Focus Live, Focus magazine’s festival of knowledge, set a new record this year, attracting over 20,000 visitors across the three days of the event. This was the eighth consecutive edition, held in collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan.

Demonstrating the success of the formula and the brand’s strength in the digital and social space, over 10 million users were reached – a significant increase compared to the 2024 edition – through posts, stories, and videos shared across the web, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. All content will remain available and will continue to be enriched with new material for both young and adult enthusiasts.

From Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November, Focus Live – Passione  featured 120 guest, including astronauts, scientists, Olympic champions, researchers, and science communicators, as well as comedians, singers, and chefs, who animated the Main Stage, Speakers’ Corner, Creators’ Corner, and the Kids Area curated by Focus Junior.

“Focus Live is proof that a passion for knowledge brings people together and breaks down all boundaries,” said Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Director of Focus. “It’s not just a festival; it’s a celebration of curiosity and a demonstration that science, when shared with passion, becomes a powerful driver of community. The real magic of this event is its ability to transform science communication, often experienced through a page or screen, into a tangible, shared, and often highly entertaining experience.”

All 100+ events sold out, making the eighth edition of the festival truly special. Talks, workshops, and shows across various scientific disciplines – linked by this year’s theme of passion – prompted participants to reflect on the fundamental role of science in shaping our future.

Contributing to the outstanding success of Focus Live were the leading figures from the worlds of science and beyond, who allowed attendees to experience the future firsthand, engage with the present of research, and rediscover the passion that drives science. Highlights included: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who opened the festival sharing her space passions and daily challenges; CERN physicist Guido Tonelli, discussing the concept of the void; journalist Beatrice Mautino; science communicator Massimo Temporelli; Luciano Pinotti and Enzo Spisni; Pierdomenico Perata from the Sant’Anna School of Pisa; scientist-criminologist Gian Maria Campedelli; Olympic gold medallist Mara Navarria in the team épée at Paris 2024; astrophysicist Amedeo Balbi; communicator Federico Taddia; neurosurgeon Christian Brogna; journalist and writer Matteo Bordone, who engaged in a playful challenge with ethologist Monica Battini; Elio e le Storie Tese; biotechnologist Marco Martinelli; and master chocolatier Ernst Knam. The lineup also included representatives from the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation and the Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.

At Focus Live, science is not just watched or listened to: it’s experienced and done firsthand. The true heart of the Festival lies in the installations and workshops of the Experience Area, a multiverse of discovery where every corner promises a new adventure. This year too, Focus Live gave countless visitors the chance to travel into the past or dive into the future through virtual reality, escape rooms, and much more, experiencing firsthand how science and technology are shaping the world around us. The experiences in the Experience Area were made possible thanks to installations curated by exceptional partners such as ENI, Humanitas University, Scuola Sant’Anna, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Fondazione AIRC, Università Cattolica di Milano, and Politecnico di Torino.

For children and teenagers, the Kids Area curated by Focus Junior offered an even richer program: from workshops organized by Mondadori Education and Jordan Oral Care to drawing workshops, STEM activities, VR experiences from the Frasassi Caves, and a new “offline” play area to test skills with Kapla building blocks, chess, and origami, rediscovering the joy of analog play.

“We shared three wonderful days with the children at Focus Live, witnessing their natural curiosity and eagerness to experiment,” said Sarah Pozzoli, Director of Focus Junior. “The Focus Junior Kids Area team carefully selected the STEAM activities to offer. We are delighted to see that when the program is of high quality, the audience responds with great enthusiasm.”

On Friday and Saturday evenings, two thrilling shows entertained the audience: La scienza vista dal Basso, a quiz hosted by the irresistible Federico Basso that turned curious questions and scientific knowledge into a hilarious game blending education and laughter; and Murder at the Museum, where Massimo Polidoro guided the audience through the scene of a crime that took place among the halls of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum.” A captivating crime night showing how science, psychology, and the scientific method help investigators solve even the most complex cases. Two evenings, two different ways to experience science communication. Engaging, entertaining, and full of wonder.

The festival will close on Sunday at 6:30 pm with Luca Perri and Giacomo Moro Mauretto in La passione è un motore o un freno a mano?

Partners and sponsors

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and numerous partners.

MAIN PARTNERS: Eni, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security
PARTNERS: Bayer, Grotte di Frasassi, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Subito, Toyota Motor Italia
CONTENT PARTNER: AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Mondadori Education
OFFICIAL RADIO: R101
In collaboration with the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026
KIDS’ AREA powered by Focus Junior
With the patronage of the City of Milan

The advertising for Focus Live is managed by Piemme S.p.A., the exclusive sales agency for Focus and other Mondadori Media brands.

This edition of Focus Live is made possible through the collaboration and support of numerous institutions, research centres, and universities, including: ADMaiora, ASI, Business&Roads, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), ESA, FBK, Human Technopole, IIT, INAF, Istituto Superiore Sant’Anna, JRC – Joint Research Centre, Kosmos, PLANit – Associazione dei Planetari Italiani, Politecnico di Torino, Smonting, Think About Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, and Università degli Studi di Trieste.

The communication campaign and creative design of the event have been developed by Zampe Diverse, with production and organisational management by Left & Right.