Ten Years of OnStage APS: The Story of an Association Born in Botrugno

How OnStage began

OnStage was born on 10 February 2016 in Botrugno, in the province of Lecce, thanks to twenty friends who were tired of hearing that there was nothing for young people in town. The idea was simple: build a platform that would let the young people of Botrugno create the events they loved.

That idea led to ten years of cultural initiatives: from the reggae of Salento Summerclash to the street art of RestArt, up to the freestyle contest Salento Block Battle. This is the story of the association in four phases, from its founding to today.

2016-2019: the beginning and the first formats

The deed of incorporation was signed in Botrugno on 10 February 2016 by twenty founding members, with the aim of promoting music culture in the area. A few weeks later the group amended the statute, so that the association would not be tied to events in Botrugno only, and chose the name of its first event: Salento Summerclash.

The first edition took place on 29 July 2016: a reggae soundclash with four sound systems (Into The Groove, Lumera, One Drop Fellas, Serious Thing), free entry and around 160 local sponsors involved. It was an unexpected success, one that surprised even people working in the scene.

Summerclash returned in 2017 ("Mès que un clash", with Jemani Jahka and Banpay Crew), in 2018 as an international edition ("Killing Time", with sounds from Poland, Switzerland and Italy) and finally in 2019 ("Break down the limits!", with the Japanese sound Jah Works against the Swedish Safari Sound).

Alongside Summerclash, two more formats were born. Giovedì Ciak brought art-house cinema to the Cinema Aurora in Botrugno with weekly screenings (2nd edition in 2018, 3rd in 2019), widening the association's audience to people who would otherwise never have come into contact with OnStage.

On 5 May 2018 came the debut of RestArt - Suburban StreetArt Fest: a mural painted by Gino Palma on the steps of via XX Settembre, a mural contest, a freestyle contest and a hip hop night, under the patronage of the Municipality of Botrugno. The event built a direct bond with the people of the neighbourhood, who followed the artist's work day by day.

2020-2021: the pandemic and a new generation

With the pandemic, activities stopped and the association went through a period of deep change: many of the original members, now adults, left the group.

In this phase the founders realised that OnStage had to remain a young association, able to renew itself continuously instead of growing older together with the same members. New young people joined from Botrugno, Minervino and the surrounding towns, already active in local hip hop events, and gave the association fresh energy.

The presidency changed too: in 2020 Enrico Vergari succeeded Alessandro Leucci at the head of OnStage.

2021-2025: the restart

In autumn 2021 the new group started again with small, low-cost events, designed to help the newest members grow: this is how Urban Connection was born, a format of reggae and hip hop dj sets every Friday, in collaboration with local venues.

From there the association gradually went back to more demanding events. On 18 June 2022 came Restart, the second edition of RestArt: via XX Settembre hosted a street writers' challenge, the unveiling of a new mural and a live show with several artists on stage. For the association it was a milestone on its journey.

In 2023 a new format was born, Salento Block Battle, a freestyle contest that debuted in Botrugno. The second edition followed on 16 August 2024 and the third in 2025. Also in 2025, on 18 April, Restart returned for its third edition, in a smaller version, with live painting and dj sets in via Paolo VI.

Since 2025 the association has been chaired by Guglielmo Leucci.

2025-2026: a new organisation

At the end of 2025 OnStage began a new organisational phase: on 30 December a new Members' Register was opened, with 40 registrations between 30 and 31 December and a renewed board. At the start of 2026 came the Crew Handbook, which brought the Scrum method and project management tools into the association, to give the volunteers' work more structure.

On 12 August 2026 the fourth edition of Salento Block Battle took place in Botrugno, managed for the first time also with an app for food and drink orders. In the same year the association drew up a proposal for a winter programme at its venue, with a weekly calendar of events from November to March, and submitted its first applications to national funding calls to support its projects.

Ten years on

Ten years after its founding, OnStage remains true to its original mission: giving the young people of the area a platform to create the events they want to see in their own community.

If you want to be part of it, the way in is the same as ever: [become a member](/diventa-socio) or write to us from the [contact page](/contatti).