Drumzilla and Drum Galà turns Rovigo into a drumming showcase
Rovigo's June 19-21 drum weekend put clinics, free square shows and Christoph Schneider on a stage built for drummers, not bandheads.
Rovigo spent the June 19-21 weekend as a drummer’s town, with Drumzilla and Drum Galà turning Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II into a place for clinics, performances and meetups instead of a standard festival bill. The format was built around the drum kit itself, with daytime sessions for working players and a free outdoor gala that pulled children, students, families and veteran fans into the same packed square. Riccardo Merlini’s event, tied to the memory of Beppe Lupo, made the point quickly: this was drums first, everything else second.
The clinic side carried the most practical value. Alex Cohen, Nic Collins and Kai Hahto anchored the daytime program, and that meant players were watching feel, setup and touch from close range rather than seeing them reduced to a spot on a distant stage. That is the kind of access drummers usually have to buy through masterclasses or industry shows. Here it was part of the weekend’s core design, which the city of Rovigo has framed as Merlini’s training project, one that has drawn students and professionals from around the world.
At night, the festival shifted into Drum Galà’s memorial mode, with the official event language describing the 2026 edition as returning to the heart of Rovigo to celebrate groove, live energy and the memory of Beppe Lupo. Christoph Schneider of Rammstein was the marquee name, and the wider lineup gave the weekend real depth: Virgil Donati, André Nieri, Junior Braguinha, Baard Kolstad, Riccardo Merlini’s Mthød Nøir, Maxx Furian, Paolo Valli, Bruno Farinelli, Eric Solieri, Alex Cohen and others all figured in the programming. The festival’s 12th edition had already been presented in the Ridotto of Teatro Sociale di Rovigo, where Erika De Luca called it a meeting point for passion, talent and participation.
The free gala in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II was the detail that made the whole thing land. A square full of kids, older attendees, families, students and drum fans is not how most percussion events feel, but that was the point here: a public showcase, not a closed scene gathering. Drumzilla and Drum Galà did not just stack names and call it a weekend. They turned the city center into a drum riser and made Rovigo look like the place where the instrument itself got top billing.
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