Festivals and Stigma in Dementia: An Ethnography of Alzheimer Fest as a Space of Social Resistance

Abstract

This article investigates the Alzheimer Fest, an annual itinerant cultural event in Italy, as a unique case study in the representation of dementia through festive modalities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between July and October 2024, including participant observation and in-depth interviews, the study explores how Alzheimer Fest challenges the stigma associated with Alzheimer’s disease and fosters inclusive practices of cultural welfare. Grounded in a socio-symbolic approach, the paper situates the festival within broader debates on public health, citizenship, and the role of cultural participation in reshaping dominant narratives around illness and care.

By merging the celebratory atmosphere of a festival with the sensitive theme of neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer Fest functions as a counter-hegemonic space that reconfigures public perceptions of vulnerability. The event offers a pluralistic platform where people with dementia, caregivers, health professionals, and the wider community engage in aesthetic, relational, and performative practices aimed at recognition and social inclusion. Through theatrical performances, art exhibitions, workshops, and public testimonies, the festival restores voice and visibility to marginalized identities, fostering a relational model of care that transcends institutional boundaries.

The findings highlight the festival’s role as a laboratory of participatory welfare and an engine of cultural advocacy. Rather than being a temporary celebration, Alzheimer Fest emerges as a generative process that produces social ties, symbolic reconfigurations, and enduring community networks. The paper ultimately argues for the integration of such cultural interventions within public strategies for dementia care and stigma reduction.