C2C: music profile of the festival and program overview
C2C is a music festival from Turin that originated as Club To Club, and today it is most often associated with avant-pop, contemporary electronic music, experimental pop, club culture and artists who move between concert performance, DJ set, audiovisual performance and the contemporary art scene. Over more than two decades, the festival has built a recognizable identity precisely on that connection: it is not focused only on big names, but also on performers who push the boundaries of genre, sound and stage performance.
The festival takes place in Turin, a city whose industrial, gallery and club spaces have an important role in its identity. C2C is especially associated with Lingotto Fiere, a large indoor festival space in a former industrial complex, while some editions also use other city locations. Because of this, the festival does not have the classic character of a summer open-air event with camping, but functions as an urban, multi-day music program in which arrival is often planned together with accommodation, late return, transport and the performance schedule.
Musically, it is recognizable for a program that connects electronic music, experimental pop, R&B, avant-garde auteur projects, contemporary club production, ambient sets, deconstructed dance rhythms and performances by artists who do not easily fit into a single festival genre. This is exactly why C2C attracts an audience that follows the lineup in more detail than at many genre-wise simpler festivals, because the performance schedule often reveals the relationship between headliners, specific curated sections and artists who are only just gaining broader international visibility.
For visitors, the festival is also important because it takes place during a period when Turin has a strong cultural rhythm, with an audience that comes to the city because of the music, night program, visual production and the broader context of contemporary art. Interest in dates, the program, performers and tickets usually depends on how much a particular festival edition relies on rare performances, exclusive concerts, returns by well-known authors and the difference between individual festival days. C2C is therefore experienced more as a curated urban music event than as a series of separate concerts.
Program, performers and festival atmosphere
The C2C program is based on a multi-day schedule and performances ranging from concert formats to DJ sets, audiovisual performances and special showcase sections. For the edition announced from October 29 to November 1, 2026, the confirmed performers include, among others, Arca, The Avalanches, Carl Stone, Chanel Beads, Chuquimamani-Condori presents DJ E, Crystallmess, Elias Rønnenfelt, Grouper, Kelela, KMRU, Kode9 & RP Boo, Marina Herlop, ML Buch, Oklou, Robyn, Shygirl, Smerz, Theo Parrish, underscores, Visible Cloaks, Wendy Eisenberg and Yung Lean & Bladee. Such a selection shows the breadth of the festival: from experimental electronics and art pop to contemporary R&B, club music, ambient approaches and artists who connect popular culture with avant-garde sound.
The atmosphere of the festival is shaped through indoor spaces, late time slots, strong production and an audience that often follows the program as a whole, and not only through individual performances. With this kind of format, it is important to study the schedule in advance, because the festival experience changes depending on whether the visitor chooses the main performances, longer DJ sets, smaller stages or program sections that bring together performers of a similar aesthetic direction.
Unlike a single concert, C2C offers the audience the possibility of moving through several musical atmospheres during the same evening or the same festival weekend. The headliners attract the greatest attention, but a large part of the festival’s identity is created precisely in the transitions between well-known names and less expected performances. Because of this, the lineup is not viewed only as a list of performers, but as an editorial selection that shows where the contemporary club, electronic and avant-pop scene is moving at that moment.
Why does the audience follow C2C?
- Recognizable music profile: The festival brings together performers from avant-pop, experimental electronics, contemporary R&B, art pop and the club scene, so it attracts an audience looking for a program outside the usual festival format.
- Curated lineup: C2C does not rely only on the biggest names, but also on artists who have a strong influence in specific music circles, which is why the list of performers is followed with special attention.
- Turin as a festival space: The urban context is an important part of the experience because the festival is connected with urban movement, the night program, accommodation in the city and Turin’s cultural offer.
- Indoor format: Unlike open summer festivals, C2C relies on large indoor spaces, production and the concentrated atmosphere of late performances.
- Multi-day rhythm: Visitors often compare dates, schedules and individual festival days in order to choose the performances that suit them best.
- International audience: The festival attracts visitors from outside Italy, especially those who follow the contemporary electronic, experimental and alternative pop scene.
How to prepare for the festival?
C2C is an urban multi-day festival, so preparing for arrival is not the same as with large open-air events with camping. Visitors should above all check the festival dates, the locations of individual programs, the entry schedule, the duration of performances and the options for returning after late time slots. Since the program takes place in an urban environment, accommodation, public transport, taxi options and the distance from the festival space can significantly affect the overall experience.
It is good to study the performance schedule in advance because at C2C different musical approaches often overlap: concerts, DJ sets, experimental performances and special program sections. A visitor who wants to follow several performers during the same evening should count on moving through the space, possible crowds at entrances and the need to arrive earlier for some performances.
For this type of festival, simple, practical organization is useful. Comfortable footwear is important because of long periods of standing and moving through the space, and clothing should be adapted to the weather in Turin and to the fact that part of the time may be spent outside the hall before or after the program. Since the festival is not primarily connected with camping, planning overnight stays and returning within the urban rhythm is often more important than classic festival equipment.
Tickets, dates and availability
The C2C audience regularly follows festival dates, the program schedule and the differences between individual days because interest in tickets depends on the lineup, the duration of the festival, the capacity of the space and whether individual performances take place in the same or different festival spaces. Daily and multi-day tickets may differ in the scope of the program, entry conditions and access to individual festival sections.
Prices and availability may change, so before making a decision it is useful to compare dates, ticket type, program location and practical arrival conditions. With multi-day urban festivals, it is especially important to understand whether the ticket applies to one festival day, several days or a specific part of the program, especially when performances take place at different times.
Interesting facts about C2C you may not have known
C2C began in the early 2000s as Club To Club, and its development shows how a club-oriented event can turn into an internationally recognizable platform for contemporary music. Over the years, the program expanded toward avant-pop, experimental electronics, audiovisual projects and artists who connect popular expression with more radical sound approaches. For the 2026 edition, the festival marks 25 years of activity, which further emphasizes its continuity on the European festival scene.
One of the festival’s special features is its relationship with Turin and its spaces. Lingotto Fiere, connected with the city’s former industrial infrastructure, gives the festival a different visual and spatial framework from typical summer festival locations. Such an ambience suits a program that often includes powerful sound, a darker club atmosphere, lighting production and performances that rely on the physical experience of space. C2C has also expanded its presence outside Italy, but the Turin edition remains the central point of its identity.
What to expect at the festival?
At C2C, the festival day is most often built gradually: the audience arrives with already selected performances, but part of the experience also arises through discovering performers who are not necessarily the most prominent on the poster. The main performances attract the largest concentration of visitors, while smaller or more specific time slots can offer a different relationship between performers, space and audience. Because of this, it is useful not to view the program only through the headliners, but also through the schedule that shows how individual evenings are curated.
The visual and production impression is an important part of the festival. With performers coming from the electronic, experimental and avant-pop scene, a performance is often not just a reproduction of songs but a combination of sound, light, stage movement and the atmosphere of the space. In large indoor spaces, such an approach comes especially to the fore because the audience experiences the sound physically, through the density of the bass, the changes of light and the dynamics of movement between performances.
A visitor can expect from C2C a festival that requires more active following of the program than simply arriving at one concert. It is an event in which the experience is shaped through the choice of performances, time spent in the space, the night rhythm of the city and encounters with performers who often work on the border of genres. Precisely that combination of Turin, a curated lineup, contemporary production and an international audience makes C2C one of the recognizable European festivals for listeners who follow new directions in electronic, experimental and pop music.