April 25 between history, art, and activism in New York
On April 25th, 2026, a talk and a fundraising party will connect the history of the Italian Resistance to a broader, universal call to remember, celebrate, and resist.
The first edition of the Liberazione festival
The independent collective Liberazione organizes a festival to celebrate Italy’s Liberation Day in New York, which will take place on April 25th, 2026, in Brooklyn, with a talk followed by a fundraising party.
Every year, Italy commemorates its liberation from fascism on April 25th, 1945, celebrating those who fought for freedom not with parades or displays of military power, but with marches, songs, and the simple act of showing up in public to say that this event still matters and we haven’t forgotten the struggle against fascism and the people who contributed to it.
But the history of April 25th is not just Italian, it’s universal: wherever people organize against authoritarianism and stand up for each other, that same impulse is alive. New York, a city built by people from everywhere, is the right place to keep this conversation alive.
Liberazione connects the historical memory of Italy’s Liberation Day to the present. Starting from the history of April 25th, the festival opens a broader conversation about resisting authoritarianism in all its forms today: the members of Liberazione—Italian immigrants living in New York—believe that people can shape the world they live in and have volunteered to create this festival. Besides the talk and the party, Liberazione has created Liberazione.day, an online platform offering English-language resources—including articles, podcasts, books, and films—to explore the history of the Italian Resistance.
The talk
A conversation with professors Nadia Urbinati (Columbia University) and Silvana Patriarca (Fordham University), moderated by Iuri Moscardi (The Graduate Center, CUNY; freelance journalist), to explore what Liberation Day means in Italy and why the ideals that motivated the Partisans during World War II still resonate today.
Nadia Urbinati (Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory at Columbia University) will explain the history of Italy between 1943 and 1945, showing how Partisans turned their ideals of freedom and equality into principles of government that later inspired the Republican Constitution of 1948.
Silvana Patriarca (Professor of History at Fordham University) will highlight the diverse backgrounds of those who fought against Nazi-Fascism during World War II, expanding our understanding of who took part in the Resistance.
Julissa Bisono (Associate Director of Organizing, Make the Road New York) will connect these themes to the present, sharing the organization’s work and offering concrete ways to get involved in New York, City today.
The conversation will conclude by reflecting on the enduring relevance of people’s struggle for freedom, reminding us that liberty should never be taken for granted and that defending it is a shared responsibility.
The Party
Later the same evening, at Starr Bar in Brooklyn, there will be a fundraising party to celebrate April 25th and support our non-profit partner, Make the Road New York. The party will run from 10 pm to 4 am and feature a selection of NY-based DJs and a very special guest.
DJs: Eugene Hütz (Gogol Bordello), SPF50 b2b Nema, OTO, G-Style, Vitto
Eugene Hütz is a Ukrainian-American singer, songwriter, DJ, and actor, best known as the founder and frontman of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. Formed in New York in the late 1990s, the band blends Romani and Slavic folk with punk and electronic textures — a sound Hütz dubbed “transglobal gypsy punk.” Across acclaimed albums like Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike and Super Taranta!, and ferocious live shows worldwide, he’s built one of modern music’s most electrifying acts.
SPF 50 crafts hypnotic, atmospheric techno with influences of dub and minimal, blending driving rhythms with textured, psychedelic sound design. Originally from Sweden and now based in Brooklyn, he is a resident of the underground party Bob & Shirley. His upcoming EP Ett Inre Rum (Bliss Point, Sept 2026) continues his focus on immersive, inward-leaning sonic journeys.
Nema Hän is a multidisciplinary artist dedicated to connecting the world, to empower our senses through music, sound, movement, and culture – unconstrained by the boundaries of genres and the politics of the industries.
OTO grew up between his hometown, Flumeri, and Naples, where his musical taste is rooted in the self-organized squat spaces that defined an entire generation of Italian alternative culture and music. In 2014, he moved to New York, immersing himself in the underground scene as an organizer within the Bob & Shirley collective.
G~Style, part of the Bob&Shirley crew, has been digging crates for more than two decades across both sides of the Atlantic and beyond to serve you that fine hi-tech soul on wax.
Vitto, an Italian Creative Director based in Brooklyn, co-founded Salotto NYC, an independent cultural hub that has hosted 60+ events over three years focused on art, design, and music.
Our non-profit partner: Make the Road New York
For more than 25 years, Make the Road New York has built the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice. Through multiple federal lawsuits, individual legal support for immigrant families, food distribution, powerful community organizing, and so much more, Make the Road is fighting to stop family separation and to keep immigrant and working-class New Yorkers safe, healthy, and housed.
Event Details
Website: https://liberazione.day/
Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
Talk
5 pm — 7 pm
84 Withers St, Brooklyn, NY
Free RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986141583943
Party
10 pm — 4 am
214 Starr St, Brooklyn, NY
Ticketed fundraiser: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986142988143
(All profits go to Make the Road NY)
Instagram: @liberazione.day
Contact
info@liberazione.day
