of them concentrated in the two historic districts. At Ponterosso in particular, music will come directly from the canal, performed on board a barge. Barcolana has chosen to expand its music programme across the city, replacing the single opening concert with a series of performances for different audiences and spanning a wide range of musical styles.

Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia and Piazza Verdi will remain the heart of the Barcolana Village, with an increasingly refined set-up, paddock structures dedicated to hospitality and a growing presence of Gold Sponsors choosing the heart of the Village and the Premium Area to strengthen their involvement in the event.

The Village will open on Saturday 3 October with the launch of an impressive project curated by the Schmidt Family Foundation: a tunnel in Piazza Unità offering visitors an immersive journey into the exploration of the oceans, where science, images and sound will reveal surprising connections with the sea.

On Wednesday 7 October, the Village along the Rive and the Shopping Area will open, while from Thursday 8 October Piazza della Borsa will host institutions, with a particularly significant presence from the University of Trieste, returning to Barcolana with a project focused on raising awareness of and developing dual careers, combining academic study with competitive sport. 

THE EVENTS – This year, more than 500 events are scheduled across over one hundred different locations, on land, on lakes, in the lagoon and at sea.

The first weekend will involve the entire region, with more than 1,500 athletes competing simultaneously across different stretches of water. In Trieste, young Optimist sailors will take to the water from Friday 2 October for the Barcolana Young – Trofeo Optimist Italia Kinder Joy of Moving, the fourth leg of the national circuit, continuing throughout the first weekend.

Grado will host the Barcolana Grado SUP Experience, while the Lago dei Tre Comuni will stage the second edition of Barcolana Lake Up, with two days dedicated to canoeing, kayak polo, model sailing and paragliding, including the spectacular “Acropazzie” aerobatics above the lake. In Lignano Pineta, Barcolana Beach Sprint will showcase coastal rowing, which will become an Olympic discipline in 2028. In Aquileia, the new Barcolana Cammina, organised in collaboration with Fondazione Aquileia, will offer an opportunity to rediscover the ancient city’s relationship with water.

In Trieste on Sunday 4 October, Barcolana Nuota Powered by Honda – Trofeo Luca Giustolisi will see Gregorio Paltrinieri swim the nautical mile alongside registered participants. The day will also feature Barcolana Waterpolo, with twelve international teams and an innovative format devised by Ratko Rudić, Barcolana Pinnata “Oltre le Barriere”and Barcolana Skate Up, with events in Altura and San Giacomo.

Tuesday 6 October will traditionally be dedicated to Barcolana per il Sociale, featuring the XXII Trofeo Fuorivento and Le Vele di Calicanto, organised in partnership with Società Triestina della Vela. In the evening, the second edition of Barcolana Fuori Menù will take place: an invitation-only dinner prepared by inmates of Trieste prison as part of a training and social inclusion project. The afternoon will see the second edition of the Cavana Run Barcolana Edition, following its successful debut in 2025, while the 53rd Meteor Italian Championship will get under way at Grignano Marina. The evening will feature Grotta Gigante in Musica by SIOT-TAL, with violinist Giulia Rimonda.

From Wednesday 7 October, the level of competition steps up with the start of the Este 24 European Championship – TriEste24 Trofeo GHC Sanatorio Triestino. On Thursday 8 October, the Barcolana Solaris Adriatic Cup and Barcolana Maxi – Trofeo Portopiccolo will also get under way, while the Go to Barcolana – Trofeo Gruppo Hera will depart from Marina di Ravenna.

Also on Thursday 8 October, Barcolana will welcome Obiettivo Tricolore to Piazza della Borsa, the major Paralympic relay created by Alex Zanardi. After 20 stages across Italy, 50 Paralympic athletes will conclude their journey in Trieste, promoting inclusion and Paralympic sport.

New this year is Go to Barcolana from Croatia, departing from Pula on Friday 9 October. Together with Go to Barcolana from Slovenia on Saturday 10 October, it completes the trio of feeder regattas along the Adriatic.

Friday 9 October will be a day of decisive results: off Grignano, the title of the 53rd Meteor Italian Championship will be decided, while mixed crews will compete in the Gulf in Barcolana Women in Sailing by Generali (briefing at 10 am at the Generali stand, start at 11 am). The second day of both the Barcolana Maxi – Trofeo Portopiccolo and Barcolana Solaris Adriatic Cup will also take place, with awards ceremonies respectively in the Piazza Unità area and at the Portopiccolo Beach Club. 

Go to Barcolana from Croatia will depart from Pula with a mandatory gate at Poreč, while the fleet of Go to Barcolana from Ravenna – Trofeo Gruppo Hera will arrive in Trieste. The evening spectacle will be provided by the Este 24s with the Stadium Race in the Bacino di San Giusto, their pink gennakers filling the sunset during the race for the Trofeo GHC Sanatorio Triestino.

On board the Amerigo Vespucci, the 2027 International Sailing Week will be presented, while at Magazzino 26 the Italian Navy will unveil its 2027 Calendar, illustrated by Daniele Dickmann.

On Saturday 10 October, the eve of the Autumn Cup, the Barcolana Classic – Trofeo SIAD will take place in the Bacino di San Giusto, while the fleet from Slovenia is expected to arrive with Go to Barcolana from Slovenia – I Feel Slovenia. Spectators will also be able to cheer from the piers during the traditional Barcolana Regionale By Night Cup, featuring night-time racing. On land, Aurisina will host the second edition of Barcolana SKI – Coppa d’Autunno, with Kristian Ghedina and Tina Maze, organised with PromoTurismoFVG under the “Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia” brand.

THE MAJOR EVENTS – The new Barcolana AI Sea Summit format will make its debut on Thursday 8 October at MIB Trieste School of Management, with a full day dedicated to artificial intelligence in support of the marine ecosystem and the blue economy.

Barcolana Un Mare di Racconti (5–10 October, Magazzino delle Idee) is the literary festival that this year will feature numerous authors and will be presented on 22 September. The Barche della Legalità will also return to Barcolana with the Lega Navale, joining forces with Barcolana to create a programme of onshore events that will also involve young people from the juvenile detention centre.

REGISTRATION – Meanwhile, sailors are getting ready: registrations have already surpassed 800, compared with a total of 1,865 last year. The day-by-day programme is available on the Barcolana website and in printed form at the Infopoint in Piazza Unità, the Barcolana Shop in Piazza Cavana and at accommodation facilities.