The Ypsigrock Music Festival takes place every August in the city of Castelbuono, in the province of Palermo on Sicily. One of the oldest rock music festivals in the country, it has been held at Castelbuono's town square since 1997. Thanks to its varied line-ups, Ypsigrock was praised as the best festival in 2015 at the Italian On Stage Awards. The festival organizers put a lot of effort in the integration of the artistic programme into its local culture, spiced with the unique Sicilian cuisine and internationally renown wines.
One of the biggest advantages of the festival, organized by the Glenn Gould Association, is its unique location. The main Ypsi Once Stage is an amphitheatre next to the medieval Castelbuono Castle, with the Madonie Mountains as the backdrop and the coast just 20 minutes by car. The second stage—Ypsi & Love Stage—is located in the 18th-century cloister at Piazza San Francesco. The third, Cuzzocrea Stage is hidden inside the Madonie National Park, a green woods area around Castelbuono. The fourth one—Mr. Y Stage—occupies a deconsecrated baroque church.
Being a boutique festival, Ypsigrock doesn't gather huge crowds but has had a stable audience for over 20 years drawn by its quality and music choices. The lineups of the Ypsigrock festival included the best talent of world rock and alternative music scene, like Editors, Mogwai, Daughter, Savages, Moderat, Battles, Metronomy, Primal Scream, Future Islands, Caribou, Belle & Sebastian, Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney, Crystal Castles, Battles, Primal Scream, The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Horrors, Shame, Aurora, Kelly Lee Owens, Ride, Digitalism, Beach House, Daughter, Savages, The Vaccines, Alt-J, SOHN, Django Django, Hinds, Fat White Family, and others.
The camping area of the festival is set up in Madonie National Park, near the Cuzzocrea Stage. This relaxing green space is a perfect spot for a break in the ideal pine tree surrounding.
