Palexpo Locarno is the event center run by the City of Locarno, in Ticino, Switzerland. Its ground-floor multipurpose hall covers 2,100 m2 and holds up to 800 people in seminar seating, 1,500 at banquet tables or 4,500 for a cocktail or concert. Smaller rooms on the upper floors and a foyer complete the building, so one booking can combine a plenary session, breakouts and a reception.
Seminars and company events
The main hall has no fixed fittings inside, so it can be furnished for each event. The venue lists congresses and seminars, banquets, exhibitions, sporting events, fashion shows, product launches, shows, concerts and film screenings among the events held over the years. The hall has good acoustics, and a motorized soundproof curtain divides the space into smaller areas as needed, so a mid-sized meeting does not have to sit in an empty hangar.
For a conference with side sessions, the upper floors offer seven rooms. Sala 1 seats 180 in conference layout or 80 in seminar layout on 172 m2. Sala 2 takes 100 or 50 on 126 m2. Sala Federale and Sala Virtus each take 60 or 30 on 56 m2, and Sala 3, Sala 4 and Sala 5 each take 40 or 24 on 50 m2. A restaurant is part of the offer, and the building is air-conditioned.
Weddings and receptions
Palexpo is not marketed for weddings. It does sell banquets, and the foyer on the first floor seats 100 at tables or 220 for a standing reception on 220 m2. For larger galas the main hall seats 1,500 at banquet tables.
Rooms and capacities
The main hall measures 72 by 30 meters on 2,100 m2. Capacities depend on layout: 3,000 in conference seating, 800 in seminar layout, 1,500 at banquet tables and 4,500 for a cocktail or concert. The introduction on the venue's page quotes up to 3,200 seated people in the hall, which is a different seating plan from the table of figures. The foyer and the seven rooms are described above.
Accommodation
The pages we read do not mention bedrooms on site. Palexpo is a hall and meeting building, so accommodation is booked elsewhere in Locarno.
Catering
A restaurant belongs to the building, and banquets are among the formats the hall is used for. Ask the City's event team how catering is organized for your date and whether you can bring your own caterer.
History and setting
Palexpo Locarno hosts the Locarno Film Festival each August, and also public shows, concerts and fairs. Its event calendar lists theater and music evenings and a fair in November 2026. The venue has therefore a long record of large public events, which also means dates can be taken by the city's own program.
Getting there
The address given on the map pages is Via alla Peschiera 9, 6600 Locarno. The official site has a location page, and the city's switchboard is the contact for bookings. Confirm access and parking for large events with the team.
