The poster for the first La Notte Rosa seems to be inspired, at first glance, by the movie E.T.: the moon as a backdrop and a bicycle as the means to reach it. In reality, the focus is a heart of light, created by photographer Chico De Luigi using the light painting technique, which allows the two protagonists to take flight. Even in this first visual, all the essential elements of the debut event are present: the pink light, the night illuminated by the moon, and the nod to the dreamlike and imaginative world reminiscent of Fellini’s vision. The elements featured in the design are also the creative components of the event's official brand identity.

The day after the first edition, the media described it as “a sold-out Notte Rosa. It was already known that the streetlights, the roads, the monuments, the fountains, and even the piadine would be pink. But on Saturday, even the one and a half million people who flooded the 110 kilometers of coastline—from Comacchio to Cattolica—were pink.” — E’TV Romagna