PardoWay

From your breakfast eggs to your nightcap, from coffee to the apéritif and on to the cocktail in the wee small hours of the morning – during the eleven days of the Festival ten bars and restaurants will be joining together under the brand name PardoWay to cater to every taste, almost round the clock. Places in the PardoWay scheme will be marked by a totem pole.

The ideal way to start the Festival day is a hearty breakfast – like the one served at the Regina bar, which also offers a wide range of international daily papers. From 5 to 9 pm at MaxWay you can enjoy a moment of blissful relaxation with a tasty range of nibbles, house specialties and unusual aperitifs – like the Whatever Works, made with raspberry juice and sparkling prosecco white wine. From 6 pm live music – strictly unplugged – will accompany you at the Locarno City Garden, where guests can enjoy a wine bar and a delicious range of dishes from the grill, with service till 2 am. Live music will also be playing at the Spazio RSI in Largo Zorzi, where the host broadcaster (Switzerland’s Italian-language channel RSI) will bring you free live music every evening from 7.30 pm until the start of screenings in Piazza Grande.

In the  very centre of Locarno is Fashion2Shè, which offers a range of aperitifs and an attractive lounge for nights out after the Festival. The exclusive SeaLounge Seven is well worth the short trip to Ascona: at this lakeside venue beneath the Seven restaurant (renowned for star chef Ivo Adam) you’ll find the perfect place to enjoy a refreshing cocktail and a bite to eat from the rich buffet or Asian specialty menu, accompanied by a film-themed DJ set.

Back in Locarno itself the Rotonda del Festival, open from 6 pm through 3 am, offers eight different restaurants, various bars and numerous stands, with specialties from all over the world – all served with the trimmings of live music ranging from  Latin jazz and folk to reggae and Afro-American sounds. From 6 pm onwards, the magical garden of the Bistro Teatro Paravento provides the setting in which to taste natural cooking by Guardiano del Farro and Athena Catering. Enjoy local specialties and ethnic food as you listen to concerts by Rock-, Ethno-, Blues- and Jazz acts or take in painting and sculpture exhibitions.

The end of the film in Piazza Grande does not mean the end of your evening. The Cambusateatro describes itself as a “theater performing art box” and  provides a creative and alternative atmosphere every night till late, with live music, DJ sets and a bar serving natural food from around  the world. Not forgetting, of course, the specialty of the house - theater. Discreet and atmospheric music sets the tone for evenings at LaSuiteDuFestival on the Terrazza Martini, an elegant lounge venue located in a splendid garden just a few yards from Piazza Grande. This year it will be offering an additional attraction with Le Club, a disco set up in a spacious 200 square metre tent, open till late.

The music will also keep playing into the early hours of the morning at the new Lido - Enjoy Beach Lounge, Locarno’s only club right on the lakeside. Alongside the usual meals and snacks, Festival nights at the Lido will continue with lounge music to 2 am, and closing time at 3 am. A mini road train will provide transport to the Lido direct from Piazza Grande, and two buses will also be available for special events.

The PardoWay venues are pleased to offer the Festival-going public a wide range of choice. Visitors will be able to get to know Locarno better, enjoying the atmosphere of a place which, beyond the films, the forums and the discussions, is a place of fun and entertainment, too.