Gianni Rivera, Gli Autogol and More Than 100 Sports Activities at Livorno’s White Night of Sport 2026

Gianni Rivera, Gli Autogol, and more than 100 sports activities will headline the fourth edition of Livorno’s White Night of Sport, a unique event in Italy celebrating the city’s rich sporting tradition while giving children and young people the opportunity to discover and try dozens of different disciplines.

The event will take place on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., across Via dei Pensieri, Via Allende, and the sports facilities that make up Livorno’s Sports Citadel.

The program includes more than 100 activities, featuring sports demonstrations, hands-on experiences, games, live entertainment, exhibitions, and information stands. Visitors will also enjoy street food, live music, inflatable play areas for children, the FIGC–National Amateur League eSports Village, interviews, and many other family-friendly attractions. More than 50 organizations—including sports federations, promotional bodies, and local associations—will be involved, representing around 100 sports clubs and welcoming thousands of children and families.

As in previous years, a main stage will be set up at the intersection of Via dei Pensieri and Via Allende, near the south stand of the stadium. The evening will begin with a tribute to Igor Protti, the iconic Livorno football legend who passed away in recent days.

Following the official opening, at 9:00 p.m., the evening’s special guest, Gianni Rivera, will take the stage. A legendary AC Milan midfielder and the first Italian footballer to win the Ballon d’Or, Rivera is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in football history. In recent weeks, he was the guest of honor at the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, where he famously starred in Italy’s historic 4–3 semifinal victory over West Germany at the 1970 World Cup, known as the “Match of the Century.”

In conversation with journalist Gianni Tacchi, organizational coordinator for the event on behalf of Fondazione LEM, Rivera will present his autobiography, “Gianni Rivera. Ieri e oggi” (“Yesterday and Today”), and share stories from his extraordinary career with the Livorno audience.

At 10:00 p.m., the stage will host “Batti Lei. One Hundred Years of Cinema and Sport,” an original performance exploring fifteen iconic films to tell the story of a century of sport on the silver screen. Created and performed by Marco Bruciati, with live music by Claudio Laucci, the show offers an experimental journey between high and popular culture, sacred and profane themes, and black-and-white and color cinema.

The evening will conclude at 11:00 p.m. with a live performance by Gli Autogol, the hugely popular Italian comedy trio with nearly 10 million followers across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Famous for their football parodies and celebrity impressions—including Massimiliano Allegri, Giorgio Chiellini, Antonio Conte, and Zlatan Ibrahimović—they will entertain the audience with sketches, quizzes, and interactive games.

Throughout the evening, all the sports venues in the area—from the stadium to PalaMacchia, the swimming pool, and the rugby field—will remain open to the public. Families will have the opportunity to watch or try dozens of sports, and children will once again receive prizes based on the number of disciplines they experience during the event.

Activities will include tennis, basketball, football, fencing, swimming, cycling, baseball, archery, martial arts, checkers, surfing, sailing, windsurfing through simulators, and spectacular performances such as aerial acrobatics with silks.

The parking area of the athletics stadium, the heart of the White Night of Sport, will feature an even larger entertainment zone, including exhibitions of roller skating, dance, and gymnastics, a boxing ring, a skatepark with spectacular demonstrations, mini golf, giant chess, free climbing, and human table football.

Along Via dei Pensieri and Via Allende, visitors will also be able to take part in three-point basketball contests and rowing ergometer challenges, organized in collaboration with the Italian Naval Academy of Livorno. Meanwhile, PalaMacchia will host exhibition matches of Baskin, wheelchair basketball, and wheelchair handball.

The official ambassador for the 2026 edition is Andy Diaz, the Cuban-born Italian triple jumper. Bronze medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, indoor world champion in 2025 and 2026, indoor European champion in 2025, three-time Diamond League winner, and holder of the Italian national record, Diaz competes for the Fiamme Gialle sports group while continuing to represent Libertas Unicusano Livorno, the first Italian club to sign him after his arrival from Cuba.

A new partnership also debuts this year with Radio Sportiva, the event’s official media partner. The national sports broadcaster will provide live coverage throughout the evening with special broadcasts, interviews, and reports from the event.

Main Stage Programme

(Via dei Pensieri – Via Allende intersection)

7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
“Cities That Run” – Sport as a driver of sustainable energy for communities, the economy, and urban innovation. Public discussion organized by ANCI Toscana as part of the Sport Act project, funded by the Interreg Italy–France Maritime Programme.

8:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Official Opening Ceremony of the White Night of Sport.

9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
“Gianni Rivera. Yesterday and Today” – Presentation of the autobiography Gianni Rivera. Ieri e oggi, in conversation with Gianni Tacchi.

10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
“Batti Lei. One Hundred Years of Cinema and Sport” – A theatrical and musical journey through 100 years of sport in cinema, created by Marco Bruciati, with music by Claudio Laucci.

11:00 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Gli Autogol – A Night in Livorno – Live comedy show featuring parodies, impressions, audience games, and interactive entertainment with Michele Negroni, Alessandro Iraci, and Alessandro Trolli.