Tourists can find events in Rome at any time of the year because there is always something to do. While Easter is a popular time for tourists, there are many secular and cultural events to intrigue even the most seasoned traveler.
Here is a monthly list of some of the biggest events in one of the most captivating cities in the world.
January: New Years Day and Saint Anthony’s Day
New Year’s Day is a national holiday in Italy. Most of the shops, museums, restaurants and other services will be closed so that the Romans can recover from the New Year’s Eve festivities.
January 6 is Epiphany and Befana. Epiphany is officially the twelfth day of Christmas and one in which Italian children celebrate the arrival of La Befana, a good witch. In Vatican City, a procession of hundreds of people dressed in medieval costumes walks along the wide avenue leading to the Vatican, carrying symbolic gifts for the Pope, who says a morning mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Epiphany. .
January 17 is Saint Anthony’s Day (Festa di San Antonio Abate). The festival celebrates the patron saint of butchers, domestic animals, basket makers and gravediggers. In Rome, this holiday is celebrated in the church of Sant’Antonio Abate on the Esquiline Hill and the traditional “Blessing of the Beasts” that accompanies this day takes place in nearby Piazza Sant’Eusebio.
February: beginning of Carnevale
Depending on the date of Easter, the beginning of Lent and Carnevale can begin as early as February 3. Carnevale and Lent are among the most exciting times to be in Rome, both in the pre-Lenten festivities (Carnevale) and in religious processions. , which begin on Ash Wednesday, are part of the tradition in the capital and the Vatican City. Carnevale events in Rome begin ten days before the actual Carnevale date, with many events taking place in Piazza del Popolo.
March: Women’s Day and Maratona di Roma.
La Festa Della Donna or Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. Restaurants in Rome usually have special menus for Women’s Day.
On March 14, also known as the Ides of March, Roman commemorates the anniversary of Julius Caesar’s death in the Roman Forum near his statue.
Easter, which generally falls in March or April, is one of the busiest times of the year in Rome and Vatican City, with many religious events marking the death and resurrection of Jesus in the Christian church. The events culminate with an Easter mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Then later in March, the Maratona di Roma (Rome Marathon) takes place in the city, with a course that takes runners through the most famous monuments of the ancient city.
April: spring and the founding of Rome
Like Easter, the day after Easter, La Pasquetta, is also a national holiday in Rome. Many Romans celebrate with excursions or picnics outside the city, and the day ends with fireworks over the Tiber River.
La Festa della Primavera, a festival that marks the beginning of spring, sees the Plaza de España decorated with hundreds of pink azaleas. In mid-April, the Romans celebrate the Settimana della Cultura or Culture Week. National museums and archaeological sites have free entry and some sites that are not normally open to the public may be open.
The founding of Rome (Rome’s birthday) is celebrated on or near April 21. Rome is said to have been founded by the twins Romulus and Remus in 753 BC. C. Special events, including gladiator displays at the Colosseum, are part of the festivities.
And on April 25, the Romans celebrate Liberation Day, the day Italy was liberated at the end of World War II. Commemorative ceremonies are held at the Quirinale Palace and elsewhere in the city and the country.
May: Labor Day and the Italian Open.
Primo Maggio, May 1, is a national holiday in Italy that marks Labor Day, the celebration of workers. There is a concert in Piazza San Giovanni and usually also protest demonstrations. Most of the sites and museums are closed, but it is a good day to visit some of the outdoor sites in and around the city.
A new group of Swiss Guards are sworn in at the Vatican every May 6, the date that marks the sack of Rome in 1506. The general public is not invited to this ceremony, but if they can arrange a guided tour of the Vatican that day, you can take a look at the swearing-in.
Sometime in early to mid-May, Rome hosts the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, also known as the Italian Open, on the tennis courts of the Stadio Olimpico. This nine-day clay court event is the largest tennis tournament before the Grand Slam French Open tournament and attracts many top tennis players.
June: Republic Day and Corpus Domini.
Republic Day or Festa della Repubblica is celebrated on June 2. This great national holiday is similar to Independence Days in other countries, commemorating the date in 1946 that Italy became a Republic. A grand parade is held on Via dei Fori Imperiali followed by music in the Quirinale gardens.
