Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Italy
- Beware: Festival dates are often not posted on websites until just before the event (or may even be posted incorrectly, especially in Italy). Verify the correct festival dates before planning a trip around a specific festival. For more information about these and other events, visit the official tourism site for Italy.
- This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout Italy. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn’t a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
- See upcoming holidays and festivals across Europe
2015
January 31–February 17: Carnevale, Venice
February: Carnevale di Viareggio, Florence
March 22: Rome Marathon
March 22–25: Vinitaly, Verona (wine festival)
April/May: Settimana della Cultura, across Italy (Cultural Heritage Week)
April 5: Easter Sunday (and Scoppio del Carro fireworks in Florence)
April 6: Easter Monday (some closures)
April 21: Rome’s City Birthday Celebration (parades, fireworks)
April 25: Italian Liberation Day (some closures), also St. Mark’s Day, Venice
April 30–May 3: Gelato Festival, Florence
May 1: May Day/Labor Day (closures)
May 14: Feast of the Ascension Day
May 16: Sagra del Limone, Monterosso, Cinque Terre (lemon festival)
May 17: Festa del Grillo, Florence (Festival of the Cricket, music, entertainment, food, crickets sold in cages)
May 24: Vogalonga Regatta, Venice
June: Fashion conventions, Florence
June–August: Verona Opera season
June 1–30: Annual Flower Display, Florence (carpet of flowers on main square)
June 2: Anniversary of the Republic (closures)
June 4: Feast Day of Corpus Christi
June 7: Feast of Corpus Domini, Monterosso and Vernazza (procession on carpet of flowers at 18:00)
June 16–17: Festival of St. Ranieri, Pisa (illuminated facades, candles on the Arno, fireworks, regatta)
June 24: St. John the Baptist Day, Rome; Festival of St. John the Baptist, Florence (parades, dances, boat races; closures); and Calcio Fiorentino, Florence (costumed soccer game on Piazza Santa Croce)
June 29: Sts. Peter and Paul’s Day (most fervently celebrated in Rome)
Late June–early September: Florence’s annual outdoor cinema season (contemporary films)
July: Florence Dance Festival
July 2: Palio horse race, Siena
Mid-July: Noantri Festival, Trastevere district, Rome (music and folklore)
July 18–19: Festa del Redentore, Venice (Feast of the Redeemer; regatta, fireworks)
July–August: Musical Weeks, Lake Maggiore
August 10: St. Lawrence Day, Rome
August 15: Ferragosto (Feast of the Assumption; closures)
August 16: Palio horse race, Siena
September–October: Chestnut festivals (chestnut roasts and related festivities; most towns, mainly north of Rome)
September 5–6: Historical Regatta, Venice
September 7: Festa della Rificolona, Florence (children’s procession with lanterns, street performances, parade)
September 13–14: Volto Santo, Lucca (procession and fair)
September 19: Feast of St. Januarius, Naples (La Festa di San Gennaro; closures)
October: Musica dei Popoli Festival (ethnic and folk music and dances, Florence)
November 1: All Saints’ Day (some closures)
November 21: Feast of Our Lady of Good Health, Venice (religious festival, bridge built over Grand Canal)
December: Christmas Market on Piazza Navona, Rome; crèches in churches throughout Italy
December 7: Feast of St. Ambrose, Milan (closures)
December 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception (some closures)
December 25: Christmas (closures)
December 26: St. Stephen’s Day (some closures)
2016
January 1: New Year’s Day (closures)
January 6: Epiphany (and Epiphany Fair religious festival in Rome; closures)
January: Fashion conventions, Florence (hotel prices may increase)
Early February: Carnevale, Venice
February: Carnevale di Viareggio, Florence
Mid-February: Ivrea Carnevale (orange-throwing free-for-all)