Marie Wynants
Genova mayor goes viral after raving during Charlotte de Witte city square set
Genova mayor Silvia Salis has gone viral online after videos showed her dancing in the crowd during Charlotte de Witte massive open-air rave in the city’s Piazza Matteotti.
The Belgian techno superstar performed in the historic square as part of a city-backed event that drew more than 20,000 people, transforming the heart of Genova into a huge outdoor rave. The performance quickly became one of the most talked-about electronic music events in Italy this year.
However, beyond the scale of the event itself, another moment caught the internet’s attention. Videos circulating on social media showed Salis enjoying the music and dancing along with the crowd, a scene that many viewers found unexpected for a sitting mayor.
Within hours, clips of the moment spread across platforms, with users turning the footage into memes and sharing it widely across TikTok, Instagram and X.
Earlier in the evening, the mayor had already shared her excitement about the event on social media, posting:
“Piazza Matteotti stracolma, tante e tanti giovani per ascoltare una delle DJ più influenti della scena techno internazionale: a Genova, stasera, suona @charlottedewittemusic.” The message roughly translates to: “Piazza Matteotti is packed, so many young people here to listen to one of the most influential DJs in international techno — tonight in Genova, Charlotte de Witte is playing.”
The event marked a rare moment where electronic music took over the streets of the city center, bringing together thousands of fans in a public square for a large-scale techno gathering.
As clips of the mayor dancing continue to circulate online, the moment has become yet another reminder of how dance music events can create unexpected cultural moments far beyond the dancefloor.
