What Festivals Take Place in Rome?

Rome never stops surprising you. Its nearly 2,800 years of history, monuments, churches, and works of art are just the beginning. The city’s cultural energy runs through every season, all year long.

Internationally acclaimed film festivals, music showcases, food events celebrating local flavors, book fairs, and performing arts festivals fill the calendar. The events program is incredibly rich and manages to wow both locals and visitors alike.

Here are some of the most original and interesting events worth putting on your radar.

The Rome Film Fest

Rome has always been one of the world’s great cinema cities. Cinecittà, Italy’s Hollywood, opened in 1937 and has hosted legendary productions ever since. Generations of world-famous directors, actors, and film technicians were born here or chose Rome as their home.

First held in 2006, the Rome Film Fest ranks among Europe’s most important cinema events. It takes place in October across several city venues, starting with the Auditorium Parco della Musica “Ennio Morricone.” Unlike competitive festivals such as Cannes or Venice, it takes a more open and inclusive approach. The audience plays just as central a role as the critics.

The program features world and European premieres, retrospectives, meet-and-greets with directors and actors, special screenings, and sections dedicated to independent film and new audiovisual trends.

Buy your tickets online on the official website, especially for the most in-demand screenings.

For film lovers, Rome in Golf Cart also organizes tours to the most iconic cinema locations in the city!

Rock, Jazz and Opera in Rome

Music fills Rome everywhere you go, from lively piazzas with street performers to refined jazz clubs. The big summer festivals bring world-class artists to truly one-of-a-kind venues.

Rock in Rome

From June through August, Rome beats to a rock rhythm. Rock in Rome is the city’s premier pop and rock concert series. Every summer, it brings some of the biggest names in Italian and international music to the Capannelle Racetrack and other venues across the city. The lineup changes each year and always delivers top-tier quality.

Buy tickets online through major ticketing platforms. Move fast, because the most popular shows sell out well in advance.

Jazz and More at Villa Celimontana

Village Celimontana is the beloved summer festival held at Villa Celimontana, a beautiful park just steps from the Colosseum. Romans and tourists with a taste for quality music and refined cultural entertainment love this event. Evenings kick off at sunset, when golden light and cooler temperatures turn the villa’s garden into a dreamlike setting. The lineup features high-caliber Italian and international artists, with a strong focus on contemporary jazz, blues, and genre-blending sounds.

Opera at the Baths of Caracalla

The Baths of Caracalla deliver a breathtaking summer setting for world-class music and performance. This colossal archaeological complex, built between 212 and 216 AD, provides a backdrop that no stage set can replicate.

For over a century, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has staged its summer productions here. Watching an opera or ballet against illuminated ancient ruins is an experience unlike anything else in the world. The emotional depth this natural scenography delivers is simply unmatched.

The program features the most celebrated works from the classical operatic repertoire. It welcomes both seasoned opera lovers and first-time attendees. Buy tickets on the official website and book well ahead.

Want to deepen your knowledge of ancient Rome? Rome in Golf Cart offers dedicated tours of the city’s most iconic archaeological sites.

Performing Arts at RomaEuropa Festival

Flip ahead on the calendar to autumn, mid-October through late November. The RomaEuropa Festival is one of Italy’s most prestigious cultural events and one of Europe’s leading performing arts festivals. Venues include Teatro Vascello, Mattatoio, Auditorium Parco della Musica, and other spaces across the city.

Founded in 1986, the festival presents a program of exceptionally high international caliber every year. It spans contemporary dance, experimental theater, avant-garde music, multimedia performances, visual installations, and digital arts.

The festival gives audiences access to companies and artists rarely seen elsewhere. It keeps Rome in constant dialogue with the world’s creative vanguard.

Literary and Publishing Festivals

Rome is a city of culture. Events connected to publishing, writing, and reading are plentiful. Here are two of the most important and most visited.

Festival delle Letterature

One of the world’s most extraordinary settings hosts the Festival delle Letterature each June. The Basilica of Maxentius, a 4th-century Roman monument along the Via Sacra, sits right inside the Roman Forum. Its arches soar nearly 130 feet high. Against this ancient backdrop, some of the most compelling voices in Italian and international literature take the floor.

