Capability Festival 2025 in Naples. Dates and program.

From 15 19 to October 2025 Naples hosts the fourth edition of the Capability Festival, an event that addresses the issue of disability with an innovative and cultural approach. The headquarters will be the Maschio Angioino, with events also taking place in other locations around the city. The 2025 edition focuses in particular on psychological fragility of adolescents, a topic that has become central to families, schools, and social services. The initiative, promoted by the Department of Social Policies of the City of Naples, involves experts, artists, influencers, and associations who work daily on inclusion and mental health.

What is the Capability Festival and what is its aim?

Il Capability Festival was born with the idea of ​​transforming the ddisability from an exclusively social-health theme to a cultural themeThe aim is to propose a new narrative of fragility, capable of breaking down stereotypes and spreading awareness.

The 2025 edition focuses on mental distress and difficulties which especially affect the most youngAnxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder are treated not as labels, but as human experiences to be understood and addressed. The event features meetings, screenings, performances, and workshops, stimulating discussion that aims to raise public awareness. In this way, fragility becomes a lens through which to interpret the present and imagine new strategies for inclusion.

Where it takes place and how to participate

The heart of the festival will be the Maschio Angioino, which will host talks, debates, theatrical performances, and screenings. Other iconic locations in the city will host dedicated activities, with a particular focus on schools and young people. The events are free, but reservations are required for some initiatives through the official website of the City of Naples.

Each day will offer a calendar full of events ranging from student meetings to evening performances. Accessibility is guaranteed thanks to the involvement of associations operating in the sector and the commitment of city institutions.

Guests and themes of the 2025 edition

The festival will host prominent figures in the cultural landscape and Italian social sciences. Before listing them, it's important to emphasize that the diversity of their profiles helps give voice to different points of view, enriching the debate and offering positive role models for young people.

• Lorenzo Tosa, journalist and communicator, founder of the blog Generation Antigone
• Adolfo Ferraro, psychiatrist and university professor
• Matteo Grimaldi, writer and influencer
• Alessandro Coppola, content creator and author of My ears speak
• Sophie Bertocchi, activist and author of Always one step away from you
• Luciana Cappabianca, contact person for Telefono Amico Napoli
• Rosetta Cappelluccio for the Children of Others Foundation
• Rita Mastrullo for AppBenessere Proben-Unina
• Alessandra Bocchino for the Itaca Project

Collateral activities and school involvement

The festival pays particular attention to the school system. Meetings and workshops will be held at the Serra, Casanova, and Caccioppoli institutes, bringing the themes of vulnerability and inclusion directly to young people. In parallel, activities will take place at the Maschio Angioino. Capability Kids, with fun workshops for children organized by the Ludoteca CittadiNA of the City of Naples. Throughout the days, there will be aperitifs and social gatherings organized by organizations and cooperatives that work with people with disabilities, offering an opportunity for socializing and sharing. The goal is to create an event that is more than just a show, but a shared community experience.

The complete program of the Capability Festival 2025

Il Capability Festival IV edition brings to Naples meetings, shows, exhibitions, and inclusive activities dedicated to the value of fragility. Through talks, artistic performances, cinema, theater, sports, and educational programs, the city becomes a space for dialogue, healing, and shared participation.

Wednesday October 15

• Morning: meeting in schools with Lorenzo Tosa, Alessandro Coppola and Luca Trapanese.
• Afternoon: Talk on “Care Spaces” with Ferraro, Tosa, Cappabianca, and Trapanese.
• Sera: inauguration of the photographic exhibition of the Academy of Fine Arts, lyrical performance by Cavalleria Rusticana with the FILRŌ company and patients from a clinic, aperitif hosted by the ARGO Center.

Thursday 13th October

• Morning: meeting at the Casanova Institute with Sophie Bertocchi and the dog Rose, Alessandro Coppola and Trapanese.
• Afternoon: talk “Fragile Fortresses” with Bertocchi, Rose, Cappelluccio, Mastrullo, Coppola, and Trapanese.
• SeraContemporary dance performance “La follia,” aperitif with A Ruota Libera Onlus.

Friday 14th October

• Morning: meeting at the Caccioppoli high school with Matteo Grimaldi, Coppola and Trapanese.
• Afternoon: Talk on “Mental Disability” with Grimaldi, Bocchino, and Trapanese.
• Sera: inclusive musical performance by the AMI ensemble and aperitif with La Bottega dei Semplici Pensieri.

Saturday October 18

• Sera: screening of the documentary Equally different (2024) by Federika Ponnetti at the Cinema Academy Astra. Free admission.

Sunday October 19

• Sera: theatrical performance Pinocchio. What is a person? by Davide Iodice at the Teatro San Ferdinando. Free admission with reservations.

Parallel activities

Capability Kids

• From October 15th to 17th: games and workshops at Maschio Angioino.
• October 18: Reading of the register Jade on a cloud by Viviana Hutter (Free to Grow Reading Space).

Capability tour (guided tours and inclusive itineraries)

• October 16: Purgatory in Arco and Pio Monte della Misericordia.
• October 17: Donnalbina Church and Colosimo Institute (for visually impaired people).
• October 18: Colosimo Institute and Church Museum of Santa Lucella.
• October 19: Park of the Tombs of Virgil and Leopardi.

Capability sport

• October 19: Inclusive participation in the Neapolis Marathon – Sea Run, non-competitive 11 km walk from Piazza del Plebiscito accompanied by Rotaract.

Practical information

Il Capability Festival 2025 will be held from October 15th to 19th in Naples. The venue is the Maschio Angioino, with events taking place at other locations throughout the city. All events are free, except for some activities requiring reservations. The updated program and booking details will be available on the official website of the City of Naples.