We always talk about big events on our website, and we even have 3 guides that we update every year. While it’s true that these guides include a few Italian festivals, let’s be honest, most of the ones we recommend are around the world.
Why, you ask? Because, often, events abroad are way ahead of us musically, and they really know how to organize them, really well. No need to go into details.
Of course, there are some great exceptions here in Italy too. In the past few months, we’ve covered a few and we’re sharing more with you right now. But this time, we’re happy to add a new one to our list: SAN SIRO DANCE.
Back in November 2024, we told you about SAN SIRO DANCE, a one-of-a-kind event that, for the first time in Italy, would feature a single DJ headlining a night inside a stadium. That’s pretty unusual if you think about it. In Italy, stadiums are usually filled by big-name singers and, recently, a few rising stars from the Italian scene (not all of them, but let’s not get into that debate).
Can a DJ, in a country that doesn’t really value electronic music, actually fill a stadium?
We were skeptical. Very. But just a few weeks after SAN SIRO DANCE with Gabry Ponte was announced, online rumors were already saying that over 30,000 tickets had been sold. That’s when we started hoping for a huge Dance party, something never seen before in Italy, at San Siro! We imagined fans coming from all over Italy (and later found out, even from abroad) to San Siro, the temple of Italian football, to see one single DJ.
And it happened. Gabry Ponte at San Siro was epic! Over 54,000 people attended a SOLD OUT event where every single person chose to have fun and dance to techno bangers, hardstyle, and iconic tracks from the past. A mix of old and new sounds (confirmed during the pre-show press conference when our CEO asked about it). A wave of emotions with guest appearances from Gabry Ponte’s italian friends like Paola Iezzi and Danti, and even tear-jerking moments, like when Gabry brought his daughter on stage to introduce her to “daddy’s second family.”
Let’s focus on that: beyond the kind of music Gabry Ponte releases today, which still makes him one of the most listened-to Italian DJs in the world, he’s built a real family over 25 years of his career, made up of fans who love Dance music.
This family, sometimes called a Tribe by Gabry himself, filled San Siro. They really did. For the first time ever for an event like this. This wasn’t a festival, it was a stadium, and Gabry Ponte filled it. That’s the fact.
Watch our reels about this event on Instagram
We were there, and we can tell you, the crowd really “felt” the night. No one was sitting, everyone had their hands in the air. It was a musical explosion. It was the kind of event Italy needed, something we all need! Dance music is a huge scene that’s barely appreciated in Italy, except for a few rare cases. Gabry Ponte showed that things can change, and hinted that this might just be the first San Siro Dance.
The event was also supported and broadcast live, audio and video, on terrestrial Italian radio RTL 102.5, not just as a radio partner but as a true hub for spreading the word about this unique event. It shows how important radio still is today, not just for promoting a major event like this, but also for music in general.
This time we’re not talking about Wembley, Ultra, or Tomorrowland… This time it’s SAN SIRO DANCE.
