Locarno79 prepares its countermeasures against the heat

The Locarno Film Festival opens on Wednesday under a level 4 heat alert expected to last until Friday. Organisers have put in place a number of measures to protect audiences during the hottest days.

The first concerns air conditioning. The systems have been strengthened, particularly at the FEVI, where complaints about the heat in the auditorium were received last year.

The second concerns water. Distribution points have been increased and the festival has prepared maps showing where free drinking water can be obtained. The maps are available both in print and in digital form.

Assistance and open-air spaces

Medical staff trained to recognise and manage heat-related conditions will be present on site. The team remains available throughout the event.

For Piazza Grande, by contrast, no specific measures are planned. That is where the evening screenings take place, when temperatures fall compared with the middle hours of the day.

The approach therefore separates indoor from outdoor spaces. In the auditoriums the problem is the internal temperature and the capacity of the systems, while outdoors what matters most is the hour at which the audience gathers.

The announced measures act at two different moments. Air conditioning and water points reduce exposure to heat, while the presence of medical staff comes into play once symptoms have already appeared.

A level 4 alert corresponds to a strong degree of danger on the scale used for heatwaves. Its expected duration until Friday covers precisely the opening days of the programme.

The festival takes place at the time of year when the Locarno area records its highest temperatures. The combination of visitor numbers, heavily used indoor spaces and waiting outdoors makes heat an organisational variable, alongside the programme and the logistics.