Writers, poets, essayists, and intellectuals alternate on stage in a series of readings, conversations, and open talks. Admission is often free or very affordable.

Più Libri Più Liberi

This is Italy’s national fair for small and independent publishing, born in Rome in 2002. Its mission is to shine a spotlight on independent publishers and literary works that fall outside the big commercial distribution channels.

It runs in December, typically from the 4th to the 8th, and in recent years takes place at the “La Nuvola” Convention Center in the EUR district. Every year it hosts hundreds of publishers, thousands of titles, author meet-and-greets, presentations, and panel discussions. A must for book lovers.

Find the program and tickets on the Più Libri Più Liberi website.

When Food Becomes an Event

Taste of Roma

Each spring, for a few days, some of the most talented chefs on the Roman and Italian culinary scene set up their pop-up “restaurants” at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. Taste of Roma is the city’s most anticipated food festival. Small dishes at accessible prices let you sample outstanding cuisine with no months-in-advance reservation required and no fortune to spend.

The event also includes masterclasses, cooking demonstrations, and guided tastings of wines, cocktails, and specialty products. Find dates and tickets on the event website.

Love food? With Rome in Golf Cart, you can also book tours dedicated entirely to the flavors of Rome!

Lungo il Tevere… Roma

From June through August, the banks of the Tiber between Ponte Sisto and Castel Sant’Angelo come alive. “Lungo il Tevere… Roma” transforms the riverbanks into a long boulevard of food and entertainment. Food stalls serving local and international cuisine, pop-up bars, live music, crafts, markets, and street performances fill the area. For about three months, the Tiber embankment becomes one of the city’s most enjoyable spots for an evening out.

Creativity and Innovation at Maker Faire Rome

Every October, the former Gazometro Ostiense area becomes the stage for technological creativity and maker culture. Maker Faire Rome is Europe’s largest fair dedicated to innovation.

It started as a spinoff of the iconic San Francisco Maker Faire. Today it’s the largest edition outside the United States, drawing tens of thousands of visitors each year. Robots, 3D printers, startups, prototypes, interactive installations, workshops, and live demos offer a front-row look at what’s coming next.

The event stays accessible and welcoming to everyone, specialists and curious visitors alike. Enthusiasts, hobbyists, families with kids, and school groups all find something here. The venue, the Gazometro Ostiense, is an imposing early-20th-century industrial structure turned cultural hub, and it adds a character all its own.

Find all the details on the Maker Faire website.

The “Estate Romana” Summer Program

“Estate Romana” is a massive umbrella program that the City of Rome runs every year from June through September. A seemingly endless series of cultural and entertainment events unfolds over four months across the entire city.

The Estate Romana calendar covers concerts, open-air theater, outdoor film screenings, exhibitions, dance festivals, book launches, and creative markets. It turns every park, piazza, and historic site in Rome into a potential stage. Free events and very affordable options are easy to find, often in extraordinary settings.

Navigating the full program takes a little planning. Check Rome’s official tourism website and the Romalive portal to stay current on what’s happening during your visit.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Rome’s Festivals

• Plan ahead. Tickets for the biggest events (opera at Caracalla, the Rome Film Fest, RomaEuropa) sell out fast. Check official websites weeks before you arrive.
• Use official channels. Buy tickets only from festival websites or authorized ticketing platforms to avoid surprises and extra fees.
• Dress right. Many events take place outdoors, on grass or cobblestones. Comfortable shoes are a must, along with layers for the evening breeze.
• Watch the traffic. Major festivals can temporarily close some streets. Check in advance and plan your transportation with flexibility in mind.

Combine a Festival with a Sightseeing Tour

Why not experience Rome in two amazing ways at once? You don’t have to choose between attending an event and exploring the city. You can do both.

With Rome in Golf Cart, of course! The golf cart is a smart way to get around Rome’s most beautiful spots. It’s exempt from several traffic restrictions that apply to regular cars and larger vehicles.

Rome in Golf Cart’s expert guides can plan custom routes that take in the landmarks, piazzas, and monuments you want to see, and bring you right to the door of your event. Your Rome in Golf Cart experience will be an event in itself!