With Enjoy Lugano, the city celebrates the new academic year together with both students and the public

An exhibition village, free concerts, an exciting university pedalo race, refreshment areas to enjoy good food and get together: these are the main ingredients of Enjoy Lugano, an event promoted by Lugano Living Lab, the City's urban laboratory, in collaboration with the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Franklin University Switzerland (FUS) and Lugano Region, offering plenty of activities and interesting opportunities of exchange for students and members of the public. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday 26 September, starting at 16:00, to celebrate the start of the academic year in Lugano!

The first edition of Enjoy Lugano will take place on Thursday 26 September in the splendid settings of Piazza della Riforma, Piazza Manzoni, Piazza Rezzonico, Rivetta Tell and Parco Ciani, from 4.00 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. The event, staged to celebrate the start of the new academic year, will see the city's most suggestive locations come alive with activities designed for the students of Lugano's universities and for the general public. There will be refreshment areas, plenty of music and an exhibition village set up in Piazza Rezzonico, organised by the City in collaboration with USI, SUPSI, FUS, Lugano Region, the student associations, RSI Spam, YouTi and StraLugano.

The Enjoy Lugano event is a first in Ticino that aims to consolidate the sense of belonging to the academic community and the city through collective moments of interaction and participation, as well as to promote integration between students and the local population. Through targeted initiatives, young people will be able to enjoy enriching and transformative activities, helping to shape the city's identity.

This initiative falls within the framework of ‘Lugano Città Universitaria’, a project promoted by the City together with the three universities USI, SUPSI and FUS, with the aim of further strengthening Lugano's role as a leading university hub at both national and international level and a recognised centre of excellence for education, culture and research. The promotion of Lugano as a university destination, as well as the encouragement of knowledge and culture in the broadest sense, constitute one of the areas of focus that define the Lugano 2030 Development Guidelines.

Enjoy Lugano programme

Free concerts (Piazza della Riforma, 16:00-23:30)

Afternoon musical entertainment with DJ sets. Starting at 8 p.m. live performances by Julie Meletta and Valentino Vivace, popular Ticino artists. Moderation will be provided by RSI Rete Tre with the presence of Julie Arlin, who will provide an engaging and festive atmosphere.

University pedalo race (Rivetta Tell, 18:00-19:00)

Students from the three universities will compete in a race on Lake Lugano aboard the iconic red pedal boats. A friendly competition that will promote community spirit among the participants. The public will be able to cheer and follow the race from the shore, with live commentary provided by RSI BarNüm. Prizes for the winning teams include a weekend with overnight stay in the Lugano area offered by Lugano Region and other surprises from Enjoy Lugano.
The official prize-giving for this first edition of the university pedalo race is scheduled at 9.30 p.m. in Piazza Riforma. Registration for the race for students is open until 22 September 2024, via the official website (Learn.lugano.ch/pedalorace)

Village (Piazza Rezzonico, 16:00-20:00)

The city and the event's various partners will be presented in an exhibition village set up in Piazza Rezzonico. For those studying locally and further afield, it will be an opportunity to discover the activities and initiatives promoted by the municipal administration for the benefit of the community. These moments of exchange bring institutions and the public closer together and foster knowledge of the area and what it has to offer, starting with simple but not obvious questions: what to do in Lugano in your free time? What are the opportunities for voluntary work and employment in the city? What does the area offer on a cultural level? Where is it possible to practise sport and keep fit? What are the leading lights of the digital innovation scene in Lugano?

The Village will also feature targeted initiatives by university departments, student associations, the Lugano Tourist Board, RSI Spam, youti and StraLugano, which will start on 28 September.  

Food & Drinks Area (Piazza Manzoni, 16:00-23:30)

There will be space for refreshments, street food and food trucks, with vouchers for students available in the Village area and offered by main sponsor Banca Stato and MyLugano.
In case of bad weather
In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to Friday 27 September, at MAC 6 Conza (Lugano Exhibition Centre), with some changes to the programme.

Partners and Sponsors
The event is organised with the close collaboration of Ticino's leading universities and the support of BancaStato. Its media partner is RSI.

Programme
Enjoy Lugano 2024 - Learn Lugano 

Quote

Michele Foletti, the Mayor of the City of Lugano: " Among the objectives sought with the Lugano Città Universitaria project, there are two that are particularly close to my heart: the launching of highly innovative initiatives that contribute to consolidating Lugano as a recognised centre of excellence for education, where study and research go hand in hand with creative and productive activities. The synergies promoted between the City and our universities have also favoured the creation of valuable opportunities for exchange between students and the local community. Enjoy Lugano is one of these occasions: I invite young people and the public alike to participate extensively in the various activities on offer, in order to make this day of celebration and sharing an unforgettable experience".

The Municipal Secretary of the City of Lugano, Robert Bregy: "Today among the keywords of the City we place network, system, integration and collaboration at the forefront. ‘Network’ at all institutional levels, ‘system’ with the active forces of society, ‘integration’ of roles and skills throughout the region, ‘collaboration’ between the public and private sectors. For the City of Lugano, the collaboration with the academic hub is fundamental, because there is no progress without knowledge: with ‘Lugano Città Universitaria’, a project conceived by the City in 2021 in collaboration with USI, SUPSI and FUS, it has been possible to increase the number of initiatives that promote Lugano as a nationally and internationally recognised university destination, while at the same time creating a favourable environment for the exchange of knowledge and experience, innovation and business development. Enjoy Lugano will be a celebration under the banner of sharing which, I am sure, will help strengthen the bond that unites students and our community".

The Rector of USI, Luisa Lambertini, and Luca Maria Gambardella, Pro-rector for innovation and corporate relations: "Enjoy Lugano should not just be seen as a celebration, but as a new opportunity to integrate the academic community into the city's social and cultural fabric. We are grateful to the city for this initiative, which creates an even closer link between the university and the community. Our previous experiences in various university cities have taught us that universities have the potential to transform their host cities: this is what we hope will increasingly happen here also, helping to create a welcoming, cosmopolitan and stimulating environment for everyone. Not only for the students, but also for the entire community'.

The Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies at SUPSI, Daniela Willi-Piezzi: "We strive every day to ensure that our students can also fully immerse themselves in the university experience outside the lecture halls and laboratories, to live this important chapter of their lives in a way that enriches them. We would like to thank the City of Lugano for organising this wonderful gathering alongside the public. We are certain that it will enable us to get off to the best possible start to a new academic year full of satisfaction".

FUS President Samuel Martin Barbero: "Franklin has the unique opportunity to contribute directly to the collective welfare and strategic interests of the City of Lugano. Our commitment aligns perfectly with the vision of proactive cooperation aimed at building a better city for the university students of today and tomorrow. "

The Director of Lugano Region, Massimo Boni: "For years Lugano Region has been welcoming students from outside the Canton, advising them on the main attractions and activities for their free time and participating in events dedicated to them. This year, to encourage the families of students from abroad to stay in the Lugano Region, we have developed a special offer, valid for the entire academic year 2024/25, which includes the new Dine Around food and wine experience free of charge."