Salento Block Battle: the first edition and the road that led to it

Where it comes from

Freestyle was part of the OnStage story well before Salento Block Battle: on 5 May 2018, the first edition of RestArt - Suburban StreetArt Fest already included a freestyle contest, alongside Gino Palma's mural, the mural contest and the hip hop night.

The decisive push, however, came with the generational change. During the pandemic many of the original members left the group, and new young people joined from Botrugno, Minervino and the surrounding towns, already active in local hip hop events. In autumn 2021 the new group started again with small, low-cost events, such as the reggae and hip hop DJ nights of Urban Connection, and on 18 June 2022 it brought Restart, the second edition of RestArt, to via XX Settembre, with a challenge between street writers and a live show.

2023: Salento Block Battle is born

In 2023 a new format was born: Salento Block Battle, a freestyle contest that debuted in Botrugno.

The editions that followed

Salento Block Battle did not stay a one-off:

- the second edition took place on 16 August 2024;
- the third edition came in 2025;
- the fourth edition took place on 12 August 2026 in Botrugno, managed for the first time with an app dedicated to food and drink orders.

Four editions in four years: since 2023 the freestyle contest has come back every year, alongside RestArt.

Take part

If you freestyle and want to test yourself, keep an eye on the [events](/eventi) page. If you want to help organise the next edition, [become a member](/diventa-socio). The full story of the association is in [Ten Years of OnStage APS](/blog/dieci-anni-onstage-aps-storia-associazione-botrugno).