The Romans celebrate numerous religious holidays in June, including Corpus Domini, 60 days after Easter Sunday, the Feast of St. John (San Giovanni) on June 23, and the Day of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29.
Julio: Expo Tevere y Festa dei Noantri
The Expo Tevere arts and crafts fair stretches along the banks of the Tiber from Ponte Sant’Angelo to Ponte Cavour, with artisan food stalls selling wines, olive oils and vinegar. It’s scheduled for early and mid-July and is a great place for tourists to shop for authentic Roman merchandise.
During the last two weeks of July, the Festa dei Noantri (which translates as “Festival for the rest of us”) is celebrated, centered on the feast of Santa María del Carmine. This very local festival sees the statue of Santa Maria, adorned with handmade ornaments, moved from church to church in the Trastevere neighborhood and accompanied by religious bands and pilgrims.
Throughout July and August, there will be music concerts at Castel Sant’Angelo and other open-air venues, including the squares and parks of Rome and the ancient Baths of Caracalla.
August: Feast of Our Lady of the Snow
The Festa della Madonna Della Neve (“Virgin of the Snow”) celebrates the legend of the miraculous August snow that fell in the 4th century, signaling the faithful to build the church of Santa Maria Maggiore. A reenactment of the event is held with artificial snow and a special sound and light show.
The traditional start of the summer vacation for most Italians is Ferragosto, which is celebrated on the religious holiday of the Assumption, on August 15. There are dance and music festivals on this day.
September: Sagra dell’Uva and football
The summer heat begins to subside in September, making outdoor activities a little more enjoyable and public places a little less crowded by tourists. At the beginning of September, the harvest festival known as Sagra dell’Uva (Festival of the Grape) is celebrated in the Basilica of Constantine in the Forum. During these holidays, the Romans celebrate the grape, a food that is a large part of Italian agriculture, with large quantities of grapes and wine for sale.
And the beginning of September is also the beginning of the football (soccer) season. Rome has two teams: AS Roma and SS Lazio, rivals who share the playing field of the Stadio Olimpico. Games are held on Sundays.
At the end of September, numerous art, craft and antique fairs are held throughout Rome.
October: Feast of San Francisco and Rome Jazz Festival.
In October, Rome sees many artistic and theatrical events, along with a large religious celebration. The feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, on October 3, marks the 1226th anniversary of the death of the Umbrian saint. The Romans celebrate with a floral offering near the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano.
Since 1976, the Rome Jazz Festival has attracted some of the best jazz musicians from around the world. It used to be held during the summer, but now it is at the end of October, at the Parco Della Musica Auditorium.
November: All Saints Day and Festival of Europe
On November 1, All Saints is a public holiday in which Italians remember their deceased loved ones by visiting graves and cemeteries.
The Rome Europe Festival continues throughout the month of November. The program has a wide variety of performing arts, contemporary dance, theater, music, and film. And the young but prosperous Rome International Film Festival in mid-November takes place at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica.
On November 22, the Romans celebrate the feast of Santa Cecilia in Santa Cecilia in Trastevere.
December: Christmas and Hannukkah.
During Hanukkah, Rome’s large Jewish community looks out over Piazza Barberini, where candles are lit on a giant menorah each night.
Christmas in Rome begins in early December, when Christmas markets start selling handmade gifts, crafts, and treats. The nativity display in the Sala del Bramante near Piazza del Popolo features nativity scenes from around the world.
On December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope leads a caravan from the Vatican to Piazza di Spagna, where he lays a wreath of flowers on the Colonna dell’Immacolata in front of the Trinita dei Monti Church.
Christmas Eve is the night when the nativity displays are traditionally completed by adding the baby Jesus or unveiled, such as the life-size nativity in St. Peter’s Square. On Christmas Day, most businesses are closed, but the midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica is a unique Roman experience, even for those who do not practice Christians.
And just like around the world, New Year’s Eve, which coincides with the Feast of San Silvestre (San Silvestro), is celebrated with much fanfare in Rome. Piazza del Popolo has the largest public celebration in the city with music, dancing and fireworks.